Two crossed scythes symmetrically stand in front of a sheaf of grain, under the Jack of Diamonds.
You can best understand the Scythe by imagining its movement – imagine a warm autumn day. The fields are ripe with grain and ready for harvest. And you can hear the rhythmic swish…swish… of the scythe falling in the grain, and cutting the grain as it falls. Give yourself a moment to put yourself there – the warm sun on your skin, the smell of the cut grain and the motes of grain dust in the air – the harvest is being sown. What harvest will be sown from the seeds you’ve planted?
The Scythe indicates it is time to reap what’s been planted; something will be cut away, and quickly. Many of the cards recommend release – but release is generally a process. With the Scythe, there is generally no process. Rather, the Scythe rises, and falls – and you are left to deal with the aftermath of what was so unexpectedly cut away.
When this card appears, just know: something is about to happen, and happen quickly. The Scythe is about action without feeling, so whatever is about to happen, the cut will not be stayed by matters of the heart.
Is that a bad thing? Not at all, though it may feel like a bad thing, especially the suddenness of it. But the seed for this needed release was planted long ago, and it’s time, now, to cut down what grew, either for use or to cast aside, in the way that diseased grain is cast aside lest it spoil the harvest.
That cutting away is seldom easy. Think of the cutting away of a relationship that is over; the sudden release from a job that causes you stress and sorrow; the surgical cutting away of a growth. All are painful in the moment, but result in healing, and a space where something positive can find room to grow.
So what in your life should be cut away? The Scythe can serve as a way to let you know that such a cutting away is coming – or it can serve to ask you to cut what needs to be cut away from your life. It can indicate a messenger (the Jack of Diamonds) will be bringing you a message that will tell you more. For further insight, call on your own magical power to ask: what is coming? And what magic should I work around that?
Insight into how this card may play out today can also be gained by looking at it numerologically. The Scythe is associated with the Number 1 (1 + 0 = 1). The 1 is the most individualistic of numbers. It is prime – the first. It is skilled at devising a plan, engaging with that plan, and seeing the plan through, without interference from the heart. The 1 is all about getting the job done. Its energy, in association with the Scythe, suggests this is a cutting away that you should have done long ago. Since that didn’t happen, the universe is stepping in now to do what needs to be done.
Have courage; all will be OK. If you haven’t been strong enough to deal with this needed removal and release, it’s heartening to know a greater force will help you get past this obstacle to your health and happiness.
What does the Scythe mean to you? In career, it’s likely that a sudden change is in the works. That might mean a completely different position, or a completely different company or career. In romance, there may be an ending of your relationship, or an ending that affects your relationship. In health, this card can be an indication of needed surgery.
In terms of people in your life, this card can indicate the return of someone that was cut out of your life in the past.
Don’t let the appearance of the Scythe immobilize you. Take a deep breath, and then get moving. The best thing to do is engage and have a voice in what is about to transpire. Use your magic, your communication skills, your experience to step into the flow of this change and help shape it.
Once the process is over, give yourself some time to reflect. You planted the seed that led to this need to cut away. What seed did you plant? How can you learn from this situation, so you don’t plant the same seed again?
When the Scythe falls, it often causes you to cry, “No! Not yet, this is too soon!” It may feel that way. But if the Scythe falls, comfort yourself that it never falls unless the situation has no good resolution. Its stroke is needed, and the sooner it cuts away what needs to be cut, the better. There will be a space in your life now for something new to grow.
Something will be ending, and quickly! Brace yourself, and have faith. Like a bad tooth, it’s painful to deal with, but nothing good can transpire until it is gone.
Every ending is an opportunity for something new to emerge.
