XIII Death

I dance with death.

From the Wizards Tarot by Barbara Moore, Illustrated by Mieke Janssens

Death is a time for sorrow and grief, a time when we transition out of this mortal coil and enter the realm of Spirit. The physical body is temporary and ultimately dies, while the spirit soul is eternal and transformative. As stated in the Bhagavad Gita As It Is by Srila Prabhupada: (2:22-23) “As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones. The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.” The soul is like a phoenix, renewing its outer covering when the time is right.

We can encounter the energy of Death during our day. I live out in the county and often see roadkill and the accompanying vultures that are very much alive. Death is an integral part of the circle and cycle of Life. I've also rescued many feral cats and part of that is to help them transition when Death comes at the end of their life. We see the flower blossoms fade and die, the fruit wither and rot, the year turn to Autumn and then Winter when most of the vegetation retreats, only to be born again in Spring. Every day dies at sunset and becomes night which dies at sunrise.

In the Hero's Journey, Death heralds the descent into the Underworld or Spiritual Realm and rebirth takes place at the Judgment card. In everyday life, the Death card can indicate that our plans will fall through, or that it's time to change and transform something in our lives. If we want big beautiful change, we have to sweep out the old and useless. Get rid of it! Clear the decks so that there is room for the new vital life we want to come. To rise like the phoenix, we must first burn like the phoenix. Transformation takes energy and determination. Use the Death card energy to transform into who you really are!