Symbols of Rebirth

The Death card, as chosen from my previous blog entry, contains the following symbols: armor, a flag bearing a red and white Tudor rose, and a rising sun. Death Itself is depicted as a skeleton, which is quite cliché to say the least. However, depending on the deck in question, these symbols can be picked and chosen or replaced with something else of equivalent meaning.

In the Rider-Waite, the one I typically use, other symbols include children on the ground, a bishop (looks to The Hierophant, come to think of it) with his hands praying as if to plead to Death, the horse, dead-looking trees in the background, and two towers with the aforementioned rising sun between them.

 

A breakdown of the meanings of each symbol goes as follows:

-ARMOR: personal reservations, possible fears of the inevitable—it’s always good to let down your walls and welcome what is to come. Accept your fate, accept the changes that come your way, because they may just be a blessing in disguise.

-TUDOR ROSE: This rose appears on the flag as red and white, and those two colors represent the blood of life and the promise of new beginnings—overall, this rose is a symbol of rebirth. All that dies will be reborn, and all that falls shall rise again.

-RISING SUN: This is another symbol of the promise of new beginnings. Think of it as the “light at the end of the tunnel” or a “silver lining behind every dark cloud”. It also can be interpreted as the beauty that comes with Death, as endings always come before a new beginning. It also can be seen as the foreshadowing to The Sun card.

-CHILDREN: This is likely another symbol of rebirth, and because they are tired-looking and leaning on each other, it tells the reader and the querent that there is a stress that needs to be relieved with the coming of this inevitable change.

-BISHOP: Not even someone with power, like a bishop in the Catholic Church for example, can defeat Death. He reflects the natural order of things, much like The Hierophant card.

-HORSE: The horse upon which Death is sitting, in many cultures, represents passage. With each major change we undergo, we encounter a chance for passage and transition into this new phase of life. It also represents the passage of the soul in literal death of people or animals. It also could very well be a Biblical reference to the Book of Revelations, where there are Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who are said to arrive at the Last Judgement (according to Christian tradition).

-DEAD TREES: This is a cliché symbol of death, but the dead trees are a solemn reminder to the reader and querent that like the seasons, life changes and transitions. Alternatively, you must learn to accept your losses (winter) before new leaves can grow (spring).

-TWO TOWERS: The towers have the sun between them on the right side of the card (at least in the Rider-Waite) are very much like a foreshadowing to The Tower card and its connotation to external destruction. Death, in contrast, reflects internal destruction in order for creation to take its place.

 

Overall, this card would be mine (aside from The High Priestess) because as a person, I am always evolving—I have a strong belief in the polarity of death and rebirth, as it is all connected with life. Without death, there cannot be life. Without destruction, there can be no creation. Without the natural order of things dictating that nature rid of the old things, there would be no new things to sprout in their place. I see these changes around me in everyday life, even on a level so deep I can’t put it into a single sentence.

Leaves fall off the trees in the autumn, making the trees dead and dormant in winter. Without this, the promise of spring wouldn’t allow for new leaves and blossoms to grow.

Forgive the morbid example, but it’s the same with hunting a deer. The blood from that deer rushes into the soil when it is shot, allowing for nutrients to nourish the seeds below and allow life to grow. Imagine that new life growing from the deer’s blood in the soil as a tree—an animal can live and feed off that tree and its leaves or whatever fruits it bears. Even a tree bearing fruit, the fruits contain seeds to allow new life to grow…I could go on about this, but I’ll stop right here.