The skeletal spectre of Death arrives by boat, wrapped in the mysterious cloak of Manannan. The dead are then conveyed back to the Land of Youth by a sea-god, who changes his appearance with his magic cloak to create the grim aspect of Death. But the journey about to begin is the transmigration of the soul - according to Celtic belief. Drawings of solar ships have been discovered on standing stones in Brittany and Ireland which are identical to early Egyptian hieroglyphics denoting the Cult of the Dead - a belief in the immortality of the soul.
Julius Caesar had dismissed the Celts as a semi-barbarous people, but he had been impressed by their Druids' knowledge of medicine and scholarly learning. He had been particulary fascinated to discover the Druids' view of death as similar to Pythagoras' and wrote: "The principle point of their life (the Druids') teaching is that the soul does not perish, and after death - it passes from one body to another."
These few lines pick up the idea of the Death card - a transition of life rather than physical death. Death is a disturbing card however; it indicates having to suffer some kind of loss, which can be a devastating experience. The astrological sign of scorpio, a water sign, is attributed to Death, and the Druids identified it as the sign of The Reed. A symbol of being submerged in water and yet retaining the ability to breathe is another significant comparison.
One of the two figures waiting on the shore is King Arthur and the lady holding the lamp represents the dawn of Christianity. To the Celts, King Arthur represented an important time of transition in their own evolutionary journey. King Arthur was the first great Christian King of the Celtic people, and his meeting with Death is symbolic of a new Golden Age about to begin.
Ancient Britain was considered by the Gauls and continental tribes to be a sacred burial place of "the Gods" and a place where gods still roamed on earth. A glimpse of the ghostly white cliffs, and the sudden descent of mist which hovered over the dividing water, was enough to keep intruding races away for several centuries. The Breton fishermen today still talk about the legend of ferrying their dead over to the shores of "Alba Longa" - the name of ancient Britain.
The mysterious figure-head of the boat is the Celtic god Janus, the God of the Underworld, whose role was as both a guardian and initiator of Death. The mermaid figure swimming alongside the boat is reminiscent of the Lady of the Lake, as she raises her arm to greet Arthur. Her presence perhaps defines something of the mystical element of Death.
Dignified: It indicates a transformation of a situation that can herald new beginnings. Past events have finally been brought under control and the querent can make the changes necessary to live or to evolve rather than remained cocooned in the past.
Ill-Dignified: The querent is lacking real purpose and seeks an easy way out of a current situation. Not facing up to a situation will create a destructive cycle for self and others. Loss of life or property cannot be ruled out if the neighbouring cards are negative.
The Death card is an important point of self-realization; it raises the question of whether to hang on to something not worth having. The symbol of the rising Sun in the card is a reminder that something is both finished and about to begin all over again.
