Death XIII

Tarot de Marseille Deck

XIII Death

I, as a tarot reader, do not forecast death in the physical sense when Death is dealt in a reading. However, whichever way we look at Death, it is a disconcerting card. But is it really? If I take the first word that comes to mind when I see Death, it's most definitely Transformation – how does death transform, one might ask. To find this answer, firstly we look to Mother Nature. Everything in nature transforms, the caterpillar becomes the butterfly, and even dung feeds the earth. There’s nothing that dies in nature that doesn’t become part of something better, something more wholesome than before. Death can also thereby be taken into consideration in a more figurative manner, Death of old habits or death of the way things used to be. Ending a cycle so that a new one can begin. Closing old doors that just don’t open anymore, and finding a wonderful door with a whole new world, this pertaining to relationships, work, illness, or just thought patterns. So in a figurative way, death basically indicates that changes are to be made, so best take cognizance of your situation and bring about improvements, before it all crashes down around you! Change is after all one of the few things in life that is inevitable.

Numerology:

Rider-Waite Deck

Thirteen: Being a Karmic number, one already sees how this number relates to the death card. If you’re selfish and self-centered, one can see how your actions are rapidly brought to an end. By paying it forward, you reap what you sow. Thirteen also lends itself to be four, 1 + 3 = 4 which is again a transformation, the thesis of the antithesis, but that with a sense of security. (As you’ve covered the first ternary of the thesis as a whole) This security can be seen in the Emperor.

Kaballah:

Thoth Deck

The Thirteenth path on the Tree of Life is that of Death, “God blessed sea creatures and fowl”. To be on the path of death, one must travel between Tiphareth (Beauty, Sun, Leo) and Netzach (Victory, Venus, Taurus, Libra, Solar Plexus, Heart). So, clearly being a malevolent path, why is this then called Death?

The 24^th path of the Tree of Life is known as Nun (fish) and is a path of transformation as this is where the “Self” finds itself when it strives to become complete, thereby to rid itself of it’s destructive ways. Netzach (victory) is the driving force of the self to be victorious over that which is no longer of use to us. If one were then to be traveling back up the tree, one can see how it is the “Self” once again desiring to be energized and reunite with Divine love again, which is none other than sharing that experience of Eternal Life.



Reversed:

Death Reversed.

Death card in reversed (rx) position is really telling your that you're not allowing yourself the changes that you are needing at this point. Ask yourself why. For example in a relationship scenario, are you holding on to your unhappy relationship purely because you're too scared to be alone? Are you too scared to make the changes you need to be happy? Death reversed truly makes one delve deeper into unhappy issues that we need to free ourselves from.

I trust this helps, love and joy, Sancheo.