Death

Death is usually related to spiritual transformation, an end of a cycle, is a point of rupture, of evolution, of starting anew. Our lives are made of cycles!

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This arcanum is considered the most feared card in the entire deck, maybe because of the central figure, the Grim Reaper, which was a synonym of mortality in the Middle Ages. Nevertheless, the Death card generally does not mean physical death or absolute annihilation. Note that the tarot follows a certain sequence and this card is not the last one, there is much more beyond it, much more to come.

Following the twelfth arcanum, which represents a complete cycle and the idea of stability, the thirteenth card comes as a rupture in that cycle, breaking all that is known and expected and shoving us inside the sphere of the unknown.

Death is usually related to spiritual transformation, an end of a cycle. That does not necessarily signify that it is a card of bad omens, quite the contrary. Death is a point of rupture, of evolution, of starting anew. Our lives are made of cycles: while some might be filled with good fortune, other cycles make us feel relieved once they are over.

The deeper changes that come with Death appear in our lives unexpectedly. This sudden experience may affect us tremendously, destroying old values and beliefs; but we all need to close chapters and start new ones.

This powerful symbol from medieval iconography consists of an animated skeleton walking over a pile of money, crowns, swords and other different objects. That means that Death does not distinguish between social classes or faiths, for every living thing must submit to it.

The scythe, held with both hands, gives us the impression of circular motion. This kind of clockwise movement is also related to an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future, exactly mimicking the notion of Time (Chronos from classical mythology).

There is a latin proverb “Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis” which means “Times change, we change with them”. Time has indeed a major influence on ourselves. There is no way to escape it nor to stand (for very long) against the changes that come with it. Time forces us to adapt and progress.

Death emerges the same way, demanding an adjustment in our lives that is crucial for future events.

“It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able to adapt to and to adjust best to the changing environment (…)”. Charles Darwin in Origin of Species (1859).

This card evokes a large work of cleansing and purification, so the skeletal figure represents our own foundations. Death represents ourselves, scything everything that is obsolete in our hearts and minds.

Astrologically speaking, Death is related to Scorpio which is ruled by the element of Water. Water, as a symbolic agent of Death, dissolves the shapes of bodies, recombining elements in order to create new forms of life.

In alchemy, this operation is called Putrefaction which consists of the destruction of present matter, reducing it to its essence (like the skeleton) so it can be reborn as a completely new being or material. This alchemical process is symbolically portrayed in this card by the black crow at Death’s feet.

“In nature nothing is created, nothing is lost, everything changes.” – Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier.

Weight 102 g
Color

Black

Fabric

100% Cotton, 210gr

Printed in

Silk Screen, water-based ink