A Taste of Tarot: Scorpio & the Death Card
A look at the symbolism of Scorpio's Tarot Card, Death
Every zodiac sign is ruled by a Tarot card from the Major Arcana! The zodiac sign of Scorpio is ruled by the Death card.
Here we take a look at the symbolic connections between Scorpio and Death...
Scorpio and the power of transformation
Scorpio is represented by the Scorpion in Astrology -- a passionate Water sign that is often associated with death. But not the tears and tombstones type of death -- think more along the lines of regenerative powers and positive transformation!
Ruled by Pluto, the lord of the underworld, this sign is a bit of a detective, known for digging deep to reveal what’s below the surface. Scorpios are intuitive and emotionally intense. But with a poisonous stinger for a tail, you’d better think twice before crossing them because a wounded Scorpio doesn’t forget!
The innocence of the Death card
So it looks like this card has a skeleton on a horse, and a dead man on the ground -- but it’s really not as bad as it looks. Symbolizing release and rebirth, the Death card is about transformation and reminds us that you must be willing to let go of the past in order to embrace new opportunities.
The skeleton actually represents what will remain AFTER death. And his armor reminds us to focus on what is invincible and cannot be destroyed. Just like Scorpio, this symbolism challenges us to look beyond death as we know it and focus on our capacity to rise above our pain and re-invent ourselves.
The beautiful white horse that the skeleton sits upon stands for purity. White is cleansing and means rebirth, unlike the black banner that represents the absence of light. The white rose on the flag suggests beauty, purification and immortality. Again, all of this is hinting at Scorpio’s amazing ability to transform pain into love.
Let’s examine the other characters in this scene: The pleading bishop is trying to use his faith to get a free pass, but unfortunately religion carries no weight with death. The woman turning away (in the corner) represents the aversion that humanity has to death -- she won’t even look him in the eye and refuses to acknowledge his existence! The child represents innocence, acceptance and a lack of fear, while the dead king is symbolic of the fact that no matter how powerful you are -- death is the great equalizer.
