Death XIII in the 5-Card Spread with the Rider Waite Tarot

Death as second card : Challenge / Obstacle
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

In opposition, Death reveals resistance to change, a refusal to let go, or an intense fear of loss, transformation or the unknown.

The consultant may be clinging to something that needs to end — a relationship, a habit, a role, an illusory security. This opposition reflects an excessive attachment to an old version of oneself or one’s life, to the point where the transition to renewal is blocked.

It can also manifest as a misunderstanding of the deeper meaning of what is dying: the consultant sees a catastrophe where there could be an opening, an opportunity for growth.

Death in opposition can also signal a situation that refuses to die, a stagnant state that drags on for lack of a clear decision or a courageous act of renunciation. There may be a form of denial or a refusal to accept that some things will not return to the way they were.

On another level, this card can express a fear of change, of letting go of what has become too small, too rigid, but which is reassuring because it is familiar.

This opposition invites the consultant to face up to what must be left behind, not in order to lose, but to experience something more aligned, more alive, more true.

Death as third card : Advice
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

As advice, Death clearly encourages you to accept the end of a cycle and to open yourself up to the process of transformation, even if it seems uncomfortable or frightening. It is time to let go of what no longer serves you, to give up what is holding you back, what has ceased to be alive.

This card invites you to engage in symbolic mourning, to say goodbye to a phase, an image, a connection, or a part of yourself to allow a new, freer version to emerge. It advises you not to resist change, but to embrace it with confidence, even in the face of uncertainty. This is not the time to rebuild in a hurry, but to accept a phase of creative emptiness. Sometimes this can involve a physical purge: sorting, getting rid of things, cleaning, decluttering (materially, emotionally, energetically).

The card also tells you to trust life — it knows what it takes away, but also what it prepares. If you feel stuck in limbo, it may be necessary to take a clear, definitive step to break out of a closed cycle.

The advice is therefore a call for radical honesty: look at what is already dead and dare to let it go. For it is in this way that life can be reborn in a new, more just form.

Death as fourth card : Outcome
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

In the outcome position, Death heralds a major transformation, a salutary end, and the promise of profound renewal. Whatever the current situation, it will result in a clean break with the past, paving the way for something radically different.

This does not necessarily mean that everything will be destroyed, but that the old will no longer exist: a way of life, a dynamic, an inner attitude or a relationship will be transformed from top to bottom.

This outcome may also mark an inner metamorphosis: the consultant will emerge from this period changed, lighter, perhaps stripped down, but freer. This transition is unlikely to be entirely comfortable, but it is deeply liberating.

If the person is expecting an answer or a change, they will get a clean break, a turning point, rather than peaceful continuity.

This is a card of regeneration, but one that involves a symbolic death.

In some cases, it also heralds a form of karmic liberation, the end of a soul cycle.

The outcome is therefore irreversible, but holds enormous potential if one accepts the journey with an open mind. This is not a failure, but a rebirth prepared in the depths.