The Cards We Fear
Part I Death
For the next few weeks I am diving into the cards which have the most negative connotations when they appear in a reading. When any of these cards come up I often take a deep breath in anticipation of the querent’s reaction. This is followed by my assurance that there are no “BAD” tarot cards, but there are some intense ones, often from the Major Arcana. When these cards come up it is often time to do some heavy lifting.
Death
What I love most about the Death card is it reminds me of the myriad of symbols present in each and every tarot card. There is so much to tease out. Death in the form of an armored skeleton, rides a white stallion and carries a flag, and is moving forward toward the the sun which is rising between two pillars. The sun and two pillars connects back to the Moon card, which might indicate the movement from the shadows of Death to new life. The white stallion reminds us of the Sun card, in which a cherub rides it holding a flag as well. The white stallion seems to represent purity, as does the white rose on his flag. Yes there is sadness, and destruction lying at the feet of the horse in the forms of the dead man, despondent woman, and curious child. But change is inevitable. We know this, we battle against it, but ultimately it comes for us if we don’t come for it first. Aleister Crowley saw the Death card as a fermentation of the alchemy process…as a prerequisite and a basis for a new life. He called this the “dance of death.”
Recently I have reengaged with Valentin Tomberg’s massive tome Meditations on the Tarot. It is the kind of book you can either dip into here and there, or you can spend a year or more reading only it. I chose the former by necessity, and due to my somewhat flighty reading habits. In writing about the Death card, Tomberg delves into the dualistic philosophy of Descartes and the categorical imperative of Kant, and Hindu philosophy as well, to come to the conclusion that Death is the “principle of surgery in the world…and its mission is to heal through that surgery.” What he speaks of is the sense that death doesn’t come to our healthier parts, but is a tool to remove unhealthy parts to regenerate newness, transformation. He also reminds us that forgetting and sleep are the other two manifestations of Death. So when I look at the Death card, it rarely means someone has physically died. But it does possibly mean that someone has forgotten who they are or has gone to sleep to their own truths.
A Personal Note
Right now I am in a state of flux, there is a kind of intimate personal alchemy occurring which feels a little chaotic and out of my control. I’m opening a second bookstore in a few days, and it has a feel about it which the Death card resonates with. The first store isn’t dying (closing) but Magus Books, one of the oldest beloved bookstores in Seattle, going on fifty, is giving birth to something new, which ultimately changes it. I have been the steward of the old store for twenty years and now I am trying something new, making an investment in the future, and I don’t know what the transformation is really going to look like. It is an act of faith, and I write about it here, mostly for myself, to acknowledge what it is
Check it out @magus.books1978 if you are interested.
TAROT CIRCLE OFFERING
Laurie Blackwell and I will be offering a workshop focusing on three cards which will include a tarot circle group activity on Sunday, October 23rd at 3pm PST. We’d love to have you join us at the link below:
https://www.hannamcelroy.com/hanna-mc-elroys-shop/p/the-cards-we-fear
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