Showing my love for the Death card in this blog I delve into the often-misunderstood concept of death and explore the beauty and transformative power of the Death card in tarot. I discuss the symbolism of the Death card, highlighting its connection to regeneration, growth, and new beginnings. Through personal experiences and visual shamanic journeys, I share how embracing the medicine of death can lead to shedding old skin, releasing what no longer serves us, and stepping into a new existence. Join me on this exploration of death as a catalyst for change and the importance it holds in the tarot.
It’s Always a Cycle
First of the Death card is a beautiful card to receive in any reading. I find that it is often misunderstood especially by people who have a lack of experience with reading Tarot. When someone pulls the death card in a reading and have never seen it or rarely receive it they may see it as an impending doom of some kind. A dark and gloomy omen of shits about to hit the fan and complete obliteration of the self is to come. And like, yeah, if you are looking at it this way because the word death itself can conjure up so many fantastical nightmares that you won’t be able to get a wink of sleep- then you would die if this continued over time, from the lack of sleep that is LOL. But like all concepts in this world that exist in duality or spectrums the beauty of Death is that it dances with Life. There is no separation between these two themes of existence. You cannot have one without the other. Just as Love exists because Hate exists, just as Pain exists because Pleasure exists.
One of the things that I always think about is the fact that we humans are constantly replacing ourselves or “dying” at different periods and points in our lives. Our literal cells in our body are in constant change and being reshaped, transformed by the nutrients we are taking in and by the natural laws of how our biology works. It’s a perpetual and infinite cycle. We can cut ourselves, and expose our rawness from underneath our skin, and depending how deep the wound is, it will, in time, regrow and eventually new skin replaces the old exposure that took place. Death is the change that we undergo, and it is a cycle that is constant, hand in hand with Life, creating a harmony that our minds, bodies and souls move to. Life brings Death and Death brings life.
So the Death card in tarot is a card that can represent an end, but it does not necessarily mean death itself. It can be a symbol of transformation or change and the process of letting go of the old and embracing the new. It is important to remember that it is a card of hope and renewal and a promise of something more beautiful and more resonant in energy to where you are now in life in these present moments versus the ways you believed something should be that just no longer serves and provides a sustenance to grow this newness from. The Death card in tarot asks you to trust in a greater order at work and encourages us to embrace change and to move on from what no longer serves us like outdated ideas and beliefs, old habits, and relationships. Death allows us to reinvent ourselves and create a new path forward. To surrender to what cannot be changed by letting go of control and trust that the Universe has our best interests at heart. It’s the discovery to open ourselves up to new opportunities and possibilities that we may never have discovered otherwise. Death asks us to allow ourselves to be vulnerable so we can find the courage to take risks and make changes that will improve our lives. That endings are part of life, and it is important to embrace change in order to grow and move forward. And that means knowing when we have the ability to change our worlds, our lives, our perceptions, and relationships to something that serves us in our evolutionary growth. It’s also important to remember that sometimes endings are just part of the process – we may need to close doors in order to open new ones. By learning to accept the natural ebb and flow of life, we can view death as just one part of a larger cycle. Life is never stagnant – it’s constantly transitioning and changing. It’s important to learn how to navigate these changes with grace and trust in yourself and the universe.
Death’s Astrological Ruler Scorpio
The astrological sign of Scorpio rules the Death card. And Scorpio’s motto phrase is I desire and when I think about I desire, it makes sense for it to show so potently in this card! There’s the I desire for more, I desire something different, I desire to change, I desire a different life, and so on and so on. As soon as you desire a different life or for something to change that means that whatever once existed is no longer going to exist nor exist in the same way anymore, right? The planets that rule Scorpio are Mars, respectfully as its ancient ruler and Pluto as its modern ruler. And Pluto is the bad boy I want to talk about to make sense of what I’m trying to make sense of here. Because Pluto energy is all about the mysteries of life. Known as “the god of the underworld.”, Pluto ties into the Death Tarot card because it also carries a connotation of darkness and death – death in the physical and psychological sense, but also rebirth. The card can symbolize a shift in perspective or an ending of an old cycle to make room for something new, which is very much in line with Scorpio’s desire for transformation. It speaks to their resilience and their ability to come out on top no matter what challenges they face – just like Death overcoming all obstacles. It’s all about being uncomfortably comfortable in the depths and really rediscovering a sense of self, of who you are, what you are and what life means for you in a much deeper way. That’s the Scorpio way of deep introspection and self-reflection. It’s like exposing the soft underbelly of life itself, exposing the new fresh pink of your skin that exists right underneath the one you’ve been wearing? And that imagery brings to mind for me the blood that pumps through veins. It is desire itself that fuels the heart space and gives reason for the distribution of its energy and life force to flow in and through our bodies. Scorpio is known for being a water sign and encompassing the Yin polarity of the Yin and Yang duality. So time and time again, like its ruling planet Pluto, Scorpio energy embodies the medicine of Death by diving into the unknown headfirst so that it can receive its reshaping and transformation into a different image or outcome than it had in mind. Scorpions are known for being strong-willed and determined, which makes them particularly well equipped to cope with change – even when it is difficult. This courage to face the unknown is the symbolism of the Death Card. It serves as a reminder that although endings can be painful, they are also necessary for growth and renewal and from here you become the master of Death itself. This helps us move on from difficult situations and relationships, while still honoring what was once there. It’s the comfort in knowing that with every ending comes a chance for something new. It is through these periods of transformation that Scorpio energy can help us find greater understanding and wisdom within ourselves and the world around us. The Death Card is also a reminder of Scorpios’ ability to create and manifest their own destiny. With its symbolism, the Death Card can be used in tarot readings to gain insight into potential outcomes and understand how best to move forward in life. With awareness, Scorpio energy can offer us a tool for personal growth and transformation, allowing us to make empowered decisions that will lead us towards fulfilling futures.
