Death
An ending that is already underway.
One chapter closes so another can begin. Let go of what has run its course.
- endings
- transition
- release
Traditional association: Scorpio
What the card shows
A skeleton in black armour rides a white horse and carries a black banner with a white flower. A bishop pleads, a child offers flowers, a king lies fallen and a young woman looks away. In the distance a river runs and the sun rises between two towers.
The picture is about how people respond to an ending: the king cannot stop it, the bishop's prayer does not slow it, the child meets it with curiosity. The flower on the banner is commonly read as life continuing, and the sunrise as what comes after. Thirteen follows a full set of twelve, so tradition treats it as the number of transformation. It is not a prediction of physical death.
▲Upright
A chapter, role, habit or belief has finished, and holding on now costs more than letting go.
What has already ended that I am still acting as if it has not?
▼Reversed
The ending is being resisted, dragged out or only partly accepted.
What would I have to admit is over in order to move?
Death in a reading
In love
A pattern or phase of a relationship changing; putting down an old story about someone or about yourself.
Reversed: The ending is being resisted, dragged out or only partly accepted.
At work
The end of a role, project or way of working; making room for something different.
Its shadow side: grief, especially if the ending was not your choice.
As a Major Arcana card
Life's big themes and turning points. A Major Arcana card points to a bigger theme than the everyday cards around it.
Related cards
13 adds up to 4 (1 + 3), the number of the fours.
Four of Wands
Four of Cups
Four of Swords
Four of PentaclesRead it with other cards
Questions about Death
What does Death mean in tarot?
A chapter, role, habit or belief has finished, and holding on now costs more than letting go. Keywords: endings, transition, release.
What does Death mean reversed?
The ending is being resisted, dragged out or only partly accepted. Blocked: clinging past the natural end. Fading: an ending that drags on because nobody names it. Inward: quietly knowing something is over and not saying so yet.
What does Death mean in love?
A pattern or phase of a relationship changing; putting down an old story about someone or about yourself.
What does Death mean for work?
The end of a role, project or way of working; making room for something different.
What question does Death ask?
Upright: What has already ended that I am still acting as if it has not? Reversed: What would I have to admit is over in order to move?
ShenTarot for iPhone and Android
Read your own cards
Scan your Rider-Waite-Smith deck or draw on screen, ask your question and get a reading you can keep asking about.