It is unusual for this card to really depict a physical death, according to Eden Gray and other experts on the subject. Instead, it often connotes an end, perhaps of a relationship or interest, and as a result, an enhanced sense of self-awareness.
Of actuality, Gray sees this card as a shift in perspective from an old to a new way of thinking.
A prone king is being crossed by the horse Death is riding, signifying that not even a monarchy can halt change.
According to Gray, the reversed card might represent stagnation and the incapacity to move or change.
The Death card has a number of tarot connotations, according to A. E. Waite’s 1910 book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot:
13. DEATH.
Death, devastation, corruption, as well as the loss of a patron for a man, numerous inconsistencies for a lady, and failed marriage plans for a maid. Reversed: Hope destroyed; inertia, slumber, lethargy, petrification, somnambulism.
In astrology, the Death card is linked to both the zodiac sign of Scorpio and the planet Pluto.
In This Article...
Does the Tarot’s Death card represent death?
According to author, tarot reader, and founder of Witchy Wellness Leah Vanderveldt, you can consider the Death card to represent a more metaphorical death. She explains, “This is a card of major transformation and, certainly, endings. “It plays a significant role in our personal progress as we let go of old tendencies. It involves discarding your outermost layer, or ego, in order to evolve into a new iteration of yourself.”
According to Vanderveldt, death symbolizes the shedding necessary to carry on moving forward along one’s journey. There is a sense of loss and a fear of the future that are tough to reconcile right now, but if you can get through it, there is a fresh start waiting for you.
Vanderveldt continues, saying that the 10 of Swords is like a miniature Death card, and that other tarot cards convey a like message: “This card advises trying something new. A new route can be started whenever you decide to break free from a destructive negative mental loop.”
The Hanged Man (XII) and Temperance (XIV), the cards on either side of Death, are also a component of the “death journey,” in which we prepare for an end by giving up and letting go of judgmental anxieties (the Hanged Man), and then undergo a rebirth by transmuting our previous suffering (Temperance).
What does the astrological Death card represent?
Similar to how the astrological sign of Scorpio might be disregarded as the “dark one” and the “one to destroy life,” the Death card is frequently looked down upon. But life cannot exist without death, conception cannot occur without Scorpio, and fresh beginnings cannot exist without some sort of ending. This card foretells transformation and points to areas where energies have become stuck and need to be released in order for us to go forward with freedom and be prepared to let go of the past. Holding on to feelings that were once healthy can cause us to become emotionally, cognitively, and physically unwell by creating a poisonous environment in our lives. A card with such a clear message encourages us to embrace life’s natural order and cycles and to allow things age, fade, and become spent in order to make room in our lives for new and revitalizing relationships, cycles, and routes. Wherever this card is placed, whether upright or inverted, there is never a compromise since it always denotes that what must be released will do so, either with or without our consent (upright) (reversed). It forces us to put aside everything flimsy in order to concentrate on the essence and underlying principles of any problem.
Love
The card of Death is frequently used as the feminine counterpart to the card of Strength, which depends more on control stability and intense sexual drive than actual pleasure. As a result, its love stories are incredibly intense, nearly hard to control, and motivated by an irresistible magnetic attraction. The emotional lessons that result from these ties are important, profound ones that we must learn throughout our lifetimes and in this body. It could be challenging to maintain the romance with this sign to complete the picture, but with enough freedom, it can denote the profound personal transformation that results from partnerships based on love, unwavering commitment, passion, and dedication.
Career
Career is the area of life that typically demands less emotional shifts and changes than other areas, making it easier to handle the nature of the Death card. It reveals that some areas of our professional environment have turned stale, toxic, or even rotten, and it brings about the transformation that the Soul needs to develop. Simply because it demands sincerity of heart and intent as well as a pure and prejudice-free love of the material world, it may also trigger existential worries in us and present us with financial problems we’d prefer to avoid. When we are ready to face it head-on and take full responsibility for our own advancement, it won’t let our reputation remain tarnished and will show us the way out of the shadows.
Health
After the Hanged Man and after specific resources for healing have been obtained, the card of Death appears. It reveals our deep-seated anxieties about things that are unavoidable and contains the healing energy that is undeniable and attainable for every living thing on the globe. Speaking about the inevitable course of life, it delivers a bizarre type of “negative balance, pointing up blocks in our emotional world that resulted in major health difficulties as we ignored our own inner child in the mistaken belief that we were shielding our heart. This card shows the need for family constellations and working with the dead to organize our ancestors and comprehend the root of our problems more fully. It also shows the path of absolute faith in the universe’s purpose.
What does the love card “Death” mean?
Reversed Death Tarot card in a love tarot reading indicates that you are unwilling to let your relationship change if you are in a committed relationship. Because you feel reliant on your spouse or are afraid of being alone, you may be hanging onto a relationship that has long since reached its conclusion. Or you might be out of obligation to stay with a relationship you no longer love. It might also portend the possibility of a long-forgotten relationship reappearing and rekindling. If you are single, Death reversed is a powerful sign that you need to let go of unhealthy coping mechanisms in order to create significant changes to your romantic life. To bring a mate into your life who will treat you with love and respect, for instance, if you tend to choose undesirable relationships because of low self-esteem, you will need to boost your self-confidence and let go of your self-sabotaging behaviors.
What does Phasmophobia represent in a tarot card of death?
- Hanged Man You will be instantaneously killed by this card.
- The Sun.
- Your sanity will be entirely recovered thanks to this card.
- Lunar Node
- Your sanity will quickly drop to 0% after playing this card.
- The Evil One
- A Ghost Event will be started by this card.
- The Demise
- A cursed hunt will result from this card.
- Turn the Fortune Wheel
- You will either receive + or 25 sanity from this card. Just see whether it glows green (+) or red (-).