My Shamanic Journeys and Visions with Death
I became very obsessed with the death card in the Thoth tarot deck when I was studying in this online program between June of 2020 until late 2021. I was receiving the Death card on my daily pulls and in other readings I did for myself throughout this time and wouldn’t realize till later the potent medicine this card had been offering me and waiting for me to realize. It became clearer and clearer to me as time went on that I was releasing big, big parts of myself that I no longer aligned with and that I had been carrying with me still up until then. I feel like life up until the end of 2021 had me kind of just floating around without much purpose or reason to do anything, be anything or be any place specifically. I had started gaining a conscious awareness and glimpses of this “new life” around 2019 after my awakening that led me down this magical path I’ve been on since late 2017 but still didn’t have much definition and the words and language to understand yet the realizations that would soon come. Leading into this phase and I had huge pivotal and transformational moments that would shape me into the person I am today. One of the things that happened to me was I was led on a shamanic vision journey by this woman from the program as a gift exchange we participated in. I was told to find myself in an in-between state first, the portal entrance before my journey to the ocean started. This portal place I found myself in was an arch of fresh greens and vines and vivid colored flowers. I remember hot tears coming to my eyes feeling into this place, knowing it was as real as I imagined it to be. In the first part of the journey I was surrounded by the animal guides as protectors and came to a place in the ocean that was alive with what looked like a party happening. There were mermen and mermaids all with smiles on their faces, celebrating a good time and they told me that life was not meant to be scary like being unable to see in that dark ocean, and that joy and good times and celebration was to be had in place of that fear. As I continued on and went further into this journey, I came to a place at the bottom of the ocean now that had this circular pool of light that was glowing red. It was a pool of water and light under the ocean that was a beacon glowing and it was calling me to its center. When I stepped into its center the light was now white and I could see that this pool was like a tunnel of light extending upwards as far as my eyes could see and that still around me outside of this pool I could see the glowing red as I had seen before. Within moments of being in this pool I transformed completely and found myself as the stamen of a flower. Still, unmoving, I became this long stamen within a white flower. It wasn’t until later on after being beautifully haunted by this crazy journey I had been taken on, mind you I had never had such a powerful experience prior to this like this, that I realized what it all meant! I had become the stamen of the death lily!! I had been seeking and seeking this new life when I decided to take that online program. I knew that what life had been up until then had not been serving me any longer and that even if I couldn’t comprehend what I wanted my soul knew that I wanted growth and change to happen to me and for me. Death had showed me in so many ways of the vitality of life itself with the red coloring, reminding me of the blood that pumps through my veins as a means of remembering that I am not dead until I am actually physically dead in this lifetime and that like a flower, even a death lily, I was at the center of the magical interplay and dance of life and death itself always and forever. It was the life affirming purpose that I found in this journey. That the purpose of Death is to be able to enjoy Life and that the cycles we find ourselves in in our lives over and over again are a testament of the growth of our potential over and over again. Death came knocking at my door again last month by showing up as my most pulled tarot card of the month and I again didn’t realize in those moments of what he was trying to show me. Now in hindsight I realize this gift of change I’m being offered at this point in my life where things again cannot stay the same and must change. I know I am ready again with a brave face, scared of course but ready. Are you ready for Death’s gift to you?
Death Becomes You Tarot Spread
I’m leaving you here with a tarot spread I created for Death energy I’m calling Death Becomes You Spread. It is a five-card spread that is using Death as the center card or significator with the first card pulled as a cross card on top representing the energy surrounding you and this transformative process of death at this time! If you have your own tarot cards that’s great but don’t feel obligated to go and purchase any. You can get any tarot app to help or use this 5-card tarot generator I found online Random Tarot Cards (dragonbanecreation.com). That website shares the meanings of the cards. Or you can use this website that shows the Rider Waite version of the tarot cards Tarot Card Generator – Generate a Random Tarot Card (generatorfun.com). Make sure to change the options of the sets to 1 and options for the number of cards to five cards. Then hit generate to receive your cards.
Don’t forget we are using the Death as our center card and significator in this spread and the first of the five cards as the crossing energy over deck that is surrounding you and this transformative process of death at this time!
Before pulling your cards or using the online app make sure to set the intention by speaking out loud or in your mind the name of the spread and the questions so that you can connect your energy to the cards for the best possible cards to come out for you!
Death Becomes You Spread
- The energy that is surrounding the transformation of Death itself in your life at this moment
- Where or what in your life needs a shedding of its old skin?
- What will be the most painful part of this process?
- What will be the most rewarding part of this process?
- Who will you become once you have transformed?
P.S. With Love
Everything that I talk about and speak about is for you to take with you and consider. If it offers you a different outlook on life, or further solidifies a belief that differs from my own, I will always consider that a win. I like to think about outcomes, probabilities, possibilities, and when I share I am offering you a way to see the world from my own lens. What you take or don’t take from my shares are your gifts to be had. Consider life, remember to choose, and decide to dream.
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