Nun - fish - motion/change
13. Death
Sphere 6 - 7 (Tiphareth to Netzach)
Everything changes, that's the one guarantee. I learned in a college chemistry class that the amount of energy in the universe is constant. There is never more or less of it, it simply changes form. That idea alone cooked my noodle back then, and still does. As well as the idea that nothing is really solid, but actually made up of atoms that agree to hang out together and form bonds, and are actually vibrating and moving at different rates of speed, depending on their relationships with the elements around them.
Interestingly, as indicated in the previous key, Mem, things are now moving in reverse, and so what appears to be the Grim Reaper at sunset, is actually sunrise, and indicates the motion that occurs when one is appearing to move in a retrograde, or backwards fashion. That's probably because, by this stage in the game, one is generally not moving in the same direction as the masses. Quite the contrary. By this stage in the game, one would appear to be moving into the storm, rather than away. Or, upstream, rather than going with the consensus flow, towards your own inner knowing, rather than relying on any outside source. I would say this process is definitely not static, but it's also not a straight line. Nowadays, we know, there are many dams to cross. But when the instinct becomes strong enough, there will be no turning back, regardless of the challenges encountered. For this is where you encounter unfamiliar terrain. The dance of carefully making your way upstream becomes all encompassing, often blocking out the din of the outer world. The going actually gets easier, even though the challenges seem to become more difficult to navigate. Confidence begins to inform your journey in a way not experienced when going with the flow. Unshakable trust in yourself is the reward.
So, for me, this part of the journey is where I fully understood the paradox of getting more out of less, and realizing the programming that had subtly schooled me in the belief there is never enough. Kind of like musical chairs, where someone is always left sitting on the floor and being pushed out of the game. You can either swim with the school of subconscious fish, unaware of where the currents are taking you, or strike out on your own. Either choice involves movement, of one kind or another. And there are certainly risks involved, with either choice.
The tarot key Death has a wealth of ideas to follow, for the observation that the life force that inhabits various life forms, and is no longer present upon physical death, does not necessarily mean that the life force that resided there actually ceases to exist when it departs. But that is the big unknown for so many, and very fear engendering on so many levels. And this, despite all the religious beliefs associated with what happens when this occurs. If you look at the cycles of nature, it is easy to see that life is constantly renewing itself and surprisingly resilient, despite the growing array of forces that seems to be engaging in an anti-life agenda. But what if death itself, as it has been programmed into our subconscious, is actually a lie of epic proportions?
Change is often fraught with many forms of death. Death of relationships, death of a job, death of a cherished home or possession, and so on. When one can begin to see that which is constant amongst all this change, then one can begin to be free of the fear of death in any form, for in reality it is fear of change, fear of the unknown, that stops us in our tracks.
I have been on this planet long enough to have lost several loved ones, relatives, people I have taken care of during their last months in the physical. It is a very humbling experience. That's why I think it is a good idea to learn more about leaving the body at will, before physical death occurs, and that is indeed next on my list of things to focus more attention on. I already know I can travel anywhere, anytime, with my consciousness alone. But severing that connection to the physical seems to be traumatic for many, and I know it has been for me in the past. Thus you see the dismembered body parts in the image for the Death key. We literally leave parts of ourselves behind.
The skeleton suggests a framework, that exists independent from the flesh that surrounds it when "alive". Without the skeleton, the body would have nothing to cling to. Astronomy, and since ancient times, astrology, shows us the framework of the cosmos, from the individual, to the changing characteristics of the ages. It is interesting to note that we are moving out of the age of Pisces, where we were programmed to base our view of reality on the belief systems handed down to us without question. It was also the age of sacrifice, punctuated by a savior figure who died for our sins. This age was also represented by the symbol of the fish. This key in the tree has an association with all three water signs, Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio, but especially Scorpio with its direct association with birth and death.
According to this framework, we are now moving into the age of Aquarius, where we emerge from an era of unquestioned beliefs, into an age defined by knowing through experience and first hand knowledge. This is often represented by a human figure, sometimes male, sometimes female, pouring water out of an urn. The Aquarian age is all about people learning to work as a team, while maintaining their autonomy, for the betterment of the whole. To go beyond the beliefs that have separated us for so long.
The down side is the difficulty most of us have, in allowing the possibility that what we previously believed may prove to be almost all incorrect. It is like dismantling one framework and replacing it with a new one that is more accurate. Sometimes you have to tear down before you can rebuild, but starting over is hardly ever welcomed. Best to keep the new framework adaptable and able to change as new understanding is reached, instead of clinging to something that crumbles in a storm.