Card 13-Death

Death is often misunderstood and is often misinterpreted when read, but it is a quite interesting card in the tarot deck. Death represents true victory. Is the God Ares or Mars. It is Khephra the god of light in the darkness.

Death lays on the path between Netsach (Victory) and Tipareth (Beauty) on the Tree of Life. It is in the path working of true victory. Victory that becomes beautiful or is beautiful because of the way in which it is obtained. As beauty lays in the middle pillar it is Death that helps us to move from a purely right pillar path to the middle pillar of balance.

When Death is drawn by itself or in a spread in a tarot reading it symbolizes change through a transformation. This transformation may be in your spiritual life, physical, or even your emotional/mental life. Of course if in a full spread Death's meaning would be dependent upon the surrounding cards. In the positive this change is akin to the metamorphosis of a butterfly. It is long, sometimes exhausting process but the result is beautiful just like the emerging butterfly. In the negative it is a card that symbolizes something that may be taken away that should have been voluntarily given up. It represents a refusal to change or a change that is thrust upon you.