Death is a powerful energy indeed. We recoil from Death because we think of it as annihilation. In the tarot Death is not a permanent end, but a transition into a new state. To grow, to move, to live - we must "die" to the old to give birth to the new.
This card rarely has anything to do with physical death. Death is not something that happens once to our bodies. It happens continually, at many levels and not just in the physical. Each moment we die to the present so the future can unfold.
Death often represents an important ending that will initiate great change. It signals the end of an era; a moment when a door is closing. At such times, there may be sadness and reluctance, but also relief and a sense of completion. Death also suggests getting down to basics. This card reminds you to cut out the unnecessary. Death can also mean you will experience an inexorable force. Death is inevitable, and sometimes there are events that are inescapable as well. When these moments occur, the best approach is to ride your fate and see where it takes you.
ending:
closing one door to open another, bringing something to a close, completing a chapter, concluding unfinished business, putting the past behind you, having a parting of the waysgoing through transition:
changing status, moving from the known to the unknown, being cast adrift, waiting in an in-between state, being in the middle
eliminating excess:
cutting out what isn't necessary, shedding old attitudes, getting down to bare bones, concentrating on essentials, getting back to basicsexperiencing inexorable forces:
being in the path of sweeping change, being caught in the inescapable, going through what cannot be avoided, being part of a powerful movement, riding your fate, accepting the inevitable