78 Weeks of Tarot: Death

[Trogon]

For information on what these threads refer to, see this thread;

 

78 Weeks of Tarot - Informational Thread

 

The above linked thread gives suggested dates for the cards as well as links to the individual topics.

 

Some of us may be working through the study in a different order and using different decks. If you have general questions or comments regarding the 78 Weeks of Tarot study group, please post in the topic in the above link.

 

Have fun.

[Bookworm]

Deck: Fairytale Tarot

 

Card name: Death

 

First impressions:

 

There are two figures on the card, one, on the right, is a man in medieval garb, red tight, green tunic, looks kind of princely, stands just inside a cave with a look of horror on his face. On his right, and just in front of him stands the Grim Reaper -- a skeleton draped from skull to floor in blue patterned cloth. He grins, holding a scythe in his bony hand. It is nighttime; there are stars in the sky outside the cave.

 

On the floor of the cave are many burning candles, they extend a long ways back into the cave. The floor looks like it contains broken skulls that have been ground down. It looks like the jig is up for our princely figure, although I suppose it could be a warning.

 

From the book:

 

Keywords and phrases: The death of a strong part of one’s identity; a physical or spiritual death; the absolute closure of a cycle in phase of your life; a difficult transition, but one that prepares you for new ways of living

 

The story reminds us that in the past death has been treated with humor as well as fear. One moral of the story is that we can’t cheat death and if we try we can make matters worse. As the old man says at the beginning of the story, death treats everyone, rich and poor, alike.

 

The card can stand for physical death, but it much more commonly indicates the death of one aspect of our identity -- and a move from one life to another. It’s strongly transitional and as such is likely to point to a phase that is difficult to pass through but that may also result in a real change for the better. The important lesson that “Godfather Death” can teach us is not to deny or try to cheat such life-changes when we see them on the horizon.

 

The original story

 

Godfather Death, Grimm Brothers

 

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm044.html

 

Traditional meanings:

 

Endings, mortality, profound change, letting go of emotional attachments, severing ties, it’s over, the end of an era or cycle, failure, loss. transformation, renewal, rebirth, delayed endings, holding onto to what is decayed, resistance to letting go, a long terminal illness, depression, inertia, living unaware, going through the motions, not believing that change can happen.

 

My impressions of the card/story combination:

 

The story and the image on the card make for a pretty straightforward take on Death, although I admit to being surprised that the old man in the story takes Death as a godfather for his child. I like his reasoning, though. Death treats everyone the same.

 

I like that the card image shows the unfortunate man’s surprise and dismay. That’s how I often think of this card. Something is over that we do not want to be over -- in this extreme case, a life.

 

I also like how, in the story, the man tries to cheat death, which people try to do all the time.

My take (what I make of it/what I might see in a reading where I drew it):

 

I might see an abrupt end to something. Something we didn’t see coming. Also the futility of trying to alter that end -- or to try to change in advance the inevitable end of something.

 

It’s interesting in the story that the man hastened his own death by trying to cheat Death. I guess it could be interpreted as a warning that we may make things worse for ourselves by trying to intervene in areas we should not mess with -- for example, by trying to postpone an end to something for our own selfish reasons.

 

Even if the death of something is painful to us, we are often powerless to change it. It can be better to accept it, deal with the pain as best we can, try to learn something from the experience, if possible, and come out on the other side.

[Hemera]

Death (Everyday Witch Tarot, 2017)

 

Description:

Death in a mask and wearing a black cloak is raising his sword. He is about to cut a cord in front of him, where there is just one thread left. A black cat is playing with an object (a tail of a bigger cat?) at his feet.

There are two old wooden doors behind Death. One closed the other one slightly ajar.

 

What action is going on:

He is about to raise his silver sword and cut the rope that is probably someone’s lifeline. A black stalking and playing.

 

Images and Symbolism:

The two doors behind Death seem to symbolise the two options there are after death. This is probably pointing to the Christian concept of heaven and hell.

 

Colours:

This is a very monochromatic card; mainly black grey and white. The two doors are brown and there is a hint of golden light from the other door but there are no other colours.

 

This card encourages:

 

Warns against:

 

Traditional meanings (J. Bunning):

From the Book:

 

Sallie Nichols: (in Jung and Tarot. An Archetypal Journey. Weiser 1984)

-All hints of renewal and revitalization are important in this card; In Everyday Witch new hope is shown by the light coming through the door that is slightly ajar.

-Yellow is symbol of intuition; the yellow light hints to an inner psychic renewal.

-This card shows the importance of pruning away of the old.

-The skeleton (in RWS and Marseilles) is symbol of the hidden; it is impersonal and universal and yet our most personal secret (as shown in x-rays), a symbol of the deepest “me”

- “Pale Death, with impartial tread knocks at the cottages of the poor and the palaces of kings.” (Horace)

- “Death is certain, let us forget it” (Balzac)

- "Not wanting to live is synonymous with not wanting to die. Becoming and passing away are the same curve” (Jung)

- “Only fools and children do not fear death” (Erasmus)

-Sally Nichols observes that examples of death as a female figure are relatively rare in art and culture. Death is usually referred as masculine. (Why, she doesn’t say.. It is odd since there are so many Chthonic Goddesses in the world religions: Hekate, Persephone etc.) But death wears many masks.

 

Notes:

-This is a scary card but there is majesty in this figure. I’m glad this is not a cartoony figure although in a deck like this (light hearted & cartoony) it might have been. This death means business! This figure reminds me of Death in Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

 

Quote:

Traces of color vein her body – soft petals embrace her flesh. The scent of decay lingers near new shoots.

-Cunningham-