Post by Alena on Dec 26, 2006 19:44:38 GMT -5
The 13th card of the Major Arcana of the Tarot is Death. This is the one many people dread getting in a reading because they do not always realize that this card has a variety of meanings that are not neccessarily bad. It could mean death as in pushing "cancel" to something you do not want in your life anyway.
Depending on the Tarot deck you own, the picture on the card will vary. Often it is a skeleton, a skeleton wearing armor, Hades god of the underworld, or some other god of the underworld like Anubis or Shiva. Sometimes the figure carries a scythe. A river is often shown, a common symbol of crossing over to the other side (Styx, Jordan). Black is the dominant color of this card because black absorbs all color as death absorbs all life.
The Wanless deck is a little different. His shows a black mask with a sharp nose and a black-robed figure. There is also a snake shedding its skin. (I am not sure if it was intended, but the images on this version of the card make me think if Palpatine and Vader.)
The number 13 is associated with death or an ending because it represents the end of the year in the old calendar. The old calendar had 13 months in it before they changed it to 12. It was more logical because it accurately followed the phases of the moon. The number 13 came to be associated with death. Even today some people hibernate and lock their doors on Friday the 13th.
Descent into the underworld is one major theme of this card. It is the Law of Impermanence. All things end, even for the rich and powerful. Death has to be faced not denied.
It is interesting that the style and appearance of the Sith are similar to the gods of the underworld in myth. In the Star Wars world, the rising of the Sith means death of the old order (the republic and the Jedi). The Sith embody the full meaning of this card. The old order dies because it is as dysfunctional as the snake's old skin. It needs to die so a new order can be reborn, one that is uncorrupted and does not carry the old baggage.
The card that preceeded this one was Hanged Man, which means to be stuck. The card after is Death, which means the death of that which is causing things to be stuck, that which is holding things back and impeding progress. The next card will represent the birth of the new order.
The Sith play the role of destroyer of the old order, like Shiva the Indian god who destroys forms and frees the essence, or the goddess Kali who rids the world of troublesome demons.
What does this card mean in a reading? Something in your life is ending. This can be sad, or it can be a welcome relief. It could be the end of a relationship, a school course, a job, or a phase. Something new will come along even if you do not know what yet. You will move on.
A negative meaning would mean a cutting away of something you will miss. It is being wrenched away against your will and wishes. It could possibly mean that you have been feeling pretty dead lately (inertia, stagnation). Or, perhaps, it is a warning that something may die on you if you don't make some needed change or make a move to preserve it.
A positive meaning is that you are shedding some old baggage that you don't need and is only dragging you down. For example, a divorce from someone who is ruining your life (like some old drunk). This reading could be advising you to cut away what you don't need in your life. Downsize. Unload oppressive ideas, beliefs, dogmas, burdens on the mind, old emotional attachments, old junk piling up in the garage, an old life which is not really "you" anymore. Unload the past; forget it. Live in the moment.
This card may especially be a relevant message to westerners. Western civilization is very glunky and cumbersome. We try to fit more into our lives than can possibly fit, whether it be projects, involvements, respnsibilities, mounds of data, or just simply too much stuff filling your home, more than you will ever use. Perhaps it is time to shed a few things. It is time to really think about what matters most and let the rest go.
Depending on the Tarot deck you own, the picture on the card will vary. Often it is a skeleton, a skeleton wearing armor, Hades god of the underworld, or some other god of the underworld like Anubis or Shiva. Sometimes the figure carries a scythe. A river is often shown, a common symbol of crossing over to the other side (Styx, Jordan). Black is the dominant color of this card because black absorbs all color as death absorbs all life.
The Wanless deck is a little different. His shows a black mask with a sharp nose and a black-robed figure. There is also a snake shedding its skin. (I am not sure if it was intended, but the images on this version of the card make me think if Palpatine and Vader.)
The number 13 is associated with death or an ending because it represents the end of the year in the old calendar. The old calendar had 13 months in it before they changed it to 12. It was more logical because it accurately followed the phases of the moon. The number 13 came to be associated with death. Even today some people hibernate and lock their doors on Friday the 13th.
Descent into the underworld is one major theme of this card. It is the Law of Impermanence. All things end, even for the rich and powerful. Death has to be faced not denied.
It is interesting that the style and appearance of the Sith are similar to the gods of the underworld in myth. In the Star Wars world, the rising of the Sith means death of the old order (the republic and the Jedi). The Sith embody the full meaning of this card. The old order dies because it is as dysfunctional as the snake's old skin. It needs to die so a new order can be reborn, one that is uncorrupted and does not carry the old baggage.
The card that preceeded this one was Hanged Man, which means to be stuck. The card after is Death, which means the death of that which is causing things to be stuck, that which is holding things back and impeding progress. The next card will represent the birth of the new order.
The Sith play the role of destroyer of the old order, like Shiva the Indian god who destroys forms and frees the essence, or the goddess Kali who rids the world of troublesome demons.
What does this card mean in a reading? Something in your life is ending. This can be sad, or it can be a welcome relief. It could be the end of a relationship, a school course, a job, or a phase. Something new will come along even if you do not know what yet. You will move on.
A negative meaning would mean a cutting away of something you will miss. It is being wrenched away against your will and wishes. It could possibly mean that you have been feeling pretty dead lately (inertia, stagnation). Or, perhaps, it is a warning that something may die on you if you don't make some needed change or make a move to preserve it.
A positive meaning is that you are shedding some old baggage that you don't need and is only dragging you down. For example, a divorce from someone who is ruining your life (like some old drunk). This reading could be advising you to cut away what you don't need in your life. Downsize. Unload oppressive ideas, beliefs, dogmas, burdens on the mind, old emotional attachments, old junk piling up in the garage, an old life which is not really "you" anymore. Unload the past; forget it. Live in the moment.
This card may especially be a relevant message to westerners. Western civilization is very glunky and cumbersome. We try to fit more into our lives than can possibly fit, whether it be projects, involvements, respnsibilities, mounds of data, or just simply too much stuff filling your home, more than you will ever use. Perhaps it is time to shed a few things. It is time to really think about what matters most and let the rest go.