Major Arcana
Death
The veil or mask of life is perpetuated in change, transformation and passage from lower to higher, and this is more fitly represented in the rectified Tarot by one of the apocalyptic visions than by the crude notion of the reaping skeleton. Behind it lies the whole world of ascent in the spirit. The mysterious horseman moves slowly, bearing a black banner emblazoned with the Mystic Rose, which signifies life. Between two pillars on the verge of the horizon there shines the sun of immortality. The horseman carries no visible weapon, but king and child and maiden fall before him, while a prelate with clasped hands awaits his end. There should be no need to point out that the suggestion of death which I have made in connection with the previous card is, of course, to be understood mystically, but this is not the case in the present instance. The natural transit of man to the next stage of his being either is or may be one form of his progress, but the exotic and almost unknown entrance, while still in this life, into the state of mystical death is a change in the form of consciousness and the passage into a state to which ordinary death is neither the path nor gate. The existing occult explanations of the 13th card are, on the whole, better than usual, rebirth, creation, destination, renewal, and the rest.
- Yes or no
- Maybe
- Position in the deck
- Card 14 of 78
Upright meaning
End, mortality, destruction, corruption also, for a man, the loss of a benefactor for a woman, many contrarieties; for a maid, failure of marriage projects.
Reversed meaning
Inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, somnambulism; hope destroyed.
What the card offers
An ending makes way for a new beginning.
Did Death show up in your question?
Draw it inside a spread and read it against the cards around it. Free, no sign-up, with a written interpretation.
Questions people ask about this card
What does Death mean upright?
End, mortality, destruction, corruption also, for a man, the loss of a benefactor for a woman, many contrarieties; for a maid, failure of marriage projects.
What does Death mean reversed?
Inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, somnambulism; hope destroyed.
Is Death a yes or a no?
Death is a maybe — the answer depends on the surrounding cards. An ending makes way for a new beginning.
