How to understand drawing Death or The Tower reversed

Don't let the names scare you. Death often means an ending or change; The Tower reversed, a problem left too long. Read them with the other cards and your question.

Death: something needs wrapping up

For example, a stage of work is ending, or the way you've related to someone no longer fits. What ends may only be a way of doing things. It isn't necessarily a breakup or quitting a job.

The Tower reversed: you've noticed the problem but haven't dealt with it

Sometimes you know things aren't right, but changing them would affect so much that you leave them for now. The Tower reversed can be read from that angle, together with its position in the spread.

An example of the two appearing together

Both cards came up in Cancer's monthly forecast for September 2026. The reminder then was to look at which habits no longer work but carry on out of routine. For example, always agreeing to other people's requests, or again and again handling things that are someone else's responsibility.

When reading a monthly forecast, first check whether the circumstances it describes match yours. Don't force it to fit.

Drawing these cards doesn't mean paying for a remedy

I'll talk with you about how to understand the cards. I won't tell you to break up, quit or pay for a remedy based on a single card. Whether to make a change also depends on your life and circumstances.

Card images are the public-domain Rider–Waite–Smith deck (1909). Further reading: quick guide to all 78 cards