In one of the email discussion lists I belong to on Tarot, there is talk of late about the Death card and whether or not one should remove it from the deck for readings with folks who might not be comfortable with it or when you want to ensure you have a positive reading. For instance, would you take the card out when doing a reading for persons with terminal illness or the like.

I would not take the card out in this sort of instance . . . or pretty much any other instance . . . the only time I would take cards out is when I am removing the Minor or Major Arcana for an introspection exercise or when I am doing a single suit or card reading for clarification on my intuitive relationship to that card, but not for a "reading" per se . . . however, in a straight reading of this type I would not do a "physical" reading that implied actual physical events. Rather, I would do the reading as an "emotional" reading that used the cards as a means to delve into a querant’s emotional or psychological states when dealing with the issues at hand. This is my primary use for Tarot in any case, as a tool for reflection and introspection rather than as an implied physical fate that must or must not happen. Even in this sort of case, I would signpost, as always, that . . . for me . . . the Death card does not mean death or even a negative life event or feeling but it merely means change and would note that change can be for the worse or for the better but that it is our perspective on that change which is the telling point. Life is part of a cycle and it must move forward. Death represents symbolically a movement forward in that cycle (death is never static and always brings about dynamic change of some sort and there is always some positive attached to any negatives within the experience, albeit those are often difficult to find in the moment of dynamic change). Death should not be seen as limbo or loss, it is change . . . positive and negative, it then is up to the querant facing the changes to discover and use the appropriate resources that best allow her to face the challenges inherent in deeply meaningful life change so that it becomes a positive step forward rather than a negative experience. This is done through resource marking by identifying emotional and psychological sets revealed in the whole reading as the cards have meaning to the person’s life at this time, not merely through the appearance or non-appearance of a single card. Just because Death is present in the reading, it should not be construed that negative things are happening, just as the Devil does not always mean bad things, and just because Death is not present in the reading does not mean change is not about to happen . . . look to the whole reading, not individual cards. Individual cards are isolated pretty pictures on paper, it is the whole of the reading and how it relates to a person’s life AT THIS MOMENT that holds the meaning.

In my opinion.

Of course, I realize that many folks hold on to more literal interpretations of cards rather than context-based psycholgical or emotional ones which tends to be my modus operandi as I strongly believe folks can use Tarot or similar tools as wonderful aids into introspective meditation but that the readings should not be interpreted literally as what fate must bring us. After all, Tarot cards are just pieces of paper randomly drawn, not the best system to run your life by. The card draws may help us see patterns in our own lives . . . and synchronicity is a real phenomenon . . . but they should not be seen as the answers in and of themselves. The answers are within us, the Tarot helps us sort out and organize our emotions and feelings so we can see things in a new light, that’s all. Many people who say differently, are selling something.

If you’d like to play a bit with an introspective trance technique for Tarot, then see here.

There is more about the Death card here and here, among other places on the web.

All the best,
Brian