XIII - Death

Description:

A human skeleton holds a long scythe in its right hand.  Behind the skeleton is a blue cross, and behind the cross is a dark sphere.  Swirling around the skeleton is a green and white lemniscate (figure eight).  Above the left shoulder of the skeleton is a white rose on a platter, and next to its right shoulder is a yellow fish on a platter.

On the right hipbone of the skeleton is the Hebrew letter Nun, and on the left hipbone is the astrological symbol for Scorpio.  At the center of the skeleton’s pelvis is a golden egg shape containing a fetus.  Below the skeleton are six oval shapes containing (from the skeleton’s right to left) a woman’s head, a raised open hand, a left hand with index finger pointing down, a right foot, a right hand with index finger pointing up, and a man’s head.

Symbology:

The skeleton is naturally a symbol for death, and it also shows the underlying basic structure upon which the outer form is built.  Here the outer form has been stripped away down to the bare bones, ready to begin the being again.

The scythe is a tool for making sweeping cuts, cutting down and harvesting the mature crops at the end of their cycle to make way for new growth in the next season.  The lemniscate pattern around the skeleton is indicative of this eternal cycle of birth, growth, death, and rebirth.

The Hebrew letter Nun (on the right hipbone of the skeleton) means “fish”.  The fish is a symbol of regeneration and secret wisdom, being concealed within the waters of the great fertile sea, just as the One is concealed in the many manifestations of Life.  The astrological symbol of Scorpio (on the left hipbone) corresponds to death and the sexual function.  Between Nun and Scorpio at the pelvis of the skeleton is a golden fetus, echoing the theme of death of the old to make way for the birth of the new.

The six eggs at the bottom of the card containing body parts could symbolize either the death of old forms or the possibilities of the new life to come after death.

The cross and circle behind the skeleton represents the sphere of Tiphareth on the Tree of Life, the manifestation of spirit in the world, the intersection of the spiritual plane with the physical plane.  Death is attributed to Path 24 on the Tree of Life, between Tiphareth (Light manifested) and Netzach (Vision and personality), indicating the theme of death of the old form to realize a rebirth of the One Light within.  The white rose on the platter signifies the beauty and purity that is the way of Tiphareth.

Divinatory Meaning:
(from "Tarot of the Spirit" companion book, by Pamela Eakins)

• You are involved in a major transformation; this is one of the greatest transformations you have known.  You must go through this change alone.

• You will be reborn into newness, but first you must face your darkest fears

• Do not forget, the darkest hour is just before the dawn

Personal Reflections:

The Death skeleton is smiling!  Death is not to be feared, it is to be recognized as a necessary action for growth and renewed life.  The Fool has taken the leap of faith into the abyss of the unknown, and willfully sacrifices all as the Hanged Man so that the next stage of evolution can begin.  Death is that evolutionary conduit or funnel.  The Self, full of the experiences and accumulations of life, finally embraces or succumbs to Death, and is stripped to the bone, revealing the core light that has been there since the beginning.