The Journey Is Coming To A Close... (with Starting Over Ritual)
Can you believe that school is almost out for the summer? Me either! I am lucky enough to be on the verge of graduation with my Associates in Paleontology... and am dreading it at the same time I am celebrating.... Today is a lesson in the Death card.
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The card itself...
In nearly every incarnation of the Death card there is a fearsome looking skeleton riding a horse. (Almost always white or light colored - think the Horsemen of the Apocolypse!) Most of the time he carries a sickle but sometimes he carries a flag as well. Let's face it, this guy is creeptastic! It is no wonder that people get the heebie-jeebies when this card appears in their reading. The colors are generally dark, although red and yellow also seem to feature pretty heavily. all in all it is pretty grim (hahaha - no pun intended)
So what does this mean?
I can't count the number of clients that I have had that were sure this card meant they were going to die! And while that may seem funny, it is also important to validate their fears. The Death card very rarely means physical death, so everyone can let out the breath that you didn't even realize that you were holding!
A lot of readers will sugar coat or downplay the Death card to avoid confronting the issue that the cards want to talk about. I'm not one to do that. The Death card means that you are facing an end, a transition - and that sometimes something has to "die" to accomplish that. It is important to give the proper respect to that idea so that we can ease ourselves through the process.
A lot of readers will sugar coat or downplay the Death card to avoid confronting the issue that the cards want to talk about. I'm not one to do that. The Death card means that you are facing an end, a transition - and that sometimes something has to "die" to accomplish that. It is important to give the proper respect to that idea so that we can ease ourselves through the process.
Symbolism of the Death Card
For this I am going to use the traditional imagery of the death card (the picture above on the right). Under a slate gray sky, on a pale white horse, a yellowed skeleton in black armor rides across a landscape. Beneath him, one sees a dead body laid out, a corpse whose crown has fallen from its head. A small baby and an adolescent girl kneel at the hooves of the marching horse, not fighting their fate. A bishop in ornate robes stands praying, but from the viewer's vantage point, we see he is in the path of the horse. The horse's bridle is leather and adorned with skulls. In his right hand the skeleton holds the reins and steadies the horse ahead. In his left hand he carries a mast; its flag is black with a white five-petal flower blooming. Off in the distance is a lake or sea with a large warship, its giant sail most prominent, but still almost a speck. The sun is setting at the card's far right. It is perfectly aligned between the two watchtowers featured in The Moon card.
There is little redemption in the scene depicted on this card. The people are dead or dying. Neither surrender nor prayers seem to help. The triumphant flag is to be planted as a flower on one's grave, cold and colorless. The warship off in the far distance lets us know that the littlest incident in our past may have led to this current state of utter immolation. The horse's leg is raised in a slow march on a certain path, so nothing there will be spared.
Sounds horrible right? Well there is some redemption in this card.
The sun has not completely set
This is an indication that the sweeping changes surrounding you are providing some opportunity. Changes that cannot be stopped are ones that can at least be harnessed and from which you can benefit.
The sky is gray, not black
Tarot cards that feature black skies are the ones that give us no way out. The gray sky is one of neutrality. The powerful and permanent changes that are taking place might adversely affect you, and they might not. If change is not your enemy, you may not mind the change symbolized by the Death card that is on its way.
The skeleton is looking outward, but not directly at the viewer of the card
This is not a card that signals "your" death. It is a card that signals a definite ending, an absolute transition and an elimination of much of the past. It is the death of the way things have been, but you will be around to be part of the new order of things.
There is little redemption in the scene depicted on this card. The people are dead or dying. Neither surrender nor prayers seem to help. The triumphant flag is to be planted as a flower on one's grave, cold and colorless. The warship off in the far distance lets us know that the littlest incident in our past may have led to this current state of utter immolation. The horse's leg is raised in a slow march on a certain path, so nothing there will be spared.
Sounds horrible right? Well there is some redemption in this card.
The sun has not completely set
This is an indication that the sweeping changes surrounding you are providing some opportunity. Changes that cannot be stopped are ones that can at least be harnessed and from which you can benefit.
The sky is gray, not black
Tarot cards that feature black skies are the ones that give us no way out. The gray sky is one of neutrality. The powerful and permanent changes that are taking place might adversely affect you, and they might not. If change is not your enemy, you may not mind the change symbolized by the Death card that is on its way.
The skeleton is looking outward, but not directly at the viewer of the card
This is not a card that signals "your" death. It is a card that signals a definite ending, an absolute transition and an elimination of much of the past. It is the death of the way things have been, but you will be around to be part of the new order of things.
Moving forward....
Just as death is inevitable for us (no one gets out alive!) change in our lives is inevitable as well. I am facing this down this week as I approach graduation. I am excited to be graduating, but at the same time it is the "death" of a way that I have lived life for the past 4 years. It will be the loss of routines, time for myself... even the loss of my job at the museum. And that is so scary for me. I have issues with change anyways, so it will be interesting to see how this goes. But as scary as this is, there is a part of me that is super excited to see what the next chapter of the journey is.
What about you?
We'd love to hear about some of the "deaths" going on in your life and how you are coping with it. Sometimes just talking about it with others can be very calming and therapeutic. Share your stories below. Even better - download this ritual to start a new chapter of your life!