The Tarot's Death Card 
The Passing of a Threshold 
By Geraldine Amaral 

Every time you settle for the unacceptable you suffer a small death. - Stephen C. Paul 

THE TAROT'S DEATH CARD, key #13 of the Major Arcana, does not mean physical death. Rather, the Death card portrays symbolic death--a change or transformation. Often, it signals the end of a familiar or more comfortable mode. It portrays a release that is necessary for new growth and development. It may even bring a whole new set of principles that will guide you spiritually, emotionally, psychologically or financially. Joseph Campbell, author of A Hero with A Thousand Faces, describes times of personal change as periods when "The familiar life horizon has been outgrown; the old concepts, ideals, and emotional patterns no longer fit; the time for the passing of a threshold is at hand." The sunrise depicted in the background of the Death card holds the promise of the transformation that is about to take place: the death of the old self, but also the dawning of a new day. The Death card is a cue that you are at a "threshold"--a crossing into a new phase, unrestrained by the past. 

If you are casting the cards in a Tarot reading for another person, as a sensitive reader, you should always address this card immediately when it appears in a reading, and then go back to the rest of the reading. The Seeker or Querent (who is receiving the reading) should be reassured that the death being depicted here is symbolic and transformational, not literal. You might even encourage the individual to discuss his or her reactions to the card, relating it to events that may be occurring in his or her life. The white rose which the skeleton holds is the symbol of rebirth. It also portrays the mystery that surrounds death and transformation. Since there is no Tarot card that specifically portrays birth, we may wonder: Is the Death card really the birth card? The cycles of life, especially birth and death are mysterious and paradoxical. Such mystery is embedded in the Tarot's system and is meant to challenge you. The esoteric aspects of the pack of Tarot cards is not meant to be a quick fix or to provide easy answers. Rather, it allows you to explore the mystery and meaning of life on a more profound level, fostering a creative tension and paradox that allows deeper clarity and wisdom. 

When this card appears in your reading, it may be an invitation to embrace change and transformation, especially as it refers to your consciousness or past lifestyle. As such, it represents a quintessential form of "letting go." Its appearance may encourage you as you are clearing out the old and making way for the new. You can even meditate on the Death card, allowing its potent imagery to infuse your unconscious with its implied invitation to trust the process of transformation and release. The Death card can assist you in dissolving any blocks that, knowingly or unknowingly, have taken root in your unconscious mind. At other times, the Death card may appear in your reading when there are changes that you know you need to make, but which you are resisting. 

The potent Death imagery may serve to remind you that the more you hate something and the more you run from it, the more you are bound to it. You are caught by that which you seek to avoid. Resistance does lead to persistence and sometimes that resistance to a problem or situation may actually help to maintain the very situation you seek to eliminate. The Death card may help you to become liberated from your resistance, to surrender to that which you seek to avoid. As the symbolism makes contact with your inner self, it calls forth a more elevated definition that shows the meaning of death in a broader context. You can never know what healing, what insight or growth or even what miracles might come to you through the difficult times of your life. As you face life's challenges, as you fine tune your ability to know when it is time to let go, the spiritual forces flowing through periods of change or difficulty may bring an expanded life, a greater self or a greater good. The symbolic death that follows may allow you to move forward. For example, perhaps you are holding onto friendships that are no longer supportive or nurturing. Perhaps your career or job is no longer satisfying. The Death card’s appearance in your reading may be inviting you to deliberately confront your dissatisfaction. Perhaps Death asks, "Is it time to let go and move on? Can you trust that some greater good will come to you as you surrender to the change?" 

Werner Erhardt, founder of the former EST Training, would often say, “Ride the horse in the direction it’s going.” The appearance of the Death card in your reading may be a reminder to you that your resistance to life is what may be blocking you or keeping you stuck. It can be one of life’s greatest challenges to know when it is time to let go and allow "death" to claim what is needs to. Meditation on the Death card may allow you to discern if and when it is time to let go, to mourn and grieve if necessary, and prepares you to be open to whatever is next. The Death card may guide you through a loss or sorrow so that you will not dwell on it excessively and allow your heart to open. If you are in the midst of a difficult life challenge, the Death card may also represent the process of spiritual purification in which you gain a deeper connection to Spirit (however you conceive it). 

Often during times of adversity, you may be called to turn to a higher force to guide and sustain you. The Death card challenges you to expand your spiritual beliefs, allowing the hand of Spirit to touch and heal you. It also holds great hope--the hope that you can start over, embark on a new journey. As we are purged of the old, we are lighter, more receptive--we are freed of the past, ready to start on a new course. As the Year 2004 progresses, the meaning of the Death card, and the broader implication of hope for humanity, seemed especially fitting. The global conflicts and potential for terrible consequences keep us in a constant state of anxiety. Are we at a turning point for humankind? Are we able to release the old ways of dealing with conflict? Can we hope for a spiritual renaissance, a spiritual revolution? Is the shift in consciousness that our planet desperately needs ever coming? Will this shift elevate Homo Sapiens to another evolutionary level? And if so, what exactly is this shift, and how can we as individuals contribute to the evolution of our species as spiritual beings? 

Many spiritual leaders believe that there is a spiritual revolution and transformation at hand. Carolyn Myss states that our spiritual journey is about “breaking our allegiance to human reason and entering into divine order.” Marianne Williamson says, “We are now experiencing an alteration of collective consciousness . . . a spiritual renaissance is sweeping the world . . . it is a revolution in the way we think.” Williamson believes that for many this spiritual revolution represents a “yearning for the mind of humanity seeking its source.” It is a shift in our understanding of who we are and what our purpose is on earth. And in that shift, we see the potential for transformation in our focus -- away from the external chaos and confusion of the world, toward the internal values of love and Spirit. This “consciousness reversal” is certainly implicit in the Death imagery.

The frightening skeleton imagery communicates the possibility of a different view of our human situation. Like the Tarot’s Hanged Man (which is the card that immediately precedes the Death card) the Death card’s imagery suggests that a complete reversal of our normal perceptions is necessary. Perhaps the hope for humanity, the transformation that we seek and that we need, will come from looking inward to the Spirit that resides within each of us. 

The darkness of winter is passing now; we have pause to contemplate death's message. As we hunker down into the last vestiges of winter’s chill, Nature reminds us that death is part of the cycle of life. The signs of winter, the bare trees, the raw cold, the barren terrain have kept our spirits at bay. But we can keep Death's emblem of transformation in our hearts, allowing it to remind us that just as spring is around the corner, there is a sunrise in the horizon and it holds the promise of a new dawn and new hope for mankind.