Death: Tarot Card Meaning

Meaning of the Death card upright

A skeleton in black armour rides a white horse through a field where kings and children fall alike, while the sun rises between two towers. Death is rarely literal. It is the end of a stage, a deep change and the clearing of room for what is new.

Death reversed

• clinging to the past
• stagnation
• fear of change

Reversed, the card shows clinging to what has already ended, fear of change or a transformation that is held back. Something wants to finish, and the more you resist the longer the ending drags on.

Death in love and relationships

In love it means the end of an old form of relationship or the end of a relationship that has run its course, followed by renewal. Something important is changing. Reversed, you cannot let go of the past or a relationship stays frozen.

Death in work and finances

At work it is the end of a project, a job or a role and the start of something different. It is a good time to close old chapters. Reversed, you hold on to a position that no longer works.

Symbolism of the Death card

The white rose on the black banner is purity that outlasts death. The rising sun between the towers is the promise of a new day. The bishop praying before the horse shows that no rank can stop the change.

Death in a yes or no reading

In yes or no spreads, Death upright reads as “no” and reversed as “maybe”. The answer comes from the general meaning of the card (an ending, transformation), so always take the wording of the question and the neighbouring cards into account. Try a yes or no reading.