Death Tarot Card Meanings
Death is the tarot card that people are most familiar with. After so many years working with Tarot cards, I have absolutely no fears when it comes to the Death card; in fact I welcome its appearance in a reading for me. But I know this is not the way most people feel. This can somewhat be attributed to this card’s use in popular culture. If you’ve ever seen a horror movie which has a Tarot reading in it, you’ve no doubt seen the reader turn over the Death card as an ominous portent of some kind or another. However, it is more than that; do human beings fear anything more than death? Even if it is not their own demise, people fear losing a loved one. So, the first thing to do when looking at this card is to remove all previous connections to it and to move beyond that fear; what is the specific imagery of this card showing?
The first aspect of the image that strikes me is the skeletal figure riding the horse. This is obviously Death, and beneath him lays the dead figure of a king. Before him a bishop raises his hands as if in prayer, a woman seems to be mourning and a child looks on in amazement.
The skeleton riding his horse is holding a flag, as if he is heralding something. The horse has his leg raised and is very obviously marching forward. Not kings, or prayers, or tears or amazement affect the rider as he continues to move forward. The dead king in this card shows a change, a transition; perhaps a new ruler, a new order. This is what the figure riding the horse is ushering in. This change is necessary to bring about the new, to move on, to begin the new day. The point does not seem to be the death or change itself, but our reaction to this; mourning, hope, shock, amazement. Nothing lasts forever, and whether the change seems welcome or not, we must deal with what has happened before we can move on and embrace that which is new.
Where I see the hope in this card is in the sky behind the figures. The sun is either just setting or just rising. It reminds us that there will be a new day. Change is never easy, even when we want it. Also, we see the image from sideways; the horse and its rider are marching across our path and not straight towards us. We’ll encounter the change, but we will also get past it.
These are the Death tarot card meanings we use in the Free Readings on Aquarian Insight:
Key Words: Ending, Transition, Elimination, Change
General: No other card in the tarot seems to terrify people more than the Death card. More usually the death indicated by the card is the death of an old situation – so transformation and change are being shown for today.
Love: A change or transformation is indicated for your love life today. If things have been feeling stuck and stagnant, today may be the day you finally decide to talk to your partner and make the changes necessary to get your relationship back on track. If you’re single, it may be the day you let go of those thoughts and fears that have been holding you back and move forward into the love life you desire.
Work: If you’ve found yourself not enjoying your job, today may be the day you decide to do something about it. You may benefit from talking to your boss about changing the role you do, or even totally changing the field you work in. Use the energy of the Death card to make the necessary transformation.
A card which usual frightens people, but it very rarely indicates an actual death. This is the card of change; the death of an old situation and the birth of a new one. Transformation is indicated and while we may mourn the loss of the old as our fundamental natures cause us to fear change, it is time to embrace the new that is coming.