Death: Modern RWS Tarot Card Meanings
‘KEY XIII: Death’, Rider Waite Smith tarot deck.
Death: RWS Upright Meanings
Upright Keywords
Change, Endings, Crisis, Transformation
Generally
A major, unavoidable ending. The end of an era, moving house, a profound change in your worldview, the final conclusion of a long-term project.
In a Love Context
The end of a relationship. A necessary breakup, the finalisation of a divorce, the end of a particular phase in a partnership (e.g., the end of the "honeymoon" phase).
In a Money/Career Context
Leaving a job, the end of a career path, a company going into liquidation, the necessary failure of a business venture to make way for a new one.
In a Spiritual Context
The "dark night of the soul." A profound spiritual transformation that requires the "death" of the old self, letting go of the ego, the end of a spiritual path. This theme appears frequently throughout Waite’s Major Arcana.
The RWS ‘Death’ Card In Common Spread Positions
As Advice
Cut your losses. Clear the slate. Embrace the inevitable transformation. Let go of what is already gone.
As (Ultimate) Outcome
A clean break. A total reset. An irreversible transformation. The end of the road.
As Obstacles
An unavoidable ending is blocking your plans. A necessary transformation is being resisted. The sheer finality of a situation.
As Hidden Energy
An imminent, necessary ending. An unacknowledged need for a total reset. A transformative potential that is not being seen.
As Resources/Alliances
The power to end things cleanly. The courage to let go. A necessary transformation is your greatest ally.
Death Reversed Meanings
Reversed Keywords
Resisting Change, Stagnation, Fear of Endings, Limbo, Cycles,
Generally
A resistance to a necessary ending. Clinging to the past, a fear of change, a situation that is in a state of stagnant limbo, refusing to move on.
In a Love Context
Staying in a dead-end relationship out of fear. An inability to get over a breakup, refusing to accept that a relationship is over, a partnership that is stagnant.
In a Money/Career Context
Refusing to leave a job you hate. Clinging to a failing business venture, a fear of changing careers, a project that is going nowhere but is not being cancelled.
In a Spiritual Context
A resistance to spiritual growth. A fear of letting go of the ego, a spiritual practice that has become stagnant and lifeless, refusing to face a necessary "dark night of the soul."
In Common Spread Positions
As Advice
Stop resisting the inevitable. Let go of the past. End the stagnation.
As (Ultimate) Outcome
A state of limbo. A slow decay from refusing to change. A zombie-like existence.
As Obstacles
A fear of endings. A stubborn refusal to let go. A project stuck in development hell.
As Hidden Energy
A hidden fear of endings. A secret resistance to change. A karmic attachment to a situation.
As Resources/Alliances
Accepting defeat. The realisation that you are stuck. A strategic retreat from a lost cause.
The RWS Tarot ‘Death’ Card Combinations
Combinations with Major Arcana
Death & The Tower Tarot Card Combination
Death (↑) & The Tower (↑): A catastrophic and unavoidable ending. A sudden, shocking event that forces a major transformation. The complete destruction of an old way of life.
Death (↓) & The Tower (↑): Resisting a necessary ending, which then leads to a sudden and painful collapse. A refusal to change that results in disaster.
Death (↑) & The Tower (↓): A major ending that allows you to narrowly avoid a catastrophe. A controlled demolition rather than an uncontrolled explosion.
Death (↓) & The Tower (↓): A situation where a fear of change has you trapped in a state of ongoing crisis and decay.
Death & The Star
Death (↑) & The Star (↑): A painful ending that leads to a period of hope, healing, and renewal. Finding peace after a major loss.
Death (↓) & The Star (↑): A refusal to let go of the past is preventing you from finding hope and healing.
Death (↑) & The Star (↓): An ending that leads to a loss of faith or a period of hopelessness. A transformation that does not bring the expected peace.
Death (↓) & The Star (↓): A situation of complete stagnation and despair. A refusal to change that has led to a loss of all hope.
Tarot Card Combinations with the Suit of Swords
Death & The Ten of Swords
Death (↑) & The Ten of Swords (↑): A final, painful, but absolutely necessary ending. The rock bottom that forces a complete transformation. A betrayal that ends a chapter of your life.
Death (↓) & The Ten of Swords (↑): A refusal to accept a painful ending, leading to prolonged suffering. Clinging to a situation that is already over.
Death (↑) & The Ten of Swords (↓): An ending that allows you to finally move on from a period of victimhood. A transformation that frees you from mental anguish.
Death (↓) & The Ten of Swords (↓): A situation where a fear of change has you trapped in a cycle of victimhood and negative thinking.
Additional Notes On Death
A.E Waite’s Original ‘Death’ Card Meanings
Upright: "End, mortality, destruction, corruption; also for a man, the loss of a benefactor; for a woman, many contrarieties; for a maid, failure of marriage projects. Reversed: Inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, somnambulism; hope destroyed." Pictorial Key To The Tarot (1911).
The RWS ‘Death’ Card Symbolism
A.E Waite’s Death card depicts a skeleton in black armour riding a white horse. The skeleton represents the inescapable nature of death, which comes for all regardless of status, as shown by the figures on the ground: a dead king, a praying bishop, and a woman and child. The white horse symbolises purity and the unstoppable force of purification. In the background, the sun rises between two towers, signifying that every ending brings a new beginning and the promise of rebirth.
Question: Does the ‘Death’ card mean literal death?
The RWS Death card is allegorical, not literal.
However, it is very possible for divinatory tarot readers to pick up physical death through this or other cards. For ethical reasons, it is important for the divinatory tarot community to acknowledge this and then act accordingly. For example, by ensuring that psychics protect themselves from disturbing visions and that they do not predict physical death (to someone unprepared for the subject) in querent readings - including in practice sessions.
Meditations On The RWS ‘Death’ Card
What temporary things am I karmically attached to? What transformations could I embrace to life in Divine alignment? Am I willing to give my lower self up in service of the Divine? How can I align with the fated energy of the Wheel of Fortune.
Continue Learning RWS Meanings: Three Master Resources
Resource I: Master The 22 Major arcana [recommended for beginners]
Learn the meanings of the other Major Arcana cards in the Rider Waite Smith tarot system. New to tarot? I recommend practicing with just these 22 cards for now.
Resource II: Meanings Mastery
No shortcuts; you can master the 780+ meanings of 78 RWS tarot cards in 12-30 months. Just use the same method I did when I was in your position. It’s based on principles of modern memory science and it begins by avoiding the most common mistake that I see a lot of beginners making in their practice. Learn what this mistake is and exactly how to avoid it, by clicking the button below.
Resource III: Master All 78 Cards In The RWS Tarot System
This article is just one within the Rider Waite Smith ‘Cards In Context’ Series: a comprehensive look at modern and original RWS meanings. Begin your mastery of the full RWS tarot system by clicking the button below.
Comprehensive guide to the 22 Major Arcana cards of the Rider Waite Smith tarot system. Learn what the Major Arcana cards are and how divinatory readers have evolved their RWS Major Arcana practice in the last 100 years.