Death is easily the most misunderstood card in the Tarot. The mere mention of it sets some people to clucking ominously. Just like many people are probably doing right about now.
But consider the card.
The card takes its name from the central figure – an armored skeleton riding a horse and bearing a banner. Reaping Death. Now the thing to remember about the Tarot is that it was devised as a vehicle to convey meaning rather than literal truth. The figure on the horse, therefore, does not signify physical demise but that which Death metaphorically represents: the inevitability of change.
The main point of this card, then, is that signals the arrival of change. The dead king being trampled by the horse tells us that this is no trivial transition, but in all likelihood a transformation of some great magnitude; the end of an age perhaps, or the passing of an old order.
This is reinforced by the dominant position of the Mystic Rose – an ancient symbol of life. The transformation comes, the card says, and it is a major upheaval that will affect the lives of many.
In the foreground we see two figures in starkly different poses. The maiden is clearly upset, whereas the child stares at the scene before him with rapt attention. The young girl represents the grief and pain that typically accompany change; she averts her eyes as many of us do when we deny the truth that confront us.
The child, on the other hand, is enthralled by the change it sees. Unlike the young girl, the child is curious and filled with a sense of wonderment. The child, in other words, sees beyond the trauma of the moment and gazes at the possibilities that the moment is unveiling.
In the face of change, we see in ourselves a little of both the maiden and the child perhaps. The key is to not be lost in either archetype such that we are blinded to the other side of what we are feeling at the moment. In the throes of pain, we must not lose forget that change brings new opportunities; and in the grip of excitement over what is to come, we would do well not to scorn those who are still feeling the ravages of change.
Now examine the deep background. You can just barely make out a boat on a river, with its sail full of wind and the flag atop its mast whipping smartly. By this we are reminded that the world does not stop for us. Rivers will continue to run, winds will keep on blowing, and it is for us to either move on or to remain stagnant where we are.
This is, I think, an apt reminder for those of us who – quite understandably – might find it difficult to carry on. Many times, when confronted with a sudden change, we do tend to linger at the shore, fearful of where the new current may take us. Yet, the card reassures us, that just as the boat can master the current, so too can we master the flow of our lives.
And finally, consider three things: the gray sky, the rising sun, and – with arms raised in a prayerful attitude – the bishop.
The gloomy sky tells us that these are uncertain times – indeed, the change we are going through probably contributes to much of that uncertainty. And yet, the sun calls to mind the indomitability of our spirit as it rises to the challenge of an indeterminate future. The bishop – despite being an overtly Christian, even Catholic, figure – actually symbolizes a more universal concept: our unsevered connection to a wholeness that is greater than ourselves.
Some will call it God and see in the bishop a representation of faith that, even though we do not understand it, God has adjudged us capable of surviving this period of flux; we simply have to have faith. Others will call it Rationality and interpret the cleric as a symbol of our ability to make sense of the circumstances we have suddenly found ourselves in; we may be in possession of only a small piece of the bigger picture, but we know with certainty that given time, we too will come to a fuller understanding of the piece we hold. Either way, the bishop guarantees that even in the throes of upheaval, we can always take comfort in the rock that steadies us: God for some, Rationality for others.
Consider the Death card.
And for crying out loud, stop running around like headless chickens.