I always put a disclaimer on this card because people have a tendency to panic when it shows up... so here goes:
The Death card does NOT mean physical death!! So, don't panic if it comes up in a reading! ... Now, having said what it doesn't mean , let's get on with what it does mean.
It's ruled by Scorpio, the sign of "sex, death & taxes" :-) 13 is the number sacred to the Goddess because of the 13 moons in a year, among other reasons. (Yes, I know. There are usually only 12 moons in a solar year, but we're talking lunar year here).
The banner that Death carries has a black background, indicating an absence of light. The white rose, on the other hand, indicates beauty, purification & immortality.
Death is portrayed as a skeleton because the bones are the part of the body that survives death.
The armor he's wearing shows him to be invincible, unconquerable. Indeed, no one yet has triumphed over death. (Well, except for maybe a certain Nazarene about 2000 years ago, but the jury is still out on that one.)
Notice that Death really does ride a white horse! White is the color of purity. He is the ultimate purifier. All things are reborn fresh, new & pure.
Even the bishop is paying homage to him. All sectors of the human race are represented here, men, women & children. Death is not a respecter of age, race or gender. He is the original equal opportunity employer! Even the background is a neutral grey, showing Death's impartiality. (Neither masculine nor feminine.)
See the rising sun in the background? That's the sun of rebirth. Death is really just a change, & the sun represents that. The sun appears to die every night, but is reborn fresh & new every morning.
The 2 pillars (remember them? Can't get away from them, can we?) are guarding the gateway to the sun, symbolizing the knowledge needed to gain immortality.We keep coming back to this plane because we just don't get it & we have to keep coming back & learning more until we do. Then we can graduate & pass beyond the sun into something better.
The boat on the water in the background is the ferry that ferries the souls across the River Styx.
This archetype teaches you to let go of outworn & outgrown ways of life & move forward. I'm always excited when the Death card shows up because it means I'm ready to experience something new. Death is a clearing away of the old to make ready for the new. This is a perfect card to use to kill a bad habit, such as smoking.
EXERCISE:
To quit smoking, or kill another bad habit,
Take out the following cards:
Death
The Hanged Man
The Devil
Strength
The World
Place the Hanged Man and the Devil side by side, then lay the Death card crosswise over both of them. Now, put the Strength card on top of the Death card and cover the whole pile with the World card.
Concentrate on the symbology of what you have just done:
You took a bad habit that binds (Devil) and restricts (Hanged Man) you, put it to Death with incredible Strength, and the end result is all the joy in the World!
Concentrate on being free of the bad habits that bind you. Know that you can be free of the bonds that limit and restrict you. The habit will die, and a new You will be reborn! You have the Strength to do this, and the results will be all the benefits of the World
Now, write a few words about the habit on a coffee filter. Put the coffee filter in a bottle of vinegar. If you would like, also put a token of the habit (such as a broken cigarette) in the bottle. During a waning moon, take the bottle of vinegar and throw the contents into a body of fast moving water. Know that you are free of the habit. As you throw the contents of the bottle into the river or other body of water, scream, "Smoking be gone from my life!" or similar words. Then turn your back and walk away without looking back.
Whenever you get the urge to smoke or indulge in whatever habit you just broke, remember that the habit is being eaten up by the vinegar on it's way down-river to the ocean, and you don't have to do it anymore!
When you get back home, wash the vinegar bottle out and send it to the recycling center. Know that your life is being recycled into a brand new person that doesn't do that nasty habit anymore. Keep a brand-new shiny penny in your pocket or purse to remind you of the brand new person who was reborn. A brand new person who does not smoke or indulge in whatever habit you just killed.
Congratulations!!
ALTERNATE ASSIGNMENT:
Pull the Death card from the deck. Tell us what deck you are using. Describe the card to us, then tell us how the images on the card relate to the idea of rebirth. Tell us what the concepts of death and rebirth mean to you.
From Lynell:
Using the Golden Dawn Magical Tarot: This deck has an extra Temperance card (different design) that is used strictly for ritual work. The first link below shows these two different Temperance cards. The second link shows the Death card.
Temperance card
Death card
I used the Temperance card in the assigned ritual. I asked the cards what I needed to transform in my life and drew the 10 of Cups, which did not surprise me. I interpreted this to mean that I cannot have real, lasting happiness until I rid myself of negative thought/feeling patterns in my life. Then I asked how I might aid in this transformation and drew the 3 of Pentacles and the Queen of Wands. I must devote my energies and talents to the work that I have committed myself to.
On one side of the filter, I wrote what I needed to rid myself of: Poverty (referring to an atmosphere, mood, or way of thinking) / Pessimism / Ingratitude. On the reverse side I wrote what I wanted these things to become - or be tempered with: Abundance / Optimism / Gratitude. I twisted the paper into a rope and made a circle out of it, placed it in a pot, and lit it on fire. I fanned the fire and sprinkled sage on the paper to keep it burning until only ashes remained. I then poured vinegar on it, and then water. I stirred this until everything was dissolved. Instead of taking the contents to the river, which would have been difficult, I shoveled aside a patch of snow in my flower bed and poured the solution there - to be part of the spring that will come.
That night I had a dream, which in part included this:
A man has directed a young girl to do some fishing, and left her alone on the boat to bait her own hook and do the work. I am concerned for her safety, so try to stay with her. The hook and line arrangement is a complicated 10 hook affair that circles around a central weight. The line is thrown into the water.
At this point my ex-husband is in the boat, overseeing all this. I think the little girl is me now. I look into the water and see a rubber-like tentacle emerge. I hits me that this doesn't look like a real tentacle, but nevertheless, I am excited and yell that we must have caught an octopus! However, suddenly several scuba divers surface and complain that we have disturbed their work.
I am trying to explain that my excitement was involuntary; I didn't mean to cause disruption. But my ex has started to blame me for the disturbance AND for the fishing - which really was at his instigation. I start to defend myself, then decide this is no longer worth it. I say, "I'm leaving. I don't want this abuse anymore."
I walk away and begin gathering my things as I tell his current wife, "He is a cruel man. But he is no longer my husband; he is yours. I don't want any more of this." She nods in agreement, and I leave.
As I write this, I am suddenly reminded of the Lovers card in this deck: a multi-headed sea monster, Perseus, and Andromeda. This is about release, integration, and true love. There are many things to think about here in regards to feelings, reality, and responsibility.
See thise link again for Lovers card:
Lovers card
~* Lynell *~
From Prairie:
Lynell~
Thank you for the exercise. Sounds like you've made a good start. Now, do you have a concrete plan to implement the tempered things into your life, while phasing out the negative things? For every death of something in our lives, there is a rebirth of something else. Hopefully, something better!
I also have started wearing a little dragonfly pendant that my sister gave me just this past week. It reminds me of the death figure in the deck I used: wings like the phoenix, tail like the snake. The exercise said to carry a new penny or something similar to remind us of our new beginning, so I chose the dragonfly.
I also decided that I need to work on some affirmations each day to keep my thoughts more upbeat.
Still continuing with the goals I've set. I don't always follow them, but I try to get back on track after the lull and keep going.
~* Lynell *~