- Its Tower
- A ghost interaction will be triggered by this card.
- High Priestesses
- This card will revive a colleague who has passed away. They reappear exactly where their corpse was while they were alive.
- the recluse
- Similar to smudge sticks, this card will render the ghost inactive for a period of time.
- The FoolThis card will pretend to be another card before tricking you and revealing that it is actually the Fool card. So you can breathe a sigh of relief if you draw a horrible card and later realize it was just the Fool playing a joke on you. However, if you have a strong card and then deal the Fool, you can be really dissatisfied, especially under pressure.
Which zodiac signs are represented by which tarot cards?
The astrological signs that correspond to the major arcana tarot cards are as follows:
- The Emperor rules Aries. Aries people enjoy taking charge of situations and being in leadership roles.
- The Hierophant is in Taurus.
- The lovers sign of Gemini.
- The Chariot of Cancer
- The Hermit, or Virgo.
Scorpio and the power of transformation
Scorpio, a passionate Water sign that is frequently linked to death, is symbolized by the scorpion in astrology. But not the kind of death marked by mourning and gravestones; rather, consider resurrection and constructive change!
What Tarot card represents Scorpio?
Scorpio, a fixed water sign, represents death. Scorpios are dreaded in astrology, just as the Death card is in the tarot, yet these archetypes don’t always signify actual danger or death. More importantly, there is a need for drastic and powerful transformation. This card alludes to profound change and fresh starts that can only follow the conclusion of one chapter. Scorpio is a sign of regeneration and transformation, and it isn’t hesitant to look for the hidden truth that encourages change.
What sign represents the hanging man?
In contemporary tarot decks, a guy is seen hanging upside-down by one foot. Most frequently, the figure is hung from a tree or a wooden beam (such as a cross or gallows). Due to the possibility of viewing the card itself upside down, there is ambiguity.
A. E. Waite, the creator of the Rider-Waite tarot deck, described the symbol in his 1910 book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot as follows:
The figure from the location of the legs creates a fylfot cross, and the gallows from which he is hanging forms a Tau cross. The apparent martyr’s head has a nimbus around it. It should be noted that the tree of sacrifice is made of living wood and has leaves on it, that the face conveys intense fascination rather than agony, and that the figure as a whole conjures up the idea of life in suspension rather than death. False names for it include “card of martyrdom,” “card of caution,” “card of the Great Work,” and “card of duty.” It expresses the relationship between the Divine and the Universe in one of its dimensions, I will state simply on my behalf.
According to Waite, the card has the following connotations in divination:
THE HANGED MAN 12.
Prudence, insight, sacrifice, testing, prophecy, divination, and wisdom. Reversed: Selfishness, the masses, and the governing body.
The hanging man’s head has a glowing halo around it, denoting a better understanding or enlightenment.
The Hanged Man card is connected to the astrological signs of Pisces and Neptune.
How should my tarot deck be cleaned?
While rearranging the cards in the tarot deck is a good approach to purify and clear their energy, there are some circumstances in which you might wish to perform a more specialized ritual. If you’re just getting started with tarot, cleaning your deck can be an excellent place to start.
You might want to clean your tarot deck for a variety of reasons, including:
- beginning with a fresh deck
- readings for other people
- You think you need to recharge.
- Your card readings seem a touch “odd” or “disconnected”
- Your deck hasn’t been used recently.
- Your deck has been handled by others
- You think you’ve been utilizing your deck a lot. A LOT, especially for books with strong emotional content
Why should you cleanse or clear your tarot deck?
Tarot deck cleansing helps keep the energy flowing between you and your deck. Consider it as a little spiritual hygiene to maintain a strong and clear connection. It’s not necessary, but if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms, try a few of the energetic cleansing techniques listed below and note which ones seem to work the best for you.
How often should you cleanse your tarot deck?
This is another way of stating USE YOUR INTUITION: there are no hard and fast laws. Don’t stress if you don’t believe it is necessary for your deck. Alternately, if you like to cleanse them once per week or once per month, that’s great. If it feels appropriate to you, you can even place your favorite crystal on the balcony each night.
If you frequently place crystals on your deck and store it on an altar while not in use, you might not feel the need to cleanse it frequently because this quick ritual will likely be sufficient to keep your deck feeling nice.
There are numerous ways to cleanse your cards, just as there are numerous reasons why you might desire to do so.
Different ways to cleanse your tarot deck
Use holy smoke. Light a dried rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, or palo santo cleansing wand until it begins to smoke. Hold the smoke a safe distance below the deck while holding the burning herbs in one hand and the deck in the other so that the smoke drifts upward onto the cards. Turn the deck so that the smoke covers it from all angles. Next, safely put your deck to the ground and put out the fire.
On the deck, set a selenite stone (or a black tourmaline or a transparent quartz). It works well to leave it like way for an hour, but I prefer to leave it overnight.
Set them on display during a new moon. The New Moon is energy of a blank slate; you can purify the deck by setting it on a window sill on a new moon night. At this moment, you can also make a brand-new intention for your deck.
Place the cards in a salty dish. A strong and stabilizing cleaner is salt. My preferred choice for a thorough cleansing is this. Allow it to sit anywhere from one to eight hours in a dry area.
Unorderly shuffle. Spread the cards out on the ground, then shuffle them around like a child playing in dirt. This method’s freedom and randomization serve as an excellent reset.
the shuffle and sort. Set up the deck in rows of seven cards across, commencing with the Major Arcana numbers 0 to 22. (see photo above). Next, arrange the cards, Ace through King, one for each suit, as follows: Swords, Pentacles, Cups, and Wands. View the deck in this configuration, then mix everything up (like the chaotic!) and shuffle it thoroughly.
