Death becomes Initiation

Old Energy

The primary energies in the masonic version of this card are the energies of fear, doubt, and passage. Through here lies “transformation,” power, and privilege, but only for the strong and powerful, and only for the chosen few. Blocking passage into the inner temples of power and privilege is fear, threat, and death himself. Building on the self esteem crushing, and self doubt inducing, energy of cards like Fool, Judgment, and Wheel, this archetype gives us a justification for the imposition of fear on your consciousness. Your journey is prevented, but not because priests scared you as a child with tales of demons and damnation, or Brahmins frightened you with tales of punishment and rebirth, but because you are small, weak, and fearful. Fear blocks your way and the problem is you. In the old energy this archetype highlights your imperfection, threatens you with negative outcome (i.e. death), and prevents you from moving forward. For the masses this is primarily the fear of rejection and failure, of not “meeting standards” and not being allowed in to play. It is also the fear of consciousness, the fear of God, and consequently the deep fear of self. For the masses this card represents total and abject failure because fear is not overcome and passage is never made. Instead, lives of mediocrity, slavery, and slow creeping decrepitude are the result. We shouldn’t feel bad about that though because the world needs slaves if the chosen few are going to enjoy their privilege.

New Energy

In the new energy this card simply represents initiation of healing and activation of your genetic codes. In the new energy death is dispelled and the journey out of the valley of the shadow of death is begun. In some cases initiation may be marked by physical, psychological, or even emotional symptoms (e.g. feelings of energy flow, dreams of electricity, peak experiences, emotional releases, etc.), but in many cases (in the best of cases) it is simply the gradual transformation of old energy into new. It can be an uphill climb, especially at the beginning, but with a little bit of resolve, persistence, and discipline, you can do it. So get started now.