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Death, Rider-Waite-Smith
Major arcana

Death

Death shows a radical transformation, the end of a form grown obsolete and the passage to something else. It does not point to a literal end.

Rider-Waite-Smith Water/Scorpio See in Tarot de Marseille →

What the card shows

A skeleton in armour rides forward, a black standard in his hand. In front of him, figures on the ground turn away, and a sun rises between two towers on the horizon.

Its light

Closing a chapter clearly frees the space and attention it took. What ends leaves clean ground, and this recovered place allows you to build something else.

Its shadow

Refusing an inevitable end stretches a situation that no longer produces anything. Persisting in holding what finishes wears you out, and the delay is paid on beginnings.

Keywords

transformationendtransitionrenewaldetachment

Notes on the symbolism

RWS. Arcana XIII. The 1909 tarot follows medieval Dances of Death and gives the arcana a banner with a white rose.

What this card invites you to do

Identify what no longer needs holding on by simple habit. Say goodbye to what has finished its work, and look at what the end frees for you.

A card does not decide for you.
It shows you where to look.

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