Yep. Here it is, just as I promised – the Death card. There’s no avoiding it, there’s one in every Tarot Deck….no point in looking away either, Death is inescapable…or is it?

“We all walked around here on Earth but no one could see us,” he said, “and when I tried to pick something up my hand just went straight through it, just like a ghost…”

The man sitting in front of me was over sixty years of age and looked to be in his late forties. His manner was calm, serious, his gaze was intense.

“When I woke up in the hospital all the cancer was gone, they did a bunch of tests but they couldn’t find anything wrong with me, it is like I was given a new body…”

He continued with his story, describing his experiences of crossing over into Death and then returning, surprised, “I didn’t want to come back, I was peaceful there, so now I am wondering why am I here? What is my purpose?” His sincerity was unmistakable and I didn’t doubt him for a second.

A few years ago I did a reading for a man who survived a tragic car accident in Saudi Arabia. The single vehicle rollover killed all of the passengers except him. He was single with no real obligations or responsibilities, whilst many of the others had children or dependants. He was asking similar questions, “Why me?”, “Why did I survive and not someone else?”

Very few of us get a second chance at life and those who do often struggle to make sense of it. The thing about Death is that it is unpredictable and it doesn’t always make sense. We expect Death to be consistent, predictable, fair even, but Death doesn’t play by those rules…

Of all the characters that we encounter on our journey through life, Death is probably the most feared and the most misunderstood. Death reminds us that our time here on Earth is limited and no matter how well we think we have things figured out, we are not really the ones who call the shots. As a Tarot Reader I have found that asking the Universe “Why?” rarely returns a satisfying answer. We do better by asking ourselves, “What can I learn from this experience?”, “What is my next step forward?” or “How does it get any better than this?”

Turning up the Death card on the table however, doesn’t necessarily mean that someone is going to die, and this is a common misconception. I am quick to remind people that there is big Death and there is also little Death. Finishing a job, moving house or ending a relationship are all little Deaths which we negotiate quite frequently throughout our lives. Even changing a habit such as giving up smoking, forgiving your ex or choosing to let go of judgement are little Deaths in themselves. In letting go of the things which no longer serve us we make space for new things to emerge. When we refuse to allow Death we stay stuck, clinging to the past and unable to move forward with our lives.

One of the most unsettling things about Death is that it leads us into the unknown. Whilst there are some who will return to tell their tale of experiences on the other side, more often than not, Death is final. However the real purpose of Death, big or small, is to make way for new life to be born. When we resist Death we block our vital life force energy and we stay stuck in our fear, resisting change, wanting things to stay ‘the way they are’ and unable to see the bigger picture…

If we look to nature we see that life is a series of Deaths and Rebirths and in the deepest part of our being we know this to be true. As we watch the seasons come and go, our bodies lose cells and create new ones every single day. If we live as we breathe, we take in and we let go, we find a rhythm that is in tune with the wholeness of life; and Death is an essential part of that wholeness.

To live a truly successful life, we must become intimately acquainted with Death. In a quiet moment, consider asking yourself, “What does Death have to teach me today?”, “Which things in my life need to die, so that they can be reborn anew?”, “How can I honour my life by honouring Death in its rightful place?”

For questions and tips about reading Tarot ~ Ask The Hoo