The Death tarot card is one of the more commonly misunderstood cards in the Tarot. It doesn’t represent an actual physical death. This is a card about the transformation of the self. It represents some ways of being and things that are no longer serving us and being willing to move into a new identity.

The Death tarot is a card number thirteen. We have the next keywords for the Death: transformation, the end of a cycle, starve, another cycle, purification, harvest, cleansing, swept away, a beginning, a rebirth. A threshold is achieved seen is not in the Death card.

The Death Tarot: Keywords

So the interesting thing about the Death card. On the Rider-Waite’s deck, you will see underneath the Death a dead came laying there. Therefore, even Kings die. We also have a little child at the Death’s feet there in front of the horse, who is handing flowers to the Death. This is a very naive person. A little child does not know what the Death is, so it is too young to know.

In addition, we have a young maiden there. She is accepting the Death. She is on her knees, she is in front of the Death but she is facing away. She does not want to be there, but accepting it.

Also we have a Pope standing right in front of the Death. He is the only one standing there – the others are kneeling or laying down. And he’s sort of Got, his hands praying to the Death. And the reason the Pope is standing is because the title of Pope doesn’t die. The person in that title does. But the Pope doesn’t. Therefore, the title never dies. So the Death’s transformation changes.

Finally, the keywords for the Death card of the Tarot: all kinds of transformation, endings, change, transition, letting go, and release.