31/10/2023
XIII DEATH
Friday 13th is around the corner, so let’s talk about the 13th card of the major arcana: the death card.
The death card in the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot is an absolute masterpiece, and to me, looks a little like those overwhelming pictures, with hidden objects, which means: there’s a lot going on, and there’s treasure in the detail.
Because it’s what my eye automatically gets drawn to first: Let’s look at the rose on the flag of the rider, with her 5 petals, 5 representing change. Imagine the cycle of a flower, a rose: little buds, blossoms, until she loses each one of her petals and rests during winter before setting out to repeat her cycle again. She is dying and rebirthing.
Rebirth, also reflected in the horizon of the card: Between the two towers rises the sun, as she does every day, a symbol for new beginnings, which are inherently linked to death.
“Death”, a sceleton in armour, comes on his white horse, like prince charming bringing us the message of “you are safe here, I’ll take good care of you”. This is just so poignant to me: Death is nothing to be feared. Yes, he looks scary and dramatic, but in the end, he’s not intending to hurt us, instead he wants to elevate us, take us to the next level.
Under him, some king, his crown swept off his head, illustrating: nobody gets away from it. We’re all equal in front of death.
Let’s speak about the priest, in his yellow, flashy robe. It reminds me that death is sacred. That it’s a holy sacrament and rite of passage. It’s not only an intrinsic part of life, but more an initiation into it. Death teaches us so much about ourselves and what is important to us. When we are experiencing the death of a loved one, for example, many people do a 180 turn, because they realise that life is precious, it can be short, and they better do what they really want, not tomorrow, not next week, but NOW.
And yes, there’s a lot more to it, maybe you feel sparked to add your interpretation in the comments, or let us know if you’re up for a part two!
Much love,
Laura // The MoonLove Sisters
#555