Death Rider Waite
The Death card shows the Messenger of Death – a skeleton dressed in black armour, riding a white horse. The skeleton represents the part of the body which. In a departure from the Rider Waite image the skeleton is seen at the bottom of the ocean. It is Osiris in the waters in which he died. Crowleys depiction of this card shows the transformation and resurrection processes associated with death, and thus is a glyph of the complete cycle. Death and its resolution is central to the SPIRITUAL PATH.
Hero boyce avenue nashville. Death (XIII) is the 13th trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks.It is used in Tarot, tarock and tarocchi games as well as in divination.
Description[edit]
Some decks, such as the Tarot of Marseilles and Visconti Sforza Tarot omit the name from the card, calling it 'The Card with No Name', thus giving the card a broader and less frightening meaning. There are other decks that title Death as 'Rebirth' or 'Death-Rebirth.'
Meaning in Divination[edit]
This card signifies, in any subject one is inquiring about, 'giving up all that is superficial and concentrating on what is basic, fundamental and truly important' in the specific matter one is asking about.
The Death card usually depicts a Grim Reaper, personified Death, sometimes riding a horse but more often wielding a sickle/scythe. Surrounding it are dead and dying people from all classes, including kings, bishops and commoners. The Rider-Waite tarot deck depicts the skeleton carrying a black standard emblazoned with a white flower along with the Crashing Towers from The Moon raising with The Sun setting behind them in the background.
The number 13 card shows positive meaning in reverse reading.
Interpretation[edit]
According to Eden Gray and other authors on the subject, it is unlikely that this card actually represents a physical death. Typically it implies an end, possibly of a relationship or interest, and therefore implies an increased sense of self-awareness—not to be confused with self-consciousness or any kind of self-diminishment.[1][2]
In fact, Eden Gray interprets this card as a change of thinking from an old way into a new way. The horse Death is riding is stepping over a prone king, which symbolizes how not even royalty can stop change.[3]
The card, drawn in reverse, can be interpreted as stagnation and the inability to move or change according to Eden Gray. [4]
Other versions[edit]
- In the Mythic Tarot deck, Death is depicted by Hades.
- In the Sun and Moon Tarot deck, Death is depicted as a woman bathed in fire with wings. It is titled 'Death-Rebirth'
References[edit]
- ^Gray, Eden. The Complete Guide to the Tarot.
- ^Bunning, Joan. Learning the Tarot.
- ^Gray, Eden. Complete Guide to the Tarot (1970). New York: Crown Publishers.
- ^ Gray, Eden. The Tarot Revealed (1960). New York: Bell Publishing Company.
Further reading[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Death (Major Arcana). |
- A. E. Waite's 1910 Pictorial Key to the Tarot
- Sir James FrazerThe Golden Bough
- Hajo Banzhaf, Tarot and the Journey of the Hero (2000)
- Most works by Joseph Campbell
- The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley
- G. Ronald Murphy, S.J., The Owl, The Raven, and The Dove: Religious Meaning of the Grimm's Magic Fairy Tales (2000)
- Riane Eisler, The Chalice and the Blade (1987)
- Mary Greer, The Women of the Golden Dawn (1994)
- Merlin Stone, When God Was A Woman (1976)
- Robert Graves, Greek Mythology (1955)
- Joan Bunning, Learning the Tarot
- Juliette Wood, Folklore 109 (1998):15–24, 'The Celtic Tarot and the Secret Tradition: A Study in Modern Legend Making' (1998)
General MeaningThe Death card is not about the literal death of any person. It may represent the death of something else, like a project, plan, or relationship.
This card also points to a time of harvest, symbolized in classical decks by the reaping skeleton. Unless the fruits of summer are harvested, they are lost to winter's harshness, and the people do not eat.
As the scythe cuts the cords that link us to the past, it liberates us to go forward without fear, because we have nothing left to lose. Everything being pruned away is recycled for the fertility of the future, so that nothing is really ever lost, despite seasonal cycles of gain and loss.In more modern Tarot decks, we see Death mounted on a horse and wearing black armor. The emphasis in these decks is on the punishment of sin, as in the way the medieval Plagu (which the Death image was based on) was used to explain the wrath of God. Luckily, in modern times, we are not so encumbered with such a guilt-ridden philosophy. In the Reversed PositionThe Death card reversed suggests that you might long for the cord to be cut, but unfortunately you have to persist and endure without the relief of an ending.
It is not time for termination and closure yet.Be patient with the current circumstances without resigning yourself to a negative outcome. Coming changes may alter the way you feel about the status quo. Remember that harvest isn't started until the fruit is ripe. Work at becoming wiser and more mellow, sweeter and more nourishing, and your time of release may happen sooner. In the Advice PositonThe Death card advises you to detach from the old order. You may want to close accounts, complete unfinished tasks, and gather your harvest. It is time to move on.
If you cut the cords that have bound you to old ways and outdated conventions, you could free yourself to join the sweep of incoming light. This is not an excuse to reject others or hurt them in any way. It is simply a time to move toward your ultimate interests.Do not allow nostalgia and outworn loyalties to hold you back. Be willing to go through whatever it takes to get to where you really want to be.A powerful message is waiting for you! Get your Tarot Reading NOW. Death card in all decks. Browse Tarot Decks CURRENT TAROT DECK: Universal Waite.View Any Card in This Deck: MAJOR ARCANA WANDSCUPSSWORDSCOINS.