Death
Death signifies a natural transformation and the end of a development that requires letting go of an old identity or worldview. Unlike sudden catastrophe, it tends to change you from the inside out, often painfully and with fear, but organically. The card evokes the image of shedding old layers—like a sloughing snake—so something newly ready can emerge. Visually and symbolically it represents a passage to a new phase, illustrated here by an arch and a curtain suggesting disorientation and another dimension beyond the doorway. Ultimately, Death points to change and grief as the gateway to something new.
Keywords
Correspondences
Scorpio
Keywords
Farewell, death as the prelude to new life, a passage, changes and transformations, descent into the underworld, the natural end of a time and the beginning of something new, letting go of something that is ready to move out of our lives, moving on, change and grief as the gateway to something new
Meaning
Typically the card will indicate a natural transformation. We have reached the natural end of a development and need to let go of our old view of the world or our old identity. While the Tower can land on you like a ton of bricks knocking you silly and out of your path, Death usually changes you from the inside out, and it tends to feel more organic, even though it may be painful and scary at times. Probably the best symbol for the card is a sloughing snake.
Metaphor
One day she'll look like death, with pale and withered skin and dull, blind eyes, and the next she'll be sleek and glossy and beautiful after having shed her now useless old skin.
Exploring the Card
For the image of Death this deck shows the arch at the Department of Mysteries. It is very fitting as a passage-way to something new that you can only enter when your time has come.
Curtain Image
The curtain actually shows an image of rippling sand tilted to an odd angle to give a feeling of disorientation, as if there truly was an entirely different dimension behind the confines of the doorway.
Visual Description
A stone archway framed by two classical columns opens onto a dark, rippling veil. In the arch's tympanum is a skull above crossed bones and a small astrological-looking 'm' symbol carved into the keystone. Ornamental scrollwork winds around the border, the Roman numeral XIII appears at the top, and the word 'Death' is printed at the bottom.
Harry Potter tarot
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