DEATH
It may surprise people, but Death is one of my absolute favorite cards in the tarot deck. There’s been a great deal of fear and superstition created around this card by pop culture and media — how many times have we seen an occult-inclined show where someone pulls the Death card and has their doom foretold?
But Death doesn’t refer to literal, physical death. Instead it’s the card of rebirth, of evolution and rejuvenation. It’s a reminder that we are constantly changing and so is the world around us — what once felt natural and secure may now feel as comfortable as a too-tight jacket. As Yoongi says in “People”, “There is nothing that lasts forever in this world. Everything is just a happening passing by.”
The simple reality of life is that we are in a constant state of flux and of growth. It’s not always pleasant — I tend to associated Death with some growing pains — but it is necessary and it does tend to lead us to a more authentic expression of ourselves for this particular moment in time. It gives us the space to let something truly incredible bloom in our lives.
Before we can experience our reinvention, however, we must first say goodbye to the older versions of ourselves that are no longer representative of who we are now and fertilize the soil of the future with our discarded past. It’s a bittersweet process, and not without its fair share of grief. As excited as you are for what’s ahead, it’s only natural to feel some sorrow as you set aside parts of yourself and your life experience that once seemed of the utmost importance.
Death is a reminder to be gentle with yourself and to be honest, to ask what is no longer working and how you can let it go with compassion and gratitude for what it brought you. It’s a card that gives you permission to dream a bit bigger, to want a bit more, to occupy space that you may not have felt was yours to take up. Each metaphorical life cycle we go through teaches us valuable lessons and helps us inch a little bit closer to happiness, fulfillment, and self-acceptance.
The Death card urges us to embrace the unknown and to honor the rituals of letting go and saying goodbye so we can move forward with dignity and with compassion for everything that made up who we were and where we came from — the joys, the heartache, the virtues, and the flaws. It is messy, it is complicated, it is beautiful, and it is deeply, deeply human.
Artist interpretation of Death by @eunand.a
I think, for me, Death is one of the most comforting cards, and because of that I wanted to portray someone that comforts me as well! Yoongi was the chosen one, for all his stories involving new beginnings and paths, from being an underground rapper to becoming an idol and finding himself in the middle of that. He went through a lot of “fresh starts,” even more, he allowed himself to experiment without holding back and continues doing it nowadays, learning new instruments, taking singing lessons, going through his shoulder surgery… it takes a lot of courage to start things from 0 and he has it all :).
