Welcome to The Tarot Table, the podcast where we explore the mystical world of tarot, delve into the secrets of the cards, and talk about all things spiritual with a no-nonsense, no-BS lens.
I'm your host, Miriam Rachel, psychic medium and tarot reader, author of Overcoming Echoism with Tarot: Using Tarot for Boundary Setting and Stopping People-Pleasing, and freelance writer.
I am so glad you are here. Here is a question for you. When the Death card comes up in a reading, how do you feel? Before I ask that, what do you know about the Death tarot card?
Suppose you knew a little tarot before you knew the true meaning behind the Death card. In that case, you may have feared it because, understandably, you would have associated it with physical death (and if you don't know much about tarot, you are learning something new and essential now).
However, it is rare for the Death tarot card to represent a visit from the Reaper, except if it pertains to someone terminally ill and about to cross over.
I have written many articles about this topic before, but I want to touch on another aspect of the Death Tarot card that people fear.
The Death Tarot Card Represents Change.. Which Is What Scares Everyone Sh*tless
Everyone has a fear of change, even those who are adventurous. That may be hard to believe, but there would be no comfort zone if fear of change did not exist. Some may embrace change more than others, but even those who do struggle to some degree with a fear of change.
Others fear change so much that they have a phobia of it, known as metathesiophobia.
However, life is full of changes, and unexpected changes occur. Something as simple as the changing of the seasons also represents change.
Think about when winter finally ends, and then spring takes its place. And there are many seasonal changes even in a warm climate.
For example, you may get a lot of rain instead of snow during the winter. And with the seasons changing, you may suddenly get drier and hotter periods.
Every time you have a birthday, you have to face another change. But the impact of it may not be significant if you are not hitting a milestone birthday.
If you hit the big 4–0 or even more so, the big 5–0, that scares you because it reminds you that you are getting older and there is nothing you can do about it. Middle age is a scary stage for this reason.
You are forced to deal with the inevitable change, which is aging. You get the idea. Now, let's talk about why change is something that people fear.
What Is So Scary About Change?
There are several reasons that so many people fear change. First, after researching this, I found that there is a similar feeling to the unknown of failure, and everyone also fears failure. You are no exception.
Think about it. If you are challenged to try something new, you will have a lot of fear washing over you. The fear of failure is a component of that fear, in addition to the unknown.
There is also that fear of losing control. When you approach the unknown, you will feel vulnerable, and no one wants to feel that way. Everyone wants to be in control, no matter what.
I'll be vulnerable and tell you that I am emetophobic, as I am phobic of vomiting, as it has been years since I did it. But when I look into what is behind the phobia, there is a significant aspect of control. When you get sick, you lose control. That scares me.
Aside from that, unfortunately, there are many times when you have no choice but to make a sudden change, such as unexpectedly being laid off from your job or finding out you have a medical condition that will force you to change your lifestyle.
What do you do when you cannot ease yourself out of your comfort zone? First, you must go through the fearful emotions and some grief and talk to yourself to know that you need to take that plunge to make that change since delaying the inevitable would be worse.
In other words, you know that the sooner you brush up on your resume and start job hunting, the better you will be.
Or, the sooner you learn more about your condition and make an appointment with a specialist to talk about changing your lifestyle, the better you will be.
Oh, and the pandemic was when the change was forced upon you! I don't need to elaborate on that. But, for one reason or another, 2020 was one of the most brutal years for people, even if they did not experience loss by losing loved ones, friends, or their jobs or businesses.
You get the idea of how the average individual reacts to change. Lots of fear. Some embrace it more.
Others struggle with metathesiophobia, which will require a lot of therapy because, as I said, you cannot avoid change.
How Do You Handle The Reality of Change Upon You?
Whatever change you are facing, you know you cannot escape it. Aside from being emetophobic, I am one of those people who genuinely dislike change, but I embrace it more than my husband does. So, unfortunately, I have had to be the one to force him to make changes.
So, this is what has helped me cope.
Deal With The Change Bit By Bit
Even though I said you might be forced with some change, like suddenly losing your job overnight, it is never a good idea to plunge into it.
You need time to process it, so if you don't immediately start brushing up your resume, for example, that is fine. But you know you have to face it, so that is when you need to ease out of your comfort zone and deal with it bit by bit.
Hope For The Best, But Plan For The Worst
The truth is if you are always catastrophizing the worst-case scenario, that can cause you a lot of anxiety and harm your mental health.
However, at the same time, you cannot be mindlessly optimistic that everything will stay the same. Being delusional will only make matters so much worse.
You must prepare for the worst, such as losing your job or ending up with a crime problem in your neighborhood that will cause you to move, even if that is not what you envision yourself doing.
That way, you can mentally prepare yourself for any potential change, good or bad.
If You Know You Need To Make A Change, Determine Your Why
Sometimes, you may be forced to change even if outside forces are not doing it for you.
For example, you are being mistreated at work and growing tired of it to an intense desire to quit and find another job.
Or, your clothes no longer fit you properly, and you are constantly out of breath. You know you need to lose some pounds to feel better, but changing your lifestyle scares you.
Those are situations where you are facing negative consequences from the sameness, and the only way to break it is if you are the one to make that change. That is scary, even though you are in control this time.
In that situation, you must determine why you are making a change. Then, when you do, you can start making the change slowly and keep building upon it.
Reward Yourself When You Get Through The Change
Rewarding yourself can mean anything attainable, such as buying a new pair of shoes, a trip to the spa, or something else that does not involve money.
However, each time you get through a change that scares you, the best thing you can do is reward yourself for getting through it.
You will also have something to look forward to as you go through the change, which will motivate you to push through your fears.
Get Support
The best thing you can do is get support. Whether it is from online support groups or if you have a friend you can talk to about what you are facing, get emotional support.
If you can talk to someone about how this change affects you mentally and your fears about it, it will make it easier to face.
Changing is hard enough, but it is hell if you have to go through it alone.
The next time you go for a tarot reading and the Death card shows up, yes, there is some change you will face, but at least you will have the time to prepare for it ahead of time, making it easier for you to face when it does happen.
Now you have it! I will talk to you again next Friday. Don't forget to subscribe to my Substack! Follow me on Medium at msmir.medium.com, and check out my site at miriamreadstarot.com.
Next week, I want to discuss another card many love: the Sun. Do you get excited every time that card emerges?
Maybe you will want to hold in your excitement the next time you pull the Sun during your morning tarot card pull routine; if that is what you do, find out the dark aspects of this seemingly extremely positive tarot card.
I will shed some light on that! Until then, see you next time, ciao for now.
Episode005 - You Know the Death Tarot Card Rarely Means Meeting the Reaper, but Why Does It Still Scare You?