Tree of Life: Tiferet into Netzach – Path 24
Zodiac: Scorpio
Number: 13
Hebrew Letter: “Nun” meaning fish
Motto: “I Desire”
Light: mortality, intensity, sexuality, investigation, introspection
Shadow: repression/suppression, secrets, lack of self-knowledge
Key Themes of The Death Thoth Card
The Death card in the Thoth Tarot deck is a symbol of death and rebirth. It doesn’t necessarily signify physical death, but rather the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new one.
The Fool's Lesson from The Death Card
When The Fool encounters Death he becomes afraid his travels are finished. He fears he has died and that his journey of life is over. However, Death pulls him from the shadows and reveals a hidden pathway that had been blocked beforehand.
Pushing The Fool through, he experiences a profound understanding of his life’s purpose. Ego and identity dissolve into the abyss, leaving him stripped of earthly possessions and desires. This transformation leads to a new world of effortless flow and harmony.
Joe’s Divine Guidance: The Death Card in a Tarot Reading
Upright
The Death card upright signifies a period of transformation and change. It’s a time to let go of the old to make way for the new. This card is about endings, but also about new beginnings, rebirth, and personal growth.
Reversed
When reversed, the Death card suggests resistance to change or an inability to move forward. It may indicate a fear of letting go or a struggle with transition. It’s a reminder to embrace change as a part of life and personal development.
Mystical Symbolism: Decoding The Death Card's Symbols
This card’s symbols represent life and death’s cycle, change, transformation, and the soul’s journey towards unity with God.
Three forms of Scorpio: The Scorpion, the Serpent/Fish, and the Eagle, representing different aspects of death and transformation.
Scorpion: Symbolizes the physical life trapped within time’s limits, representing the lowest form of death.
Serpent/Fish: Represents the flux between conscious and unconscious living, symbolizing the act of creation through the union of masculine and feminine. The fish is also the Hebrew letter attribution.
Eagle: Represents the death of the ego and subsequent unity with God, symbolizing spiritual enlightenment.
Three states of water: The Scorpion, Serpent, and Eagle also symbolize the three states of water – Ice, Water, and Gas, respectively.
Soul incarnations: Depicted by bubbles showing figures of various ages, symbolizing the cycle of life and reincarnation.
Osiris: The black skeleton, symbolizing both destruction and creation. The black color represents Saturn, associated with form and inherent decay.
Process of death: Illustrated by two figures between the skeleton’s legs. The lower figure being beheaded symbolizes the death of the lower self, while the upper figure represents the higher mind freed from the lower self’s constraints.
Path 24 on the Tree of Life: Tiferet into Netzach
On the Tree of Life, the Death card signifies the path from Tiferet to Netzach. This is the first path that leads downward from Tiferet, the sphere of balance and harmony, into Netzach, the sphere of desire, ambition, and enthusiasm.
This journey represents a transformation, a shift from balance and harmony into the realm of desire and ambition, symbolizing the cycle of life and death and the continuous flow of energy.
The Death Card’s Hebrew Letter - Nun
The Death card is associated with the Hebrew single letter “Nun,” which means fish. In many cultures, fish symbolize constant movement and change, aligning with the themes of transformation and rebirth in the Death card. The fish’s continuous movement through water represents the ever-changing nature of life and the inevitability of transformation.
Astrology Insights: The Death Card’s Associations
In astrology, the Death card is associated with Scorpio, a sign known for its intensity, mystery, and investigative nature. Scorpio is a Fixed Water sign, representing the most intense aspect of water, which is change.
Scorpio governs all extreme experiences and transpersonal matters that bring us to our mortality. This association enhances the themes of transformation, rebirth, and the cyclical nature of life and death in the Death card.