Cosmic Tribe Tarot

XIII - DEATH

STRIKE! Venoms races to the heart. Burning sensations invade the flesh.
(Oh, this can't be happening. Please don't take me!)
But tears evaporate quickly in the heat of a callous fire; cries are muted by the collapse of the façade.
Then all is emptiness. Out of the drama of Death,
surprised awareness arises like a phoenix from the ashes and takes flight back to the land of hope.

Ancestors, old friends, we call upon you to help us understand the nature of Death. We fear and shun this transformation because it seems eager to steal our essence. What can Death's purpose be? Tell us the story of transformation and liberate us from our fears.

In the card a fire ring around the serpent's neck intensifies as the glistening fangs poise to deliver the deadly bite of transformation. Amidst flames leaping from the snake's maw, a Kali-like figure appears and invokes death with a ghoulish dance. He is energized by our fear of change. The more we cling to the past, the longer and more elaborate are his tortuous contortions. But it is hard not to fear him, adorned as he is with bones and backed up by an army of laughing skulls of those who have encountered him before.

The mandala visible behind the Death dancer holds the key to wisdom. It represents the layered stages through which life unfolds and the continual process of internal transformation. When used in meditation, the fire mandala prepares us for the big transformation of physical death by focusing on the little deaths of our attachments that we experience every day of our lives. So the terror surrounding Death is merely bombastic illusion. Listening closely we can hear the song sung by the mouth in the dancer's midriff. Oddly enough it sings a different tune. Instead of bewailing the pain, it sings of peace on the other side of change. And like an extraterrestrial messenger, a dove pierces the thin finality of death with the hopeful news from beyond that death is just a passageway. There is no dead end.

Divinatory Meaning

Should Death tap you in a reading, observe your fear as it surfaces. Do you let this fear keep you from evolving? Change can be disastrous when it means leaving a relationship, losing a loved one, losing a source of income, experiencing an accident, or encountering some other personal tragedy. But even when it is positive, change demands that you burn away the old and gradually accept the new. In this way you can practice Death many times in life before actually dying. Intense transformations call remind you of your fleeting and precious time on earth. Look to your ancestors and friends who have made the transition. What would they say about your predicaments? They might prod you into seeing the seeds of hope that are buried in every transformation and perhaps even envy your ability to feel life so deeply and directly. Create a ritual reminder of how pain later opens into exhilarated feelings of liberation so that when you are in the midst of an intense transformation you can find your way home again. Remember, if Death didn't clear a space, there would be no room for the glory of new beginnings.