⁠”Pass then through this little space of time conformably to nature, and end thy journey in content, just as an olive falls off when it is ripe, blessing nature who produced it, and thanking the tree on which it grew.”
–Marcus Aurelius

“Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”  
–Rabindranath Tagore.

Transformation, natural end, rebirth

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Overview

An ending that sets your soul free ; Transformation

The end is nigh, as they say; this is not an ending coated in demise. WhileDeath seems gloomy, it’s probably one of the most peaceful of all the ending Tarot cards. The Death Tarot card yields the opportunity for redemption, reincarnation, and transformation. The difference between this end and the others is that it’s natural. This situation ran its course to completion and is now fading into the background. It’s ok to mourn all death, pay you respects your experience and carry on withal you have learned.

Symbolism

There are two pillars on a hill with the sun rising between them. At its base is a body of water with a ship sailing on it, and on sore the sunlight has started to hit. It illuminates a pond, and four people standing in the foreground. One of them is standing and glowing wearing spiritual robes, while two children kneel over a corpse, weeping. A knight stands before them on a white horse with red eyes. One of its hooves is raised and the other is planted on top of a golden crown. The Knight holds a black flag with a white flower on it while decorated in samurai armor.

Meaning

Not a death clock

While you may find the idea of knowing when time expires exciting, this card has an alternative meaning. It is a natural, organic ending. Thing have met their natural course, and you saw this coming from a mile away. You have been gravitating away from something, but you knew that this was never supposed to be anything permanent.

Incoming Transformation

This is the moment prior to transformation. The phoenix has to die to turn into the ash it’s born from. The moment can be seen as an opportunity to create you best self once more. Life can now reincarnate with all the knowledge you have gained. Opportunities are opening once more.

Grieving

You’re allowed to cry, it’s sad and it still sucks. Death is like a forest fired; everything has to be lost, but the ashes nourish the earth. It allows the sun to kiss the forest floor once more and grow new life. The more you fight this process the less organic and more “Natural Catastrophe” Death becomes. When it is all said and done, take something for safe keeping, bury the body and leave with just your experiences.  

Influence on the Suits

During a reading, pay attention to the majority of the cards that are present. Depending on the number of Tarot cards of each suite, the meaning of the card can take a different shape.

A lot of cups in a reading with the death card indicates relationship that once consumed you is coming to an end. It has progressed its course and is coming to its conclusion, peacefully.

With Wands dominating the spread: Something that once consumed your attention is loosening its grip and ghosting behind all of your other pursuits.

If Pentacles are ever present: Change is coming and you can feel it, so you are minimizing your responsibilities and resources to deal with this change. Allow Death’s existential peace to wash over you.

If Swords surround the spread: The lifestyle you are leading is coming to an end. You are setting up more rigid boundaries, and structures. You are considering relationships with others and how you relate to them.

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Death Reversed

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Do not resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”   Lao Tzu

Fear of change, stagnation, lack of closure

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In the Reversed position, you can turn the meaning of Death upside down and inside out, or it can be perceived as something else. Reversed cards can be read a few different ways. If you want to know the source of the concept of why this card is defined the way it is, check out the article “Reading Reversals” in Chapter 6 of this knowledge base.

If you simply want to know the reason and not the method of deciphering, here are some possible ways to read the card in reversed.

Meaning

I know what you’re thinking— No, not even in the Reversed.

Seldom ever does the Death card symbolize actual death. Unless you know, and have a keen understanding of mortal death will this ever be the meaning of it. For the amount of times this card comes out in readings there is just no way that this is the case. There would be Zero people left on this mortal coil if every tarot reader who ever lived pulled the death card, and it having resulted in actual death.

Now, moving on— Death in this sense would more likely pertain to the internal death of ourselves. Which would be a spiritual death, or the death of a connection with someone, or the death of a situation in general. Death in this sense can be surmised as “a natural ending”. One that is not inherently good, inherently bad— it simply is.

Stagnation and delays surround the reversed position of death. Either you can look at it as divine intervention or your own undoing. If you take a hard look at the entire situation, and the tarot spread the Death card appears— the answer will be obvious. Death will come, one way or another— to force it would make you a murder.

Change interference

Despite trying desperately to break from from a cycle, everything is coming between you and the sweet release of the natural end. There is a delay or block in this change, or, it simply is not in your best interest to allow this thing to go to the grave. Maybe the act of releasing this thing to the wild is it’s own form of neglect, in the same sense that you can’t simply allow an animal that has been in captivity it’s whole life go out into the wild.

Miscalculated plan

What ever it is you’ve been striving for may meet an untimely end. The Death reversed in this sense means that there is a potential something willl occur soon which will derail your aim. Like if you are planning to move but then the price of rent goes up, or you lose your job causing you to dip into your savings

To put it simply, the death reversed is urging you to hold tight before trying to create a revolution in your life. There are unseen factors at play which will prevent you from moving forth.

Healing Paused (indefinitely)

If you’ve been on a healing journey, it may be paused soon. Just as the Hanged man reversed  is forced to abandon his spiritual path due to material constraints, there will be something in your life that will request you put your journey on ice. This doesn’t mean forever, but there is no real end date to when you’ll be able to continue grieving the loss of something.

Interference from 3rd parties

Another person decisions or actions will ultimately fall on your shoulders in this interpretation. If it was between you and another person to get a promotion, then it would be the sense that your boss will call the final verdict. Or potentially, not everyone is on the same page, or even the same book as you are. There maybe a need to step in as a leader, or other position you don’t want to be in — especially if The Emperor is involved in the spread.

Self sabotage

Something that was to your benefit may come to an abrupt end due to subconscious factors. If you’re picking fights with a partner and generally making their life hell, this could easily end a relationship that was meant to go the distance. This is behavior can be relevant in any domain in your life, be it work, family or otherwise. Your’e stirring the pot, out of boredom, to test someone’s resolve, or otherwise. It’s in your best interest to stop or reap the loss.