13-Death – Upright Thoth Deck

Your Chosen Card – Death Upright Thoth Deck

When upright, the Death trump signals a period of significant change and transformation. A new seed is sprouting in your life. One chapter is ending and another beginning. This necessary process should not be denied or avoided. The major theme of this card is ‘out with the old to make way for the new.’ Have courage to face the unknown because new life awaits you. Keep in mind the biblical admonition: ‘Except a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone: but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit’ (John 12:24, KJV).

Keywords Upright: Transition, transformation, a sprouting seed, major change, endings, renewal, a necessary change, propagation, a sprouting seed, new growth, the closing of a chapter, shutting a door, entering a new stage of existence, liberation, release, metamorphosis, transfiguration, moving on, the need to let go, an inevitable ending, the natural cycle of life and death, courage to face the unknown.

Key XIII: Death
Myths/Archetypes: Osiris. Dionysus. The Angel of Death. The Eleusinian Mysteries. The phoenix myth. Transfiguration. Easter. The Resurrection.
Dates of Scorpio: 23 October–22 November (tropical); 16 November–15 December (sidereal)
Astrology: Scorpio, the Scorpion (a Water sign ruled by Mars and Pluto)
Numerology: 4 (Emperor) = 1 + 3 (Death) = 2 + 2 (The Fool)

Hebrew letter: Nun (a sprouting seed; a Hebrew word meaning to propagate, bear offspring, perpetuate life, continue on to a new generation, increase; also posterity, a son or an heir). The pictograph of Nun resembles a human sperm. In Aramaic, the word nun means fish, a symbol important to Christianity. This card reminds us that death is part of the natural process of engendering new life.

When Death is upright you can pretty much take it that life is going well but that’s when life takes us by surprise.  If Death is unclear it may help to choose a card from the Major Arcana to provide more insight into what it is Death is trying to tell you.  If you had a particular issue in  mind, or want to seek clarification on something else, you can also choose again to get more guidance.

This chosen card is part of your upright card reading for Death using cards from the Thoth Tarot Deck. You will find many more tarot pages that will be of great help if you need tarot card meanings. Use the search at the bottom of the page. We have some amazing tarot books for you to browse. Please see below.


Here are some snippets from a few of my favorite books

Complete Book of Tarot
Book Details
Complete Book of Tarot: A commentary from Yale’s Beineke Library states that ‘I Trionfi’ reflects Plutarch’s ‘contemplation of the successive victories of Love, Chastity, Death, Fame, Time, and Eternity. The poet becomes the moralist and philosopher who searches for meaning, as life passes from one stage to the next.’ 3 Similarly, the tarot’s major arcana reflect the triumph of love over secular powers and religious authorities as well as the struggles between vice and virtue on the journey toward the ‘promised land’ depicted on the final trump card.

Tarot Books

World of Psychics: In the Thoth deck the figure on the Temperance card stands over a large cooking pot, adding the ingredients that will help everything to reach a fulfilling conclusion. She is surrounded by opposites, showing that nothing is impossible and with the right conditions opposites can not only attract but also work well together.

Complete Book of Tarot: In this card, a woman sits blindfolded on the shore of a body of water. She holds aloft two swords, evenly balanced. Above her hangs a crescent moon, symbolizing her changing emotional state. She may be trying to resolve conflicting feelings or attempting to choose between evenly matched options, represented by the dual swords. The tarot appears to be saying that it can help us to sort out our feelings, clarify our choices, and assist us in making more reasoned decisions. The eighteenth-century French occultist who popularized tarot, Etteilla, considered the Two of Swords as a card of rapport and affection, so the tarot may be also saying that it can bring new friendships into our lives.

  • Do get in touch if you looked for Death and we don’t have it listed. We would be more than happy to source the information for you. We hope you visit again for more online tarot information!

Complete Book of Tarot: The freeloader myth: never buy your own cards; they must be given to you as a gift.