Egipcios Kier 45 * Regeneration

The life you built has collapsed. Your foundation lies in ruins. You stand amid the wreckage of past certainties, wondering how to recreate what was lost. Regeneration is the answer—the slow and steady work of building something new, of planting hope where now there is only grief.

The Egipcios Kier tarot card 45 Regeneration embodies this process. It speaks of resilience, of the sacred act of rising after devastation.

In the central panel, representing the everyday world, a man wearing the Blue Crown of Egypt's New Kingdom pulls a rope to raise a small djed pillar, a symbol of stability and resurrection. The Blue Crown, worn by pharaohs in battle and ceremony, emphasized their divine role—suggesting that rebuilding is not just necessary, but sacred. The pillar’s small size reminds us that renewal begins with small steps, whether restoring a temple, a city, or yourself.

Ancient Egyptians enacted this renewal in the Raising of the Djed ceremony, in which the pharaoh and priests lifted a wooden djed column before the sowing season. The djed, associated with Osiris, symbolized the god’s resurrection at the hands of Isis, after his betrayal and murder by Seth. The festival, filled with singing and dancing, was an invocation for life’s return—just as Noah, after the Flood, built an altar to God, while his wife Naamah planted the seeds of a new world.

In the underworld panel, an ear of grain appears, recalling the ancient Egyptian vision of the afterlife as a Field of Reeds, a perfected mirror of the earthly realm. The Israelites’ crossing of the Sea of Reeds may carry a related meaning—leaving behind slavery to step onto dry land where none existed before. Osiris, like Joseph, was connected to grain; both figures represent cycles of loss and restoration. Some scholars suggest that the djed pillar may have originated from bound sheaves of wheat, reinforcing its association with resurrection and the harvest.

In the heavenly realm, the Hebrew letter He (ה) appears, a common abbreviation of God’s name, reminding us that renewal is a divine process. A hieroglyph resembling an ocean wave, a magical letter formed of three lines and three circles, and another djed pillar reinforce the card’s themes of stability, resilience, and transformation.

The title field includes the astrological symbol for Mars, the Latin letter O, the number 9, and the card’s title: Regeneration. Mars, the god of war, was also linked to agriculture, blending destruction with the necessity of renewal. The connection echoes Qohelet (Ecclesiastes):

A time to tear down and a time to build. A time to weep and a time to laugh.

This card urges us to rebuild after trauma, rediscover lost abilities and dreams, find motivation and strength, and cultivate the conditions where new opportunities can flourish.

Nelise Carbonare Vieira connects 45 Regeneration to the traditional Five of Cups, which also offers a lesson in resilience. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, a cloaked figure mourns three spilled cups while two remain upright behind them—a quiet reminder that loss is not the end. A bridge in the background spans the river of life, leading to a distant castle, a symbol of possibility beyond grief.

Pamela Colman Smith’s image resonates with Isis mourning Osiris before searching for his body and restoring him to life. It also aligns with Jewish tradition; Tisha B’Av, the day of mourning for the destruction of the Temple, is also the day the Messiah will be born. Even in the deepest sorrow, renewal stirs beneath the surface.

As my teacher, Rabbi Alan Berg, once said: "We break a glass at a wedding in memory of the destruction of the Temple. If, in our moment of greatest joy, we can remember our greatest sorrow, then in moments of sorrow, we’ll be able to remember our greatest joy."

Kaplan provides the following interpretations:

Upright: creation, beginning, invention, fortune, enterprise, inheritance, birth of a child, the start of a meaningful experience or adventure.
Reversed: false start, cloudy outlook, unrealized goal, decadence, vexation, or cancellation of plans.

Regeneration is a card of resilience. It reminds us that ruin is never final.

What was lost can be rebuilt.
What was broken can be restored.
What was forgotten can be remembered.