Dealing with Death

When the Death card comes up in a spread, the subject usually sits transfixed, unable to look away from it. As a reader, it is easy to forget that clients don't always know what the card represents. Even those clients who do know that it rarely means a physical death can be very unsettled and uneasy when it appears in their spread. So I always find that the best approach is to talk about it first, or the client often won't hear the rest of the reading, as they keep being distracted by that one card.

I usually say something like this:

We'll talk about what the Death card means here in a minute, when we do the rest of your reading, but don't let it bother you, because it just indicates that a major change is about to occur. It comes up, for example, when you meet a new partner, because you stop being a single and start being part of a couple. When you have a child, it means the transition from being a couple to being parents. It comes up around retirement, graduation, moving house and changing jobs. We'll have a look at what it means to you in a moment, but rest assured, you're not about to die!"

People often say to me, "I've never had my cards read because I'm afraid of getting the Death card." Never forget that other people can find this card very frightening. Many a good reading has been ruined because the client was so focussed on that one card that they neglected everything else they were told.