Death -- Major Arcana

Today's Card for discussion is Death. It is numbered 13 in Major Arcana. The picture I have used for reference is from Rider Waite Tarot Deck.

Having learnt the lesson of surrender, Fool comes down the tree and continues on with his journey. He comes upon a field where trees are bare and it feels cold and wintry. Fool starts feeling shallow, empty and sad.

Unable to udnerstand the reason, he starts looking for some guidance or clue. Its when a skeleton in a black cloak rides past him on a white horse. Fool recognizes this rider as death. He stops him and asks whether he has died and is that the reason for him being sad that he has come to the land of death.

To this death replies, "No, you are not dead but your old self, your way of life and old principles are dead. Now you are re-born. Your old world is dead since you learnt the lesson of surrender. Do not mourn. Look ahead, a new life and world is waiting for you". Saying so, Death rides away from him.

Fool has now learnt the lesson of Transformation.

When this card coems up in a reading, it does signifies the death but not of the physical body but conceptually. Its the death of your principles or thinking on which your life was set. But the amount of growth that this process of tranformation brings about in the querent is tremendous. Sometimes, thsi process of transformation is painful and hence the grieving part comes in.

But again, all is well that ends well!!!