Today is Halloween, originally known as All Hallows Eve, which is the day before All Saints Day, or Samhain, if you prefer.  Whatever your tradition, today is the eve of the day on which the ancestors both honoured and feared the souls of  the dead. 

So it only seems appropriate to dig into 3 of the spookier cards in the Tarot Deck.  Its important to know that the Major Arcana cards of the Tarot represent a cycle of energies that run through all of our lives at various times; confirming that just as Summer passes into Autumn, the same is true for fearsome energies like Death, The Devil and The Tower.  The truth is always that; they too shall pass, if we allow them to.

DEATH

Endings and Beginnings; Just as Halloween issues out Summer and welcomes the Autumn.

Despite the grim reaper that calls to you from Death, this card seldom actually represents the death of a person.  Whether shuffling for yourself or another, when Death appears, its most often speaking to renewal and the shedding of the old.   Be it the self, the situation, or the belief; when the Death Card shows up its time to look at what has ended, or what needs to come to an end in your life or energy field.  

Death can be a statement, reminder or invitation to enable the end of something, and a push for you to let it go, whatever “it” is.

Rarely, the Death card may represent an actual physical passing of a person, but more often than not its speaking to endings and beginnings in your life.   There may be a time of morning and grief.

But despite the fear or loss that accompanies endings, a most wonderful message that Death often brings is that of new beginnings.  When death comes it signals change.  And in change there is renewal and opportunity, if only we can first accept and release.

THE DEVIL

Trick or Treat?  Just as the ancients feared mischievous spirits on All Hallows Eve, so does the Devil bring tricks up his sleeve.

When the Devil appears in your reading it’s a reliable sign that something is not right. Mischievous, tricky, manipulative and down right evil the devil can be that dark, place deep inside that seems to stick and can be so hard to get rid of.  The Devil can symbolize our attitudes and relationships.  It can also point to addiction or untruth that clings to us.   The Devil can symbolize many things and manifest many ways, but where the Devil is, there is always deep discord, lack of harmony and darkness.

When the Devil comes into your reading, the blessing is found in the light shining upon that devilish energy.  It’s a signal or invitation to keep shining the light in those places where the devil may be.  To clean it up, to apply love, to seek help, to forgive, to heal, and sometimes to simply to be alert and watchful, in these ways the Devil speaks to us in the Tarot.

THE TOWER

Whatever the card deck, The Tower has always looked like a haunted house to me!

Lightning, drama and disaster, When the Tower shows up in your tarot read, its always a big deal.  It flags something big; something that has happened or that is on the way, something that will rock your world down to the very foundation.

Falling in succession immediately after the Devil Card, very often the Devil has had a hand to play in the ushering in of The Tower.  Or, if we avoid shining the light on our personal devils, The Tower is a natural progression, and what happens when we turn our back on  what is rotten in our life.

However you feel it, The Tower reduces things down to the foundation, leaving you with only what was solid, firm, and real to begin with.   Its blessing is found after the earthquake is over in what remains.  After The Tower comes crashing down, what remains can be worked with.  What remains is true.  And that’s not always a bad thing.

Sometimes the Tower can be very clarifying.  It points us away from where the Devil was, and gives us the opportunity to journey on without him.

ALL HALLOWS EVE - HERE'S TO ENDINGS.....

As we walk steadily toward the diminishing daylight, remember that this too shall pass. I wish you a blessed Samhain, and much courage as you leave the old behind and walk boldly into these darker months.

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Do you have different interpretations of these Major Arcana Archetypes?   Do tell.... Please share them in the comments below!

Mari-Claire Watkins is an Intuitive Philosopher, Engaging Speaker and Tarot Card Expert.  She writes, reads and lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and 6 children.

Mari-Claire is available to read Tarot and speak at events all over North America.                            

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