Steampunk tarot (Moore) - XIII Death

shadowdancer

Here we have a female sitting on a horse as the main focus of the card. She is wearing a free flowing white dress, and is holding a huge scythe. Her hair is black, and she is sprouting a large pair of black feathered wings. The horse is rather non-descript and is brown in colour with a black mane. (Apologies if this colouring or breed of horse has a particular name, but I am not up on equine etiquette).
We can assume she is representing the issue of Death, and is perhaps a gentler depiction of the Grim Reaper.

In the background we see we are in a churchyard, with various headstones and monuments around to verify this. Standing in front of one particular gravestone (which appears to be slightly illuminated when compared to the others) is a welldressed gentleman, holding his top hat respectfully in his right arm. We see he is holding a red rose in his left hand, and there appears to already be a red rose placed on top of the gravestone. The sky over the graveyard is blue with a hint of cloud.

I guess in this card, the scene says it all. Those readers who really do see this as representing rebirth, transformation etc, may be disappointed that those aspects are not really well depicted.

I like how the character Death is shown displaying emotion (empathy?) as they ride away. Therefore they are not totally devoid of understanding whilst undertaking their task. The death of the deceased happened some time ago (I know you have to wait months before erecting a headstone) so the fact she is still there and watching over the widower I find quite comforting. It is not a case of "well, you are on your own now - see ya!" It is as if they are watching over them until such time they know they will be okay.

Life does go on, but we can see from the small amount of colour on the card in the form of the red roses, love also goes on. I wonder what he is saying to the deceased, who may have been his wife? If he were to see the character on horse, I wonder what he would ask them? And if it would bring healing or anguish?

Interesting card. I think it is one of those that needs to appear in a reading now for me to really get a handle on it. I am not sure if it were appear in a face to face reading I would be able to totally convince the querant they need to see this card symbolically. Therefore, I have to say it is not one of my favourites in a deck, but there again maybe in certain Western cultures we don't really have a healthy view of death compared to other cultures.
 

Surja76

There is Egyptian Stella behind the tomb - this is Stella of Revelation - it is male symbol, generating side, a symbol of male physical strength and power, is often devastating. A grave with a hemisphere at the top is a female character. She was buried, their love was buried. Likely he has become a source and a consequence of her death, she was a victim of lust, and it brought her to grief (she has black wings, fallen angel). Two roses on her grave brought by him there was love. Cross that is on next grave means that it was a fatal love.

It seems the author was brought up on the idea of ​​Crowley Thelema direction, and his theories about deities Nuit (She) and Chait (He). She is the night sky, he is worshiping to this sky. She increases his potency, he is manifested through it. She excited him, kindled the flame of love in in his heart. But this love was disastrous for them.

According to mythology at Nuit, and Hunt was the son Chorus (its image also depicted in Revelation Stella (but not on the Card).) But Chorus is presented as a character in this Card and explains everything.

"Choir performs the role of a" destroyer "of the previous aeon in the Thelemic pantheon . He has no time to pay attention to the traditional moral values ​​of society." Mercy let be discarded: Kill and tortured nor show mercy; attacks "(The Book of the Law III: 18). Many people whose education is based on the religion of the old Aeon (and it is not only Christianity, but also, for example, Buddhism) is hard to accept God with such destructive aspects but they are necessary. In order to create something new, you must destroy the old. "over the graveyard is blue with a hint of cloud."

In fact, any change due to destruction. You destroy your personality, consisting of old stereotypes, right now, as the aim to acquire new knowledge."


There are 3 buttons on her dress = 3 of coins (life lesson). It is senselessly to continue this relationship, which brings nothing but pain, she looks around. She needs to look around to assess her past experience and not repeat the mistakes of the past, to leave behind all the bad things (black wings and black hair + black suit of the Man), all her troubles in her life (black hair wave) mistakes were associated with HIM, she needs to learn from the past and move on (a horse) (He does not turn around, he still lives in his past), She just looks overestimates the past, and move on to a new life. Spit - Ace of Swords - (win at all costs!) This change is necessary to make a change, despite the price to be paid, at the cost of tremendous effort and will power (wooden pole with spit - Ace of Wands) as a step in the future, she in a white dress - this is life update.
She is strong (horse) but he is weak... The hat is in his hands but not on his head.