The Death card within the Major Arcana can mean so many things, but among them is profound change and transformation.
Last year I kept pulling it a lot in my daily spreads, alongside the Fortitude or the Six of Cups card. If you look at the imagery of the Fortitude card, you see a woman with a lion, the regal embodiment of our feline friends, the domestic cat. Then the Six of Cups reminds me of children, and often times not just those of biological birth but our pets that become our children.
I tucked away those insights into my Tarot journal, until the message became tragically clear. By the time summer rolled in, I was making the heart wrenching decision to put my beloved cat, Bella, to sleep. It’s one of those major losses that I don’t think anyone can ever prepare you for, even though two different vets (I had to be sure the prognosis was real) said it was her time. With that, I started my journey through the Death card cycle of transformation and in no particular order: denial, numbness, pain and finally acceptance. As I learned to cope with her passing, the grieving became another member of the family, sitting with me through the emotional ebbs and flows.
Fast forward to about a year later (July 2015), my other cat Sasha seemed particularly animated staring at an invisible playmate in the bedroom late one evening. I’m not sure what made me do this, but I picked up my iPhone and began recording that area in the hallway where Sasha was running up and down. A calmness washed over me and I just knew it was Bella. I called her name, and as soon as I did that, a bright white orb floated down from the ceiling and came towards me in a straight line. It was so amazing to have that testament that she was still with me, exactly where she always loved to be, sitting by my desk as I penned my next article.
So that’s my story with the Death card of the Tarot. One thing I know for sure: I’m never surprised how on point the cards are, when we take the time to let them speak to us. It’s a great practice for beginner and seasoned Tarot readers, to stay connected and open to how the cards give a small window into the world around us.
Until next time…
With luminous love from the rainbow bridge,
Zuri
