The Death card is about moving through the layers of the ego that separate you from a connection with the divine source. Death teaches us to release and let go of what we no longer need. The death in this card is primarily the death of the ego. In life we are taught to see all kinds of differences among people. We may feel better or worse off than others, and this comparing is a form of self-importance. Death eventually visits everyone, and strikes down each illusory mask equally. In truth, we are all one. Death is the sometimes painful process of coming to terms with this eternal oneness.
In Vedic astrology, the Death card corresponds with the zodiac sign of Scorpio. Scorpio is a fixed water sign ruled by Mars in the Vedic system, which does not use the more recent outer planets. Mars is a planet of power and conflict. While in the sign of Aries symbolized by the Emperor card, that explosive Mars power is directed outward towards positive action, in Scorpio the energy of Mars is directed inwards. With the Death card, the intense heat of the planet Mars is concentrated within to create metamorphosis. This concentration of energy creates intense pressure that pushes out what is not pure. The sign of Scorpio is the scorpion, who has the ability to poison itself with its barbed tail. Scorpio is a feeling sign that often feels all the emotional poison around and within. This poison can generate jealousy, resentment or spite. But it can also be the medicine that quickens transformation and heals through the death process. When Scorpio transcends the pettiness of the small self, it becomes its other animal symbol, the eagle.
In the Toltec cosmology I have intuited, this is the final card of the mastery of transformation. Remember, this mastery is all about realizing that everything is energy and everything is always changing. We have gone from the Strength card, which represents the emotional fixations and projections of our ego, to the Death card, which represents the death of the ego. This process of transformation is like a snake shedding its skin, and it can sometimes be painful and intense. While you are undergoing transformation you will need to be able to feel the layers of skin peeling off, the release of the emotional poison, without trying to defend or justify it. Emotional poison is simply the result of lies that we tell ourselves. You do not need to judge it or feel victimized by it, but you do need to feel it.
The five cards before this one have helped to bring you to this moment when you are ready to truly release. Use the Death card to let go of anything that no longer serves you. Remember that your ego self may still be attached to some of the layers you are ready to release, and that is okay. Have compassion for yourself as you ask for the courage to surrender and let go. Change is a process and happens naturally when we are ready for it. Be loving and gentle with yourselves as you go deeper into the mastery of transformation.
Find the Death card in your favorite tarot deck. Put it somewhere you will see it, on an altar or by your bed. Invite the energy of Death into your dreams. Look for images or symbols that help you focus on the death process, such as snakes, scorpions, eagles, water or fire. Remember that you don't have to make change happen. You only have to be willing to change.
Next: Temperance
(c) 2004 by David Ray
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