Tarot Death Card: From Fear to Rebirth

There is an interesting thing in the tarot community: almost everyone owns a deck of cards with the Death card as their "spirit card". And if you are born in the year of Scorpio? Maybe not just one set.

Of the 22 Major Arcana cards, the three most "hated" cards are Death, Tower and Hanged Man. But today, we will find out again to be fair to this "beautiful girl who was criticized".

Traditional Meaning of Death Leaf

In the Rider-Waite-Smith suit, the Death card carries the following keywords:

• Negative: Failure, misfortune, dead end, despair, loss, no way out
• End: Termination, conclusion, final part, last word
• Change: Transformation, reform, transition, replacement, rebirth

In fact, most of these words are unexpected. That explains why people are afraid of drawing this card. In practice, begin with the position's job, then let the card image sharpen the answer.

The Hidden Truth: Lucifer

But wait. In The Thoth Tarot, the Death card is depicted by Lucifer—the brightest god that ever existed.

Lucifer is not a name used to denote evil. According to the Bible (Book of Isaiah, chapter 14), the Hebrew word "helel ben-shachar" means "bright star, son of the dawn".

Lucifer was once the most eminent Archangel, the bright star of the dawn. But because he refused to submit to Christ, he abandoned his reputation in heaven and said: "I would rather be a king in hell than a slave in heaven." Taking a third of the angels with him, he launched a rebellion but failed, and fell into hell—becoming King of Hell.

This is the image of extreme change: from the highest position to the deepest abyss, but still maintaining power.

Death in Cultural History

To better understand Death's appeal, let's go back to the ancient past.

Death has always been the ultimate topic that humans cannot avoid—whether East or West. From Tu Phuc setting sail to find the elixir of longevity for Qin Shi Huang, to legends about killing the god king to bring peace...

Ancient Gods and Kings

Many early societies, especially Nile tribes such as the Shilluk, viewed the king as a half-human, half-god. They believe:

• The king's body symbolizes sacred power
• If the king gets sick or his health declines, the world will be affected accordingly
• Cattle will be infected, crops will fail, and disease will spread

So, when they detected signs of weakness (related to fertility), they would execute the king and elevate a younger, stronger successor to the throne.

From Te Tu To Tan Sinh

As society developed, the custom of killing the king gradually evolved into symbolic rituals: "Sending off death".

In these rituals in many places, there are two common elements:

1. Statues representing death were thrown away or destroyed 2. At the same time, young green branches are brought back, or young men are put on the clothes of the death statue

Different from the appearance of destruction, the young branches (or young men) are the new reincarnation of death.

This shows us: death is not always the absolute end. The ancients attributed another meaning to it:

> "The so-called death certainly contains within it the element of awakening, reviving and promoting growth."

Death Leaves Like a Call

So the next time you draw the Death card—don't panic right away.

This card is not simply about ending or loss. It is an invitation for you to see the change that is needed, the part of the old you that needs to be left behind, and what will come from that death.

Lucifer is a symbol of extreme change—from the highest to the lowest, but still retaining his strength and will. It is an expression of the difficult but meaningful path.

Learn about Death with an open mind. This card brings a new revelation to you.

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Reference source: zhihu.com — Death Tarot: The mystery of the disparaged girl

Reading note: Check these meanings against the cards beside them before settling on one keyword.