A skeleton clad in black armor sits astride a beautiful white horse. They are walking over the people, a member of royalty, a bishop. a woman and her child. Death comes to the high and the low and does not discriminate. The Messenger of Death carries a black flag with a five pointed white star on it. Five is the number of change. The white star of purity against the blackness of death signals change and transformation. All things change–relationships, jobs, life. Nothing is forever. Except the soul. It is good to acknowledge when systems no longer serve their usefulness or purpose, they must be allowed to die. With a death comes the hope of a new beginning.
A knight rides on a white horse waving a black banner with a white rose. Seems innocent enough. However, upon closer inspection, we see that this knight is a sepulchral figure adorned in armor trampling over a variety of beings including a king, clergyman, young child and mother. The message here is that Death comes to us all; there is no escape. But what to do with this information for it is really quite bleak, isn’t it? The answer lies in the card. When we look more closely we notice signs of life…the white rose of rebirth and the sun arising in the distance between the two pillars. After death comes life, just like the African violet bloom at the top left corner of the picture here. It is on its way out, having bloomed into fruition, and is now making way for new blooms to come along. Nothing lasts forever. With this understanding of endings–whether relationships, family members passing, loss of a job–let us remind ourselves that on the other side of death is life and the prospect of new beginnings.
SpiritedTarot 