The Lost Tooth

Most adults realize a fairy will not leave money under their pillow when a tooth comes out. The folklore no longer alleviates the unpleasantness of a pulled tooth or in modern times an implant that went bad and must be extracted. Now a hole remains. Once out of your mouth that tooth is gone. Think of it as a “small death”, or an easy way to imagine passing away but in bite size pieces. In Greek mythology the god of death is called Thanatos, while his twin brother Hypnos is the god of sleep, which is also known as a "small death". The ancient Talmudic sages would say a prayer every morning to thank God for their returning souls, "Elohai neshamah shenatata bi tehorah. . . " "My God, the soul which you have place with in me is pure. . .". Talmud's Berakhot 60b. Many people still continue this daily practice.

Some "Gods" use death as a form of punishment. Although there are religions that believe in an afterlife beyond the physical body, generally, these metaphorical domains are exclusive to only good people. Death inflicted on another person is a homicide unless it is justifiable, as in the case of self-defense or a declaration of war. Death is ubiquitous when other species are brought into the frame. The founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud had a theory called the “death drive" which concerned our instinctual nature to engage in such things as high risk behavior, watch gory horror movies, or why some of our choices are self-sabotaging. For example, you know it is not healthy to indulge in pastries but then devour a box of Entenmann's chocolate frosted donuts.

I am reminded of the tarot card, "Death" . Traditionally, it is the 13th card in the Suit of Trumps. It signifies change, transition, and transformation. In a tarot reading it can also imply attending a funeral, or a significant other's impending death but most likely not the questioners. This card is more affiliated with the "small death". In the modern version it is depicted by a skeleton or a dark, hooded figure with a sword or sickle in hand. The inference here is to be afraid of the menacing image. Death is scary. Perhaps because it is seemingly inconceivable. I was forced to face it during a violent attack, and wrote about it in "My Random Death", my memoir. However, the Greek God, Thanatos was portrayed as a winged youth, or man, to exemplify the nature of non-violent deaths. He was also a guide for the soul to the afterlife, but not for bad people.

Similar to the tarot card, the lost tooth has a symbolic teaching. Letting go can lead to growth and renewal. Sometimes parts of your psyche, your everyday personality, must drop off or let go of because you’re sick of it, or being it, and now desire to change and, perhaps, grow up. The process might be slow and the end not yet apparent. Similar to the lost tooth, a gap might remain from your diminished ego’s sense of knowing it all. A dentist might fill the space with a bovine graft and you can shore yourself up with spiritual faith or the practicality of trust. Ideally we should imagine a good outcome and not fret or get caught up in the destructive nature of Freud’s death drive. Admittedly, a change might require moving on from a particular person. This can be hard to do but must be done. The tarot card can also reflect a need to alter one’s career course, or make a dramatic move to another city or country. Nothing is going to be easy about any of this. The implications of the Death card can be abrupt. It is situational but always transformational.

In a tarot deck the Suit of Trumps is usually numbered from 0-21. However I prefer their alignment with the Hebrew alphabet, which goes from 1-22. The Death card is associated with the 14th letter, Nun whose symbolic meaning is traditionally a "fish". In Kabbalistic terms it means "rest" or "relinquishing control" as noted by Gilla Nissan in her book, "Meditations with the Hebrew Letters". She explains the letter Nun, "is not about being passive, but rather about allowing space and freedom for the Unknown to empower us. This is the Letter Nun. She asks us not only to be more receptive to what is available from Above, but also to understand how this non-action is essential to our life and well-being".

Certainly, a school of fish moving in synchrony know something about a lose of control, self-annihilation for the betterment, not thinking it all out, and getting into the flow of things when you don’t have all the answers. It’s been 47-years since my encounter with death and I am still trying to understand all its teachings. What I know for certain is you can never stop learning. It seems endless. . .

Street Tarot Blog