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Tarot Card Meanings:
Death

What is "Death" in Tarot?

Death is card number thirteen in the Major Arcana. It represents transformation, endings, and new beginnings. This card signifies the inevitability of change and the opportunity for renewal and growth through letting go.

What are the key symbols in the "Death" tarot card?

  • Skeleton in armor on a white horse: Symbolizes inevitable change, transformation, and purity in transition.
  • Black flag with a white rose: Represents the beauty of new beginnings and the potential within endings.
  • Figures facing the rider: Indicate acceptance of change and the equalizing nature of transformation.
  • Setting sun: Suggests the end of a cycle and the promise of a new dawn.
  • River flowing into the distance: Reflects the continuity of life, regeneration, and the ongoing flow of time.

These symbols are based on the Rider-Waite Smith tarot. Symbols may differ in other decks! 

death from the rider waite smith tarot
Death as depicted in the Rider-Waite Smith Tarot by A.E. White, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith

Death Tarot Card Meaning

Death Keywords: Transformation, endings, rebirth, letting go, transition, renewal, closure, change.

Death in the tarot signifies transformation and the end of a cycle, encouraging you to let go of what no longer serves you. This card represents the closure of one chapter to make way for new growth, embracing change as an essential part of life’s journey. It reflects the shedding of old habits, perspectives, or situations, creating space for renewal and fresh beginnings. Death urges you to accept endings with grace, knowing that this transition will bring necessary transformation and open the door to new opportunities.

Death Reversed Tarot Card Meaning

Death Reversed Keywords: Resistance to change, stagnation, fear of endings, clinging to the past, delayed transition, avoidance.

When Death appears reversed in a tarot reading, it signifies resistance to change and an unwillingness to let go, leading to stagnation or delay. This card suggests that fear of endings or a reluctance to embrace transformation may be holding you back from growth. It reflects a period where clinging to the past prevents the necessary transitions that lead to renewal. Reversed Death urges you to confront these fears, release outdated attachments, and open yourself to the change needed for true progress and fulfillment.

El Tarocchi Insight

Death means something in your life has run its course.

Like The Devil and The Tower, Death is one of those cards that tends to make a client gasp in shock when it appears. Almost every time I’ve read for someone new to tarot in the past twenty-plus years of tarot reading, I’ve had to tell them that this card almost never refers to literal death. What it does say is that something (a relationship, a phase, a version of yourself you’ve been holding onto, etc.) is ending, and you have to accept that inevitability.

Gallery: Death in Various Tarot Decks

A photo of Death from the Shadowscapes Tarot
Death from Shadowscapes Tarot
by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law