Death
The Death card symbolizes inevitable change and transformation. It signifies the end of one phase and the beginning of another, urging you to let go of the old to make way for new opportunities. While it can bring fear and discomfort, embracing change opens the door to rebirth and growth. The card conveys that stagnation must be avoided and that moving forward is essential for personal development.
Keywords
Introduction
I am weary.
Death Means Change
Okay. I’m only going to say this once. Actually, I’m going to say it five times. Death means change. Death means change. Death means change. Death means change. Death. Means. Change. Every bloody time I see a TV show or a movie that has a killer leaving the Death card at a crime scene, I just want to come up out of my seat. For heaven’s sake, do your research, writers! Your murderer leaving this card implies that he’s going to stop killing and straighten up and fly right. How anticlimactic.
The Basic Card
Let’s look at the Basic card. Death looks pretty noble. He’s dead center in the card, getting completely ignored by the other people present.
Change is Coming
You see Death come striding through the middle of the card and no one is paying attention. Not the two other people to the side, not the king (who is facedown and dead as a doornail), and not the priest. The sun is rising and Death is on the march. This change is happening and nothing is going to stop it. No one is looking at the rising sun. Death is wearing armor and is completely prepared to knock whatever he needs to out of the way. You have no choice here. This card appears when change is coming, like it or not. It’s usually time, too. Things have gotten so stagnant and comfortable that your ass is leaving an imprint on your chair. Time to move.
The Nature of Change
I like change, however it comes along. You have been still for too long, and the universe has decided to shake you loose. There can be no life without death. You’ve got to release. Change is coming. It cannot be ignored. It can be scary and difficult and sometimes include great tragedy. Your life, your relationships, and the structure of your universe have all changed, and you have grown. Like it or not. But with this change and struggle comes the beauty of rebirth and new opportunity. If you embrace the change, when one door closes, you can kick out a few windows and let the light shine in.
Releasing the Old
You’ve got to release everything old—you have to be stripped down to the bone to start over entirely. It hurts. Man, sometimes it hurts so badly. But it’s worth it.
Death's Approach
One of the best things about Death is that he is tired. He is coming slowly and steadily, and if you’re paying attention, you can walk along beside him instead of being trampled underfoot.
Death Inverted
You have to have Death to have rebirth. If this is inverted, it’s stagnancy. I always think of the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Stagnation Example
King Arthur: You are indeed brave, Sir Knight, but the fight is mine! Black Knight: Oh, had enough, eh? King Arthur: Look, you stupid bastard. You’ve got no arms left! That’s the kind of obstinacy that you see in people who still tell you stories about their glory days in high school when they’re in their forties—who still compare themselves now to themselves then. You’re not who you were. Why are you still trying to do the things you used to? Where is your new glory? Your new passion? It reminds me of something that’s burned into ashes, but instead of blowing away, the ashes just sit and rot, getting funky and preventing further growth.
Four Ways Tarot
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