Card 13

Death

Brief Description

Death signifies endings that make space for new beginnings, emphasizing transformation, transcendence, and growth rather than literal mortality. It urges the release of old or destructive parts of yourself to allow renewal, often a painful but necessary process. In its shadow form, it warns of resistance to change, inability to move on, and repeating negative patterns that block progress. Upright, it points to cleansing, transition, and the promise of rebirth; reversed, it highlights fear, dependency, or feeling numb and stuck.

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Poem: Stanza 1

Submit, surrender, and drown in repose: within us is a fear each one of us knows.

Poem: Stanza 2

Change, transform, transcend at my will. To struggle is to suffer so relax and be still.

Poem: Stanza 3

I will take your burdens and cast them aside until only you remain and all else has died.

Meaning:

Death is one of the most misunderstood cards in the tarot deck. While this card can refer to a literal death, this is very rarely the case. Almost always, the Death card is about transformation, transcendence, and growth, hence the blossoming flowers that surround her. It's about "killing" the old and useless parts of yourself to make room for new growth.

Shadow

The shadow of Death is marked by a reluctance to change and an inability to move on even though it may be pivotal to your ultimate success.

Upright keywords:

endings, new beginnings, painful but necessary transformation, letting go, transition, cleansing oneself from one's destructive habits, figurative or literal death

Reversed keywords:

inability to move on, resisting change, fear of beginning, repeating negative patterns, dependency, internal numbness or feeling "dead inside"

Visual Description

A tall, pale woman with long dark hair and a crown hovers above a skeletal figure clutching a sword. The skeleton stands upright with ribs exposed and a sword pointing down through a bed of flowers and leaves, while rose petals float around them. A Roman numeral XIII sits at the top of the image and a banner at the bottom reads "Death."

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Children of Litha tarot

✍️ Deck author(s): Alexandria Huntington

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