Halloween is by far my favorite holiday. There’s no pressure to get anyone a gift, and there’s no need to reach out and call extended family. There is candy, costumes, and tacky decorations. What more could a girl ask for? In the spirit of Halloween’s near approach, take a look at these tarot cards. Beware! They’re pretty spooky…
Death
When you think of the scariest cards you might see in a tarot reading, you probably think of Death. It’s the thirteenth card in the Major Arcana sequence, which only adds to its spookiness. For me, though, Death is hardly the most frightening card in the deck. It’s scary at first glance, but the meaning behind the card can actually be incredibly positive.
First of all, seeing Death in a tarot reading hardly means that you’re about to die. It does, however, signify an ending, a transition, or a transformation. Oftentimes, we hold on to things that are actually harming us or have lost their worth. Letting go of these things can be difficult and scary, but we are sure to come out the other end transformed and full of new life.
The Hanged Man
The Hanged Man directly succeeds Death in the Major Arcana sequence, and, in my opinion, it’s the spookier of the two. Its disconcerting image is a bat with unblinking red eyes appearing in the darkness. Like Death, however, The Hanged Man seems scary to confront in a reading, but it’s not a horrible card.
In a very basic sense, The Hanged Man signifies suspension. This often means waiting to make an important decision until you’ve thought things through properly. Similarly, The Hanged Man can be a reminder to look at things from a different perspective before coming to any conclusions. At its very worst, The Hanged Man could symbolize self-sacrifice, but normally this is not the case.
Nine of Swords
Unlike Death and The Hanged Man, the Nine of Swords is not part of the Major Arcana. This means that seeing it in a reading might not hold as much weight as seeing a Major Arcana card. Nonetheless, in my opinion, this is the spookiest card in the entire deck. And by spooky, I mean straight up terrifying.
In the Wild Unknown Tarot deck, the Nine of Swords looks like a nightmare incarnate, and that’s basically what it means. Nightmares, anxiety, insomnia, fear, and doubt are all manifested in the imagery of this card. The one upside to this card, if you can even call it an upside, is that the anxiety and fear represented in this card are just in your head. What you’re struggling with and worrying about is most likely an unfounded fear. Still, that doesn’t mean that your anxiety will be any less consuming or painful. The message the Nine of Swords gives us when it comes up in a reading is to take a step back and try to view things with objective clarity. This is, of course, easier said than done.
If you’re not too spooked by these tarot cards, check out this website to do a tarot reading of your own in the spirit of Halloween, or download one of the many free apps available for your phone such as Golden Thread Tarot. Have a spectacularly spooky Halloween!
Image Credits: Feature, Kate LeMon