Image: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain/CC0)
TL;DR: Waite wrote in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911) that the Death card speaks of a person's natural transition to the next stage, with divinatory meanings such as ending, corruption, loss of a benefactor, failure of plans for marriage, and reversed meanings such as stagnation and destroyed hope. In current Tarot reading, this card is understood as an ending that opens a new beginning, while reversed it is fear of change and clinging to the past. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: look at what has completed its cycle and can be let go.
Does the Death card (Tử Thần) really foretell death?
No. In the Major Arcana, card number XIII is often misunderstood as an omen of physical death. Both A. E. Waite's divinatory meanings and the way Tarot is read today revolve around the end of a phase and transformation, not death in the literal sense. Even so, one should not claim the card can predict the future; this is a symbolic reading, not a prophecy.
From the Renaissance, when Tarot appeared in Italy in the mid-15th century (such as the Visconti-Sforza deck commissioned by the Duke of Milan), the cards reflected the worldview and familiar allegorical stories of the people of that time. The Death card then was usually understood as a message about the inevitable end of human life and the turning of time.
The Rider-Waite-Smith deck and how the Death card is described
The Rider-Waite-Smith deck was printed in 1909, with art by Pamela Colman Smith, and concepts and commentary compiled by A. E. Waite. Waite's divinatory meanings were set out in his book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), and they often differ from the meanings commonly given today.
The original text: what did Waite write about the Death card?
Waite writes: the veil or mask of life is perpetuated in change, transformation and passage from lower to higher, and this is more fitly represented in the rectified Tarot by one of the apocalyptic visions than by the crude notion of the reaping skeleton. Behind it lies the whole world of ascent in the spirit. The mysterious horseman moves slowly, bearing a black banner emblazoned with the Mystic Rose, which signifies life. Between two pillars on the verge of the horizon, the sun of immortality shines. The horseman carries no visible weapon, but king and child and maiden fall before him, while a prelate with clasped hands awaits his end. Waite also notes that the suggestion of death which he mentioned in the previous card is to be understood in the mystical sense, but not so in this one; the natural transition of man to the next stage is what is spoken of here.
Waite's divinatory meanings listed for the Death card: End, mortality, destruction, corruption; also, for a man, the loss of a benefactor; for a woman, many adversities; for a maiden, the failure of marriage plans. Reversed meanings: Inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, somnambulism; hope destroyed.
In today's Tarot reading, what does the Death card mean?
In today's Tarot reading, the Death card upright is usually understood as an ending that opens a new beginning. Reversed, this card is usually understood as fear of change, clinging to the past. Common keywords are ending, transformation, new beginning.
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, the Death card is not a verdict but a sign that a cycle has come full circle. What is ending may have completed its role, and the remaining task is to look directly at that rather than drag it out further.
How should the symbols on the Death card be read?
The section below follows Waite's description in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911).
The horseman and the horse
Waite does not describe the horse by colour in the passage cited above; he only calls the figure the "mysterious horseman" moving slowly. The focus of his description is the reaping skeleton, that is, the crude image that the rectified Tarot replaced with an apocalyptic vision.
The black banner and the Mystic Rose
Waite states clearly: the horseman bears a black banner emblazoned with the Mystic Rose, and that rose signifies life. This is an important detail because it places life right inside the symbol of ending.
The sun between two pillars
Waite writes: between two pillars on the verge of the horizon, the sun of immortality shines. He does not describe it as a rising or a setting sun, only as the sun of immortality.
The figures around him
Waite lists: king, child and maiden fall before the horseman, while a prelate with clasped hands awaits his end. He does not assign each figure a specific social class in the way later popular interpretation does.
Does the horseman carry a weapon?
Waite states clearly: the horseman carries no visible weapon. This is a detail showing that the ending in the card does not come by violence.
What are the astrological meaning and the number of the Death card?
The Death card is usually associated with the sign of Scorpio in Western astrology, the sign of death and rebirth, emotional depth and mystery. Scorpio is also commonly said to be influenced by Pluto, the planet of transformation and hidden power. This is a common association among Tarot readers, not something Waite set out in his 1911 book.
The card's number XIII follows number 12 (The Hanged Man) and opens the way for number 14 (Temperance). In the flow of the Major Arcana, the number 13 is usually seen as a bridge between the old state and the new one.
Death in a spread: ending in order to be reborn
When the Death card appears in a spread, in today's reading it is usually understood as a sign of an important ending: of a phase, a relationship, a job, or a way of thinking. This can be the moment to let go of what no longer fits, making room for something new. This reading does not claim the card can predict the future.
Death in love and relationships
In today's reading, Death usually appears when a relationship is at a crossroads: either transforming to a deeper level, or ending completely. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: be honest with yourself about what truly still has value in this relationship.
Death in career and finance
In today's reading, this card can be tied to ending a job, changing careers, or bringing an old business model to a close. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: if a direction has run dry, clearing the way for a new one may be more useful than trying to drag it out. This is not investment advice or a financial forecast.
Death in spiritual development
In today's reading, Death is usually linked to the dissolving of illusions about the self and an awakening to the true nature of reality. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: this may be the time to look again at what you are clinging to and see whether it still serves you.
Quick reference table: Tử Thần upright and reversed
| Aspect | Content |
|---|---|
| Deck | Major Arcana |
| Order number | 13 |
| Main keywords | ending, transformation, new beginning |
| Meaning upright | An ending that opens a new beginning. |
| Meaning reversed | Fear of change, clinging to the past. |
The table above uses modern meanings, which are also the practical draw meanings the site uses. The divinatory meanings Waite set out in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911) differ from this table and have been noted in the Original text section above.
Overview article on the topic: Tarot Basics: The 78 Cards and the Meanings of the Major/Minor Arcana
