Need the environment of the reading...other cards, influences, position, question, overall topic...
Sometimes Death means death.
Sometimes even that isn't bad. I've know people who have lost spouses and we all assume ...how horrible. Some of these people were relieved, since they had lousy relationships for way too many years and finally felt free. Hey, we don't know....
Have to read the cards within the context.
My husband is dying. We are very close and I have been caring for him for a long time. I will grieve his loss and miss him horrible, but it mean a time of change, a time for me to be able to move on, to resume living again, to do things I haven't been able to do.
There are no negative vs. positive cards in Tarot. The Ace of Cups in a recent reading was a very dark read for this person...that's just how it came through. Do the reading with your spirit open and imagination roaming say what comes to you...again, as I just said in another thread,
Being able to communicate well is key to doing a good Tarot reading.
terri