XIII

XIII – Death. Something has come to an end; it will only continue in a new form. Our shortsighted view of life as unchanging is challenged. A warning against hubris: you too can be brought low by natural forces.

End, mortality, destruction, corruption. Reversed: Inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, somnambulism.

The Death card strikes fear in the hearts of most people when it should be welcomed. It is not an evil card. It is a card of change, of transformation. It is the darkness that precedes the light, the death that is necessary for rebirth to take place. It is another turn on the Wheel of Life. Death and life go hand in hand. Both are linked as part of the eternal process. Life ends in death. And from death comes new beginnings. Where The Hanged Man represents a suspension between two states, death symbolizes the end of the old and the start of something new. Death tells us to be open to new adventures about to begin.  Reversed: Fear of change, especially the future. Clinging to old ideas or values that are no longer relevant. Not a good time to make the break. Stop grieving for the old ways or what you’ve lost.

The mysterious horseman, Death, rides a well-bridled horse, and moves slowly across a field. He bears a black banner emblazoned with the mystic rose, which signifies life. On the edge of the horizon, the sun shines between two towers. All are powerless before the rider — king, child, girl, fall prostrate before him, while a priest awaits his coming with clasped hands.  The card represents the death of the old self — not necessarily physical death. The sloughing off of fleshly desires. He who realizes that death must be conquered by the regeneration of the soul is on the way to attaining eternal life. Divinatory Meaning: Transformation, change. Sometimes destruction followed or preceded by transformation. The change may be in the form of consciousness. Sometimes it may mean birth and renewal. Reversed: Temporary stagnation, tendency to inertia.

This is not as ominous as it seems despite the title and image. Whatever card came before it will be strengthened by this card. To continue to grow in the future, sometimes the only way is to lay the past to rest in some sense. Then your soul can be reborn. You can expect a strong spiritual rebirth. Any setback that you may be going through at this time can bring you a new understanding and new hope. Reversed: Foresees distraction without renewal.

“Permanent impermanence, I am the secret of the sages: they know they can only advance on my path. Those who incorporate me become powerful minds. Those who deny me, seeking vainly to escape, lose the delights of the ephemeral. My permanent destruction opens the way to constant creation.”

 

Ace of Wands

Staves: Creating. Creative energy. Think of building a house with wooden planks.

Ace: There’s a first time for everything. Beginnings. A seed that will grow.

A hand issuing from a cloud grasps a stout Wand or Club. Divinatory Meanings: Creation, invention, enterprise, the powers which result in these; principle, beginning, source; birth, family, origin; the beginning of enterprises; according to another account, money, fortune, inheritance. Reversed: Fall, decadence, ruin, perdition, to perish; also — not unclouded joy.

New beginnings. The birth of an idea that leads to action. The start of an enterprise or new challenges. You are filled with a sense of optimism, eagerness, enthusiasm, excitement, and boundless energy. You can sense the potential. You are looking forward to what’s ahead. Reversed: Difficulty in getting something started. False hopes. Misdirected energy. You are lacking motivation, ambition, or drive to face the challenges. You don’t want to attempt anything new.

A hand comes out from a cloud holding a flowering wand. In the distance is a mountain peak surmounted by a castle. Divinatory Meaning: The beginning of an enterprise, creation or invention. A birth, the starting of a family or of a fortune, possibly an inheritance. Reversed: The new enterprise may not materialize. Clouded joy, false starts.

Fresh starts bring spiritual awakening.

 

Two of Cups

Cups: Interacting. Emotions and relationships of all kinds. Dealing with people. Think of two people toasting each other with wine glasses.

Two: It takes two. A dialogue. Weighing and comparing different possibilities.

A youth and maiden are pledging one another, and above their cups rises the caduceus of Hermes, between the great wings of which there appears a lion’s head. It is a variant of a sign which is found in some old examples of this card. Some curious meanings are attached to it, but they do not concern us in this place.