Death is almost never literal. It is the end of a chapter, a job, a friendship, a self image, a season you cannot pretend you are still in. The card is the period at the end of the sentence. Without it, nothing new gets to begin.
Upright
Upright, Death is permission to finish. To stop dragging a thing that already died. To stop apologizing for the person you no longer are. The card is harder than it sounds. The relief is on the other side.
Reversed
Reversed, Death is the refusal to let a thing go. The dragged ending. The slow rot. The card is the gentlest possible push toward the inevitable.
When it shows up
Death lands around breakups, job exits, the friend you finally stop pretending you are close with.