We are all living life with different struggles. We are all navigating life, and though we travel our own paths, we encounter the same themes and realities under different circumstances. A tarot deck is representative of the spectrum of the human experience. Each card in tarot has a traditional meaning and each deck the creator’s interpretation of that meaning. Kaila Wilde uses her knowledge and interpretation of the tarot as a personal growth tool and to create an affirmative statement + note to keep us lifted and to remind us that we are not alone.
Each week, take what you need. Leave what you don’t.
Card:
Death
Affirmation:
I accept that beginnings do not exist without endings.
Reflection:
Why must things end?
The Death card is symbolic of endings and beginnings. Many of us initially think of death in the form of physically dying, but what I call a living death occurs anytime something in our life ends (that something could be a dream, a relationship, an identity, etc.). Death and life are inextricably connected. Life is the beginning and everything we experience and feel prior to death. Death is the end of life as we know it, but then new life is lived and new death occurs and then new life and then new death - you get my point by now. The sequence is infinite and inevitable and begs us to view endings as the gateway to a starting place.
Death is probably one of the most difficult and complex subjects to explore because death places us in close contact with one of our greatest fears - the unknown. The unknown can be frightening because it can disrupt and dismiss the desires for security and stability in us. When an ending takes place in our life, the particulars of what lies ahead are unknown, but for certain, more life is to come. Endings do not exist without beginnings and beginnings do not exist without endings.
The inevitability of death will always force us to make a choice with how we cope when it takes place around us. I don’t know for certain if there is one right way to address and cope with death in our lives, but I do know a healthy way must be established. I know that when we encounter death (endings) in our lives, it becomes our duty to find and gather our peace in order to start life anew (beginnings).
Application:
You cannot run from the fact that endings will forever be occurring in your life. Sometimes endings are painful. Sometimes they are peaceful. Sometimes endings are welcomed. Sometimes they are unsettling. Regardless, endings occur and they will occur around you for the duration of your life. Face these facts, but do not allow them to paralyze or depress you. Instead, see and use endings for what they are - a launch into a beginning.
Tarot card from Minimalist Tarot by Katie Troisi