In the beginning, there was the Fool; and the Major Arcana plays out the rest of his tale. “The Fool’s Journey” is a fascinating and important concept for both beginners and tarot pros alike. Come along with me as I revisit this journey through 22 cards from 22 different decks.
Death: Is Only the Beginning
(If you can name which 1999 flick the above quote is from, you’re probably as old as me.)
The acceptance of difficult situations in the previous phase of his journey has prepared the Fool for inevitable endings. Death has come for him, but not necessarily in a literal sense. All things must come to an end, and the Fool accepts that his old ways of living and being need to be cut away to make room for change.
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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law is my soul deck, and I still think it has one of the best Death cards. The Death card in my original RWS deck used to scare querents who didn’t know a thing about tarot, so this version was a very welcome alternative. To quote an old post I wrote about this card:
“I feel like Stephanie Pui-Mun Law captures [Death] best by using the phoenix — a mythical bird that burns to ash to allow new life to arise — and warm, vibrant colors that draw people in rather than scare them away.”
Endings are often hard to accept, but accept them we must. We are allowed to mourn what was lost, of course — it’s a necessary step toward acceptance. But when something ends, the opportunity to transition to something new is there, just waiting for us to finish grieving and start moving forward.
What do you think of when you see Death in a reading? Feel free to share your thoughts in a comment below!
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