Death is one of the scary card in Tarot. A skeleton in armor, riding a horse, carrying a black flag with a rose depicted on it. He is trampling down whoever is before him. He’s already taken a King, his crown lying in the mud. A Bishop drops his crozier as Death takes him. Nearby a young woman has turned away, but she, too, is fading. Finally a little child kneels before Death, seemingly offering flowers. Is the child spared? Maybe. At least he is not terrified of Death.
The Death card doesn’t particularly mean anyone is going to die. It represents endings, true – and so it could hint at an actual death. But more commonly it simply means endings and renewals. Note that renewal is as important as endings in this card.
In the background we can see the Sun rising, beginning a new day. What has died has made room for what is now growing. This card is also about renewal.
We might consider how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. Certainly the caterpillar must “die” in some sense, in order to make the transformation. In a more general sense, for many changes in our lives, we have to say goodbye to old habits and outlooks, in order to make new ones possible. Letting go can feel as though something is dying in our lives. We may mourn its loss, even as we rejoice in a rebirth.
There is a red feather coming from Death’s helmet. We see this red feather in the hat of the Fool, in the Page of Wands, and in the crown of the child in the Sun. Some authors connect the red color to the root (muladhara) chakra.
On the flag is a stylized representation of a rose, a mystical symbol. Some say this is the White Rose of York.
One of the more puzzling features of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck is the similarity between Death and the Knight of Cups. The cards are nearly identical.
It is clear that this resemblance is not accidental. There are too many similarities for that to be the case.
I am inclined to think that the Knight of Cups is going on a quest – and since Cups can represent Spirit, this Knight might be leading souls into the afterlife. As psychopomp, this Knight might transform into Death.
Keywords: Final endings. Transformation. Metamorphosis. Rebirth.