TRANSITION
ELIMINATION
INEXORABLE FORCES
Death! Powerful energy indeed. Who can look at the dark, skeletal figure on Card 13 and not feel uneasy? Here we see the face of our deepest fear – our greatest unknown. We recoil from Death because we think of it as annihilation. In the tarot (and in life, I would suggest)
Death is not a permanent end, but a transition into a new state. Life is eternal, if not in its form. To grow, move, and live, we must “die” to the old to give birth to the new.
It is a truism in tarot work that Card 13 rarely has anything to do with physical death. A responsible card reader never interprets Card 13 in this way because this view is too limiting.
Death is not something that happens once to our bodies. It happens continually, at many levels, and not just in the physical. Each moment we die to the present so the future can unfold.
In readings, Death often represents an important ending that will initiate great change. It signals the end of an era; a moment when a door is closing. At such times, there may be sadness, reluctance, relief, and a sense of completion. Death also suggests getting down to basics. Dying has a way of making you concentrate on what’s important. This card reminds you to cut out the unnecessary. Death can also mean you will experience an inexorable force. Death is inevitable, and sometimes some events are inescapable as well. When these moments occur, the best approach is to ride your fate and see where it takes you.
ending
- closing one door to open another
- bringing something to a close
- completing a chapter
- concluding unfinished business
- putting the past behind you
- having a parting of the ways
going through transition
- changing status
- moving from the known to the unknown
- being cast adrift
- waiting in an in-between state
- being in the middle
eliminating excess
- cutting out what isn’t necessary
- shedding old attitudes
- getting down to bare bones
- concentrating on essentials
- getting back to basics
experiencing inexorable forces
- being in the path of sweeping change
- being caught in the inescapable
- going through what cannot be avoided
- being part of a powerful movement
- riding your fate
- accepting the inevitable
Some possibilities
- Tower – sweeping impact, powerful forces
- Eight of Wands – conclusion, ending
- Five of Cups – loss, good-byes
- Eight of Cups – moving on, finishing up
There are no separate explanations for reversed cards. The meaning of a reversed card depends on what the card would mean if upright. A reversed card shows that a card’s energy is present but at a lower level. For some reason, the energy cannot be expressed freely, normally, or completely. It may be:
- still in its early stages
- losing force and power
- blocked or restricted
- incomplete
- inappropriate
- being denied
- only present in appearance
See Lesson 17 for more information on reversed cards.