![]() We are unable to let go, reluctant to end something that no longer serves us well, but with which we have become comfortable. We might fear change because we cannot conceive of what life will be in the aftermath. The Death cards signifies renewal, transformation, endings, change, transition, letting go, and releasing pain. And we had been privileged to learn what it is to have a wonderfully supportive parent who will always provide a safety net, without judgement and without asking for anything in return. We looked after our mother and each other, and we finally learned that we were now the adults, whatever that meant. We spent our Christmases and summer holidays together and our parents were the repository of our family stories and memories. We were all adults, scattered around the world with families of our own, and yet we still always turned to our father for advice and help. She was crying as she said, “Now we’ve got to grow up”. One of my sisters called me on the phone. I was in my forties when we realised our father was dying of cancer. Our parents were strong and supportive and the glue that held our family together. Acceptance may not be easy but coming to terms with change is necessary if we are to grow into our best selves. Rejection, denial, grief, disempowerment, vulnerability, questioning, are natural responses to endings or change. The Death card appears in a reading when a significant part of our life is ending. The rising Sun assures us that there will be a new beginning and we will be given renewed life as we realise all the possibilities that lie ahead. The Tower is our belief system, the meaning we attach to our lives, and it can be both our safe haven and our prison. On the horizon the Sun is rising over the twin towers that we see in so many images from the Tarot, but it is especially reminiscent of The Moon card where we are held captive only by our fears and illusions. In the background we can see an inundation from the gigantic waterfall that floods the plain, while the ship that represented hope and endeavour in the early Wands is trying to navigate the waters of emotion and loss in both the conscious and unconscious mind. The number 5 in tarot symbolises the inevitability and importance of change. ![]() ![]() It illustrates that no matter what our status, Death must always be victorious.ĭeath as an honourable and reliable knight carries his banner with the huge, dominating image of a 5 petaled rose steadfast in his hand. Even the priestly figure of the Hierophant tries to stop him in vain. In the Rider-Waite deck, we see the armoured figure of Death, like a knight of old, riding his horse at a steady pace over the bodies of kings, children and even the archetypal figures of the Major Arcana. Not many people clap their hands and shout “Oh goody!” at the sight of the armoured skeleton on his white horse with the word ‘Death’ beneath it. The Death card can seem scary, even for experienced tarot readers who, when it comes up in a reading, know that many of their sitters will be anxious. According to Martinism, 8 is the number of Christ.The Death Card in the Rider-Waite Tradition With further reference to what I have called the sign of life and its connexion with the number 8, it may be remembered that Christian Gnosticism speaks of rebirth in Christ as a change “unto the Ogdoad.” The mystic number is termed Jerusalem above, the Land flowing with Milk and Honey, the Holy Spirit and the Land of the Lord. It is also the unity of individual being on all planes, and in a very high sense it is thought, in the fixation thereof. This card signifies the divine motive in man, reflecting God, the will in the liberation of its union with that which is above. Beneath are roses and lilies, the flos campi and lilium convallium, changed into garden flowers, to shew the culture of aspiration. ![]() On the table in front of the Magician are the symbols of the four Tarot suits, signifying the elements of natural life, which lie like counters before the adept, and he adapts them as he wills. The suggestion throughout is therefore the possession and communication of the Powers and Gifts of the Spirit. This dual sign is known in very high grades of the Instituted Mysteries it shews the descent of grace, virtue and light, drawn from things above and derived to things below. In the Magician’s right hand is a wand raised towards heaven, while the left hand is pointing to the earth. This is familiar to most as a conventional symbol of eternity, but here it indicates more especially the eternity of attainment in the spirit. About his waist is a serpent-cincture, the serpent appearing to devour its own tail. Above his head is the mysterious sign of the Holy Spirit, the sign of life, like an endless cord, forming the figure 8 in a horizontal position. A youthful figure in the robe of a magician, having the countenance of divine Apollo, with smile of confidence and shining eyes.
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