For Friday the 13th, what better card than Card #13, the Death card?
Nothing scares the novice questioner like turning over this card. There’s a skeleton, holding a large scythe, mowing down everything in his path, and you are next. Isn’t that what the old Gypsy lady tells the dear young thing in the movies? But unless the querent dies of a heart attack upon hearing these words, the Death card does not always mean your number (13?) is up. Sure, if you are approaching your 100th birthday or you (or the someone you are inquiring about) is very sick, this card might be telling you to prepare for the final journey. But it can also signal changes or transitions of a less final but equally traumatic sort.
This card is about endings, but it is also about beginnings. All things must die or end so that new things can be born. Winter must come before spring can arrive. Shiva dances the dance of creation but also of destruction. Reincarnation says we die only to live again….and again….Death strips us “to the bare bones”, we are transformed from living flesh to dry bones- and we have no choice in the matter. That’s the scary part about Death, and about what this card signifies- involuntary, traumatic, catastrophic change. Loss of a job, of income and security, becoming homeless, being stripped of all precious and irreplaceable people, or beliefs about ourselves or others, or in Life itself. Loss of Hope.
But this card is also about perspective. These apparent losses or destructions, when viewed from a higher perspective, or from the position of seeing the whole instead of the limited view, are necessary transformations that allow new growth, rebirth and creation to occur. It’s a sacrifice that one makes unwillingly but one that leads to resurrection and life. It’s a challenge, to view what appears to be “bad” (as in bad luck!) in it’s proper context of necessary.
For meditation on today’s card, I challenge you to live with Death for a day. Get your Death card out of your chosen deck, and carry it around with you. Pretend today is Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and put reminders of death all around you, your home, your workplace. Now, we’ve all heard of living as if this were your last day on Earth, but really make this specific. How would you treat your spouse, parent or child if today was your last day with them? How would you survive if tomorrow you lost your job, your income, your health? Deep, conscious meditation on death, loss and endings can lead to voluntary changes that are creative, life-affirming and positive. Many Death cards also show a rising sun in the background- Open the door to Death and walk towards the Light.
July 13, 2007 at 10:55 pm |
Well done sweetie!!! There is a snippet of poetry that always comes to mind when I contemplate the Death card.
“With but one short sleep,
Death, you too shall die…”
I’m sure I’ve mangled it shamefully, it has been over five years since I’ve seen the book that poem is in, let alone read the poem!!
In over 30 years of doing the Tarot, I have sen physical death 2 times, and one of those was prevented by my foreknowledge. The one time it was inevitable, I did not tell the person whose cards I was reading that there was acouple months left for her husband to live. What I did do was suggest that ‘they’ get all of their paperwork in order ‘in case something happens’ so they wouldn’t have to worry about it.
This was at Halloween, and by Christmas the woman’s husband had passed on. I knew this because the woman sent me a ‘thank you’ for my suggestion. She said, “It was easier for me, already knowing what I needed to do.”
This illustates the rule that, when reading someone’s cards, even if you know the person will die tomorrow, the reader DOES NOT reveal what they see. If the reader sees that it is inevitable, they can suggest ways to make the passing easier. Or, if they see that it is preventable, see what they (the reader) can do to change the outcome.
For example, if you see that a middle-aged man has a serious (life-threatening) health issue in his future, you can suggest that they get a complete check-up, “For their own peace of mind.”.
You haven’t frightened the man, and you may just have saved his life with your suggestion. With practice, the reader can also get an idea of what it is that will cause ill health, or death to the Querent. This can be divined by the other cards in the Layout.
For example, a man is asking about changing jobs at work, and you see a life-threatening illness via the Death card, and the 8 of Swords, also in their reading is #8 the Strength card, and a number of ‘people’ cards (the Pages, Knights, Queens, and Kings) as well as #20 Judgement. You can suggest that they push and get a second opinion if they feel that the diagnosis isn’t ‘right’, with a focus on their heart.
The reasoning is this: #8, Strnegth, is also the card for the zodiacal sign Leo, which rules the heart. With the Death card, and the 8 of swords and the people indicates that perhaps his regular doc’s practice is of a size that they might miss a small detail.
July 27, 2007 at 4:19 am |
I actually like the death card… It can bring with it some amazing learning experiances and many new doors to be walked through :)