A Tarot Greeting to you and all new subscribers!
In this issue of Tarot Tips transformation is the
focus. We see the transitioning of warm weather to
cold weather, (unless you are "Down Under") as
we drift into a time of harvest and inner reflection.
Nature slows down, even though people seem to
increase their activity. For us, this season seems
to bring more to do than ever, and a busy schedule
often means transforming oneself to meet the demands
of life. Some people call it "wearing different hats"
or costumes. Did someone say costumes? Our focus
in this issue is on probably one of the most
misunderstood cards in Tarot -- Death.
We would like to take the opportunity to thank
Peggy Firth for submitting an article for this
issue of Tarot Tips.
Yours truly on the Tarot journey,
Tarot Tips is here to help you with the practical
side of your tarot journey. In order to take the
greatest advantage of this newsletter, please send
us your questions regarding any aspect of your
tarot study or practice and we'll do our best to
answer them in an upcoming issue.
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Tarot Tip
DEATH CARD READINGS
QUESTION:
Does the Death card in a reading mean a physical
death? Can death be predicted with Tarot? How
would one handle an inquiry about whether someone
is going to die?
ANSWER:
It's been our experience that you can predict
anything with Tarot. Ask a question and Tarot will
answer it, whatever it is. Still, you need to use tact,
delicacy and understanding when answering a
question as difficult and sensitive as one concerning
death.
Death in Tarot refers to irrevocable change. That
can be interpreted in different ways according to
the question. If one's intuitive gifts and
reading abilities gives a strong impression of a
physical death, a tactful mention of it in a
reading may open dialogue regarding the
querent's fears or concern for a loved one. There
are situations in which the appearance of Death in
a reading would certainly suggest physical death.
In the vast majority of cases, the issue does not
concern a physical death but more likely a radical
and transformative change. Look at all the cards
in your layout to get the whole story. The
interpretation always depends on the context.
Tarot Card Showcase
In this section we will feature tidbits on a
specific tarot card. While there are many
systems and decks to choose from in the world
of tarot, here we will utilize the Universal Waite
Tarot images and symbols.
Copyright 1992 U.S Games.
DEATH
Esoteric Title: Child of the Great Transformers;
Lord of the Gate of Death
Hebrew Letter Correspondence: Nun
Meaning: Fish
Astrological Attribution: Scorpio
The Skeleton is the prime symbol in this Key.
It is the irreducible framework, the template for
regeneration, the seed within the dying plant,
that allows the individual soul to persist through
transformation after transformation.
It is the alchemical Fixed Salt. This is the meaning
of the Imaginative Intelligence that allows each life
to be reborn after its kind in the great evolutionary
dance.
In the shamanic tradition, the final rite of passage
from aspirant to initiate requires that the seeker
divest himself of all his property and attributes,
including his name, his family, his possessions, and
even his flesh and blood. When he has been reduced
to fundamental bone, he acquires a new identity and
purpose, a new form and new powers, a new face
and a new name as a shaman. That is the meaning
of the skeleton's armor, the old bone clothed in new
symbolic significance.
Suggested meanings: Physical death, psychological
death, spiritual death. The end. Passing from one
state to another. Rebirth in a new form.
Transformation and resurrection, reincarnation
and regeneration.
Sexuality. The winter precedes the spring. All
that is worn-out and used up is cleared away to
make room for the new, the fresh and the living.
Do you want to learn more about tarot but don't have
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Guest Article
DEATH: KEY 13 OF THE MAJOR ARCANA
By Peggy Firth, CTM
The overwhelming fear associated with death and
seeing the Death card in a spread, often forces me
to quickly explain that death and transformation
are the same. It also allows the subject to focus
on examining aspects of their aspirations and goals.
When the Death card appears, depending on the
conditions, we usually are dealing with abrupt
or transformative endings. In each case, some set
of possibilities must give way for something new
to occur. This key also reflects the universal
principle of detachment.
Let's take a look at the symbols of the
traditional Rider -Waite Death card that may
further enlarge the transformative meaning.
Skeleton - Symbol of foundation of our growth
(suit of armor and head gear are those of a king)
Horse moving from left to right - unconscious to
conscious
White horse - true purpose
Pink saddle - change that occurs with love
Flag with five petal rose - the five senses with
center of seeds of rebirth
Dead king, child, maiden, robed priest - four
aspects of ourselves
Stone pillars with the dawn of new day - new
beginnings
Each of the Major Arcana cards deal with some
aspect of the human psyche and instinctual
patterns which are just part of the same energy.
It's not necessary to be a psychic or sensitive
as long as you take an interest in learning the
symbology.
Special Event
THE 2010 READERS STUDIO
2010 is a banner year for Tarot and we're celebrating
including 3 master classes with:
Mary K. Greer, Tarot's "Midwife Of The Soul" and
author of Tarot For Yourself and Mary K. Greer's
21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card.
Robert M. Place, creator of The Alchemical Tarot
and The Vampire Tarot
Dr. Elinor Greenberg, internationally known
Featured Tarot Blog / Newsletter
BONNIE CEHOVET
Bonnie Cehovet is a Certified Tarot Grand Master,
a professional Tarot reader with over twelve years
experience, a Reiki Master/Teacher and a writer.
http://BonnieCehovet.wordpress.com/
