One of the most reflective times of the year is currently underway as we dive into the depths of Scorpio season. Hard to talk about the lessons Key 13 (The Death card in Tarot) in tarot without correlating it to its watery, intense, dark ruler…Scorpio. Now, while we’re immersed in Scorpio season, I also like to observe how key themes of its sister sign, Taurus, complements Scorpio’s energy. This strategy highlights the cohesiveness of each tarot card and the stories it tells us. Let’s take a look.
Key 13’s key themes deal with transitions and transformations as well as letting go of things that no longer serve us. With the ‘grim reaper’ coming in on his horse, he doesn’t come with any sort of identifiable emotion or feelings towards coming to collect. It’s simply doing it’s job. Below the horse, you see a range of perspectives and emotions surrounding its presence. The pope, clothed in all his regalia and riches may bargain with it. The little girl embraces it and even gives an offering of flowers upon its arrival. The young woman chooses to look away, yet still open to the necessary changes to come. And a young man has completely thrown in the towel. Regardless of the response from the people, ‘grim reaper’ remains unbiased and continues on to collect what’s due. In the east, you see the sun between two pillars as a reminder of the restorations to come. See, one thing death teaches us is the power in letting go, and how anything we must loose is not a personal attack nor respect of persons regardless of how you choose to see it.
I am also reminded of Shaman Durek’s book, Spirit Hacking, where he talks a lot about his shamanic journey really taking off after a near death experience. In order for him to elevate, this experience was a necessary part of his journey. Which leads me into discussing how themes of the Hierophant also play a role in these experiences.
Key 5 and it’s Taurean themes involve tradition, conformity, organized religion, and institutions. It is where we see the role of the Pope being the source of spiritual knowledge and connection to the Divine…and what that means for us in our spiritual practices. All of these themes are wrapped in Taurus’ area of personal values and the resources we find value in to teach us about life lessons from another’s point of view. It is intentional devotion to study and developing our own connection to Source. The Hierophant shows us the roles and value in both the spiritual leaders of the world as well as those who seek to learn from them.
How does this fit in with Key 13? When we look at Scorpio’s themes of other people’s money/resources in relation to our own (Taurus energy), what do we find to be of our own personal values with respect to another’s? What has your spiritual practices taught you about your relationship with death? What can you learn from others that can be beneficial for self? Whether you’ve been on your spiritual journey for 10 years or 10 minutes, Death and the Hierophant teach us the importance of letting go and always being willing to learn, evolve, and adapt as we elevate into our most authentic selves.
For it is through the moments of death—death to self, death to old habits and behaviors, death to our comfort zones that keep us stagnant and complacent, where true change and transformation occurs. When we get rid of the fog through those transformational moments, we can see things clearly. Take a look around you. Trees are going through their necessary changes to prepare for the change in seasons, birds are migrating south. Nature itself shows us first hand the importance of letting go, of detachment. Nature is our biggest teacher, aligning with it truly makes things a bit more clear and digestible for us to translate within ourselves.
Have you ever considered the parallels between the Hierophant and Death or even how Scorpio and Taurus energy play into one another? I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Sincere gratitude.
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