Death Tarot Card

The Death card is probably the most feared and misunderstood of all the cards in the Tarot deck. In general, people tend to take the meaning of this card far too literally and fear that the indication is for the death of either themselves or others. Relax! The card of Death can be one of the most fruitful and positive cards in the deck. Death is a symbol of the ending of some phase or aspect of our lives that may bring about the beginning of something far more valuable and important. If we encounter this card in a reading it may be an indication that we need to learn to let go of unhealthy attachments in our lives to pave the way to a fuller, more fulfilled life of deeper meaning and significance. The Death card is a card of change, a card of transition. We are transformed by the death of old ways of thinking and by releasing ourselves from clinging attachments that restrain our further growth. The Death card represents the clearing of the old to usher in the new and therefore should be welcomed as a positive, cleansing, transformative force in our lives. "Unless the seed should fall to the ground and die, it shall never bring forth fruit" should be the guiding spirit under which this card is understood. The death and clearing away of limiting factors can open the door to a wider, more satisfying experience of life. What changes are you experiencing? What phase of life is passing away to open you to a richer experience? Or, more actively, what can you do to bring about positive change in your life? Notice, the sun is setting in the distance. Or is it rising?

Death means parting, the great letting go, the end. It then also prepares the way for the new, for that which is to come. However, the card itself first presents us with the end. This can be positive when it relates to a long wished for, liberating ending, yet it is also natural that we have our most painful experiences with the theme of this card. In contrast to the 10 of Swords, which indicates the random and thereby premature ending, this card always stands for the natural end. This means that it is time to let go of something. The Death card is unjustly one of the most feared. The eternal embellishers, who do not understand it, read the card only to be the proclamation of something new and want to deny us the deep experience of parting and the related life-accepting experiences. "We have separated living from dying and the interval between them is fear" says Krishnamurti, and: "You cannot live without dying."

De Dood betekent afscheid, het loslaten van iets. Dit kan een bevrijdend einde zijn, maar kan ook met pijnlijke ervaringen gepaard gaan. Ten onrechte behoort De Dood tot een van de meest gevreesde kaarten. Krishnamurti zei: "We hebben leven van sterven gescheiden en de interval tussen beide is vrees. Men kan niet leven zonder te sterven." Deze kaart dringt erop aan dat we afscheid van iets moeten nemen en ons innerlijk leeg moeten maken voor het nieuwe dat op ons wacht. Op het niveau van bewustzijn duidt De Dood op het einde van een ontwikkelingsproces zodat we nu onze oude levensbeschouwing prijs zullen moeten geven. Het gaat hierbij om instellingen en overtuigingen die niet wezenlijk van onszelf zijn maar ooit zonder nadenken zijn overgenomen. Op het vlak van persoonlijke relaties duidt deze kaart eveneens op een afscheid, we zouden moeten proberen onze metgezel te danken voor de gezamenlijk doorgebrachte tijd.