Death – Tarot Meaning Deep Dive

Welcome to part 14 of my 22 part Tarot Meanings Deep Dive series – each week we explore ONE major arcana card and uncover it’s secrets, symbols and messages.

Today we’re diving into Death – the most iconic Tarot card in the whole Tarot deck!

Grab your Tarot journal, pen and a cup of tea and get comfy…

 

Keywords: change, endings, closing the door, letting go, release, clearing/cleansing, impermanence, transition, transformation

Symbols:
Flag – white rose = desires purified
Sun Rising – a new dawn is on the horizon
River/boat – flux, flow, the River Styx from Greek mythology
King (fallen crown) – no one is immune to Death
Girl (turning away) – refusal to look at Death
Man in yellow (Pope) – bargaining with Death
Child holding flowers – greeting Death

Dark Side: the pain of letting go and things coming to an end

Light Side: change, transformation, clearing and making room for something new

1) Endings / Letting Go

Death represents an ending, letting go of something and closing the door. Endings can be painful, but how well you’re able to let go will determine how well you can later receive something new.

Death can represent the end of something like a relationship, job, way of life or pattern and it can also represent the need to clear something from your life.

Journalling Questions:

♥ What are you ready to clear? To let go of? What’s cluttering up your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual space?

♥ What is your relationship to letting go like? Think of the last ending you experienced. What was it like? What made it difficult (or easy)?

2) Impermanence

Death reminds us that nothing lasts forever – everything is always in constant flux & flow, like the river that runs through the background of this card.

Imagine a world in which nothing died…ever. Things would stagnate and eventually feel very lifeless, ironically! Death is needed to keep things alive. The impermanent nature of life keeps things fresh and helps us be more present and appreciative.

Death isn’t really an ending in the final sense, it’s just impermanence in action, a point on the wheel of life, death and rebirth.

Journalling Questions:

♥ What does is mean to embrace impermanence (death)?

♥ If you truly embraced impermanence, how would you live your life differently?

3) Transition (Transformation)

Death represents the void between an ending and a new beginning. The old story has ended, but the new story has yet to begin. We must walk through this void before coming out on the other side. This is the transition toward transformation!

Death doesn’t represent the fun, butterfly part of transformation, but the gross part where the worm turns to liquid goo in the cocoon.

Journalling Questions:

♥ Think of all the void (or cocoon) times you’ve had. For example, the time between one relationship ending and another beginning. What helped? What did you learn?

♥ What helps you most as you journey through the void?

The Wisdom of Death

Death is needed so that life can continue. Change is constant. Don’t be afraid of the void, for it is where a new dawn will emerge.

Let me know in the comments below…How do YOU feel about the Death card?

♥ Join me next week as we dive into Temperance

You can find all my previous Tarot Meanings Deep Dives right here!