meanings of the Death card

Zephyros

I have a question regarding the Death. In the Thoth, the Art card shows a a pot with a crow atop a skull, symbolizing Death (DuQuette writes that Harris might as well have written "this is the Death card" but I'm writing this from memory in the middle of the night, so I might be wrong). I don't have the Book of Thoth with me right now, so I can't quote from it, but what does this mean in the context of the Death as the end, if the two elements the figure is pouring, fire and water, into the pot are coming to an end, as it were, as two separate entities in order to create a new one? To my mind if fits in with the "life bubbles" in the Death card, but I'm having trouble resolving the "End" idea with this.

Any thoughts?
 

Lorraine1100

I can now give another personal perspective on this. Last November I did a reading for myself, of which I posted it on here. There were two main cards in the reading, first was Death followed by the Star.

Nisaba very kindly said that maybe I should think about looking for another job! At the time I didn't pay much credence to it, because I thought things were okay. This morning I walked in to find the company has gone bust - I and 87 others have lost their jobs!!

So thats a bit final really, it wasn't as such that there was a physical Death, rather than a Death Knell to my employment. The only hope that I have on the horizon is The Star!

I don't much like Death in fact if I am truthful I thought Nisaba's point on it was not quite right a the time back in November! However, I spin it though, she was right and although I am in a rut right now, the final ending was there in the cards and there was nothing I could do to avoid it.
 

SilverSquirrel

More ramblings from me... which you're free to ignore since I AM rambling (soz)

Anyway I was thinking about death as transformation (eyerolly yawn, I know) and hey - growing up is a kind of death, too...

I mean the stages of life. Each one requiring the letting go of the identity we had before. It's why children are fascinated and yet frightened by adults. They know one day they too will look and perhaps act like that. But they have no conception of HOW such a huge change could be possible. From where they stand the world is so very different that an adult is another kind of creature in it. Kids like films about other kids where adults are the "baddies" that "they" can overcome. Compensation of the unconscious understanding that they cannot. So that's the first death we undergo - and there are many along the way to the final one we get to know of. When we're teenagers, then when we're twenty-somethings, thirty, fifty, and beyond, we go on as long as we can trying to gloss over the changes "stay our old selves" but eventually the body and image and people's behaviour and attitude towards us, along with what our body tells us it can do and wants to do, conspire to force us to acknowledge that time has carried us on to the next stage.

So the point of my musing is I realized.. death is the letting go of the old identity in order to go on with life. And when it's "actual death" that's God/Goddess, waking up to universal consciousness.

Or maybe it just means you need a new toothbrush. Heh.
 

tarotcognito

So sorry to hear about your job, Lorraine. :( What a shock it must've been! Were there no indicators at all that this could happen? Just curious...

I realize it can be annoying, getting pep talks from well-meaning cheerleading squads when we're in a funk, but at least the Star is there - there is hope on the horizon.

...'course, maybe you have to go through a Temperance/Devil/Tower episode before you get there...

Or maybe you just need a new toothbrush.

Hang in there. :)
 

Lorraine1100

Loksenna - thank you for your comment :)

The Directors, I believe fleeced the company and lined their own pockets. We 'knew' things were not great, but I believe truly that bad managment practices have very much been the failure. If anything, after The Star was the Two of Swords, which also stands for forces of Justice - I believe if I am right - that the Two of Swords is the lesser of the actual Justice card. I would like to think those that had a direct hand in it will be dealt with by the forces of karma. I hope so! The rest of the cards in the spread were very good so, you know, it might go okay in the end, it's just the here and now.
 

Maagi

SilverSquirrel said:
Anyway I was thinking about death as transformation (eyerolly yawn, I know) and hey - growing up is a kind of death, too...

I mean the stages of life. Each one requiring the letting go of the identity we had before. It's why children are fascinated and yet frightened by adults. They know one day they too will look and perhaps act like that. But they have no conception of HOW such a huge change could be possible. From where they stand the world is so very different that an adult is another kind of creature in it. Kids like films about other kids where adults are the "baddies" that "they" can overcome. Compensation of the unconscious understanding that they cannot. So that's the first death we undergo - and there are many along the way to the final one we get to know of. When we're teenagers, then when we're twenty-somethings, thirty, fifty, and beyond, we go on as long as we can trying to gloss over the changes "stay our old selves" but eventually the body and image and people's behaviour and attitude towards us, along with what our body tells us it can do and wants to do, conspire to force us to acknowledge that time has carried us on to the next stage.

So the point of my musing is I realized.. death is the letting go of the old identity in order to go on with life. And when it's "actual death" that's God/Goddess, waking up to universal consciousness.

Or maybe it just means you need a new toothbrush. Heh.
Click to expand...

Indeed, the new beginning for your teeth! =D

But on a more serious note, I really agree with you on this... and it kind of fits well with Erik Erikson's psychosocial development theory... the psychological stages that are the crises like identity crisis etc. It also correlates with all the ancient initiation rites that there are; moving from a stage to another. That's death.
 

SilverSquirrel

Maagi said:
Indeed, the new beginning for your teeth! =D

But on a more serious note, I really agree with you on this... and it kind of fits well with Erik Erikson's psychosocial development theory... the psychological stages that are the crises like identity crisis etc. It also correlates with all the ancient initiation rites that there are; moving from a stage to another. That's death.
Click to expand...

True say. He's an interesting guy to google. Cheers.
 
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