Embracing “Death” As We Move Forward

A different outlook on change

For starters, this is not a regular post about Tarot cards.

As some of you have read my previous articles, I love to explore the lessons behind some Tarot cards. I find them rich and mindblowing sometimes, and I truly believe those archetypes represent us in our lives’ stories. They gracefully tell our journey of self-discovery and struggles while we try to find our place in the universe.

I have never been a Tarot expert — I’m just an admirer. Not because of its possible divination power, but because of the story it tells. The journey of the Fool until he finds the World (Major Arcanas). The small vicissitudes we encounter along the way (Minor Arcanas).

The Tarot is a beautiful representation of the human condition. If we learn the lessons behind these cards, it can be a beautiful mindfulness tool for self-discovery and self-healing. It makes you go deep and question your beliefs and your actions.

A while back, I wrote about the lessons behind the Ten of Swords: Pain can be Tough, and Yet a Powerful Transformational Tool and the Fool: Stepping into the Unknown: a Beautiful Lesson by the Fool. Feel free to read those articles too, although this one is not connected to them.

Today, we’re talking about Death. The Death card is one of the most beautiful cards of Tarot (at least in my opinion).

When I say this is the most beautiful card in Tarot, I refer to the fact that this card has mainly two functions:

1. It keeps us in check with the reality of impermanence: nothing lasts forever. Good or bad. This card does not express physical death whatsoever, but “death” of a certain cycle. A friendship, a toxic relationship, a job, a house, etc. You can try as much as you want, but you can’t control life. Things will eventually “die” physically, emotionally, or spiritually, whether you’re ready for it or not.
2. It gets us out of our comfort zones when we are told something has to change. A mindful, conscious act of our part needs to take place.

As humans, we love to be in our comfort zones. We thrive in predictable and constant waters and avoid sudden changes in our paths just like we avoid the plague…