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Do you look for support or do you isolate yourself?
By Emily Ratay — Written on Nov 02, 2021
Death is hard to cope with, no matter who it was that you lost or how close you were when the loss happened. If you've lost a best friend or a close family member, it can make you feel, well... lost.
You don't have to be close to someone for it to impact your life when they die. In fact, it can force you to put your own life into perspective and ask yourself what you can change to make life more meaningful while you're still alive.
How zodiac signs deal with death and grief really does vary depending on the person. It's not always just shedding a few tears and then going right back to work; in fact, some signs take losing someone they love really, really hard.
Maybe they see themselves in this person or maybe they were really close, but whatever it is that makes it hard for them to move on, it can affect everything in their life.
For zodiac signs who find it hardest to cope with death, they either shut down completely and refuse to talk to anyone, or they act out and get angry.
For other signs, they try to lend a hand or provide a shoulder to cry on to anyone who needs it, and they try to be the guiding light that reminds everyone that losing someone they love shouldn't mean losing themselves, too. Those are the ones who remind you that life is worth living.
However you deal with death, there is no right and wrong way to do it. It all depends on how it affects you and what makes you feel better after a loss like this.
Find out how the zodiac signs deal death and grief, according to astrology.
Aries (March 21 - April 19)
Aries is a courageous person, in general, and when it comes to coping with death, this is no exception. There’s definitely no beating around the bush with Aries — death may suck, but she isn’t going to shy away from the truth of it.
She’s straightforward about the matter, whether that means talking about it with others or coming to terms with it herself. She may be angry at first and try to speak out about her feelings in a not-so-healthy way (think: throwing things across a room), but this anger won’t last for long.
Aries is a tough cookie and that doesn’t go unnoticed by her friends and family. She may have tears in her eyes as she talks about her loss (or yours), but she won’t run away from any of it.
Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
Taurus may sometimes seem like she can’t handle the big stuff but, in reality, she’s much calmer than the average person when it comes to coping with death.
She’s strong and composed, even when others are breaking down around her because she knows that she will eventually need to help others cope. If she can be the shoulder others cry on, she feels like she’s helped in some way.
Of course, being the clear opposite of emotional might make Taurus seem more stoic than composed, but she isn’t void of emotion altogether. She just wants her friends and family to know that she can handle anything life throws her way with self-control and grace.
She will grieve in her own time, but in the first stages of grief and loss, Taurus will keep her chin up.
Gemini (May 21 - June 20)
Gemini knows how important it is to acknowledge everyone’s feelings when coping with death. There’s nothing she dislikes more than when someone doesn’t think she needs a hug or a hand to hold when she’s sad, so she tries to include everyone affected when going through the grieving process.
She often tries to encourage interaction with loved ones, usually by sharing her favorite memories of the person she’s lost.
Gemini will try her hardest to stay positive when coping with death, but she can get pretty moody. When she’s positive, it really just means celebrating the person’s life, not mourning their death.
She is deeply affected when dealing with death, whether it was a close friend or a family member she only saw once a year. Expect to see a lot of heartfelt gestures from her.
Cancer (June 21 - July 22)
Cancer is a naturally sensitive person, so it stands to reason that she would be extra sensitive when dealing with death and loss. She will obviously get very emotional and cry, but she also needs some human interaction to help her get through this tough time.
Of course, don’t expect her to want to talk about it until she says she’s ready because Cancer can get very introverted and pull away until she heals on her own. When Cancer is ready to heal with others, she gets very sentimental. She finds it helps her come to terms with death if she can talk about the person she’s lost.
She tends to do this with all of her closest friends and family, so anticipate a family meal or get-together where everyone can share their favorite stories and let it all out.
Leo (July 23 - August 22)
Leo doesn’t often shy away from emotion, and when she’s really upset, she won’t hold back her tears. When it comes to dealing with death, she tends to take her emotions down a few notches while she figures out how she wants to cope.
It isn’t uncommon for Leo to suppress her emotions for a while and actually become pretty reserved after death.
Even though Leo won’t be shedding tears anytime soon, that doesn’t mean she isn’t dealing with her loss and grief in other ways. She is known by many to be a generous person, so when coping with death, she often uses this generosity where she can.
Whether that means offering to buy flowers for a memorial service or volunteering to cook for the family, Leo wants to be hands-on during this time.
Virgo (August 23 - September 22)
Calling Virgo stunned after death would probably be an understatement. She needs constant reassurance that everything will be okay and that the world will keep on turning when first faced with the news because, otherwise, she will immediately fall to pieces.
She often ruminates on the news of losing a loved one so much that it turns into overthinking and getting stuck in a loop of negative thoughts. Virgo is first and foremost despondent when coping with death. She takes it personally and can become inconsolable for a long stretch of time.
She might be able to compose herself after a few days of deep depression, but when asked about her loss or when she has to go to a memorial service, the waterworks will inevitably start up again.
Libra (September 23 - October 22)
Libra takes a long time to grieve when coping with death. This doesn’t mean that she can’t be consoled at all or that she’s in a deep depression for months, but she takes things one day at a time and knows that healing is a slow process.
She tends to keep her head on her shoulders much better than most zodiac signs, and is probably the sign you should go to if you just can’t cope on your own.
When Libra deals with death, she becomes even more rational than usual. She knows that death is just a part of life and that it can’t be stopped, so she doesn’t worry herself about the past as much as others would.
She often takes charge and stays objective, knowing there is a process that needs to happen after the death of a loved one. Expect her to make the arrangements, bring the tissues, and make a speech after the service.
Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)
When Scorpio is dealing with death, she takes it seriously. This is someone who she was very close to that she lost, after all. She also feels this loss very deeply and will grieve through crying, sharing her favorite memories, and lots of affection from friends and family.
Because she’s going through losing someone close to her, she wants to bring those who are still alive even closer to her. But while Scorpio may mourn deeply, she is incredibly resilient and strong-willed. She can bounce back from tragedy and death better than most other signs.
It’s not that she can just shake it off like it doesn’t matter after a few days, but she does believe that life is worth living and that, in some way, the people she’s lost are living through her, so, she might as well live it up.
Sagittarius (November 22 - December 19)
For some signs, Sagittarius’ way of coping with death may seem to be less emotional, but it’s important to remember that everyone deals with loss in their own way. In fact, Sagittarius is sometimes just the person you need when it’s time for the grieving period to end.
She tries to be as upbeat as possible, though not by being disrespectful at all. Instead, she tries to bring positivity and happiness to a gloomy time.
Sagittarius is reassuring and comforting when dealing with death because she knows that she isn’t the only one going through a tough time.
She understands the feelings of others, and believes that having friends and family going through the same experience actually helps her cope better, which, in turn, she can use to help others cope, too.
Capricorn (December 20 - January 19)
Capricorn tries to be mature about the way she handles serious news, especially when she’s coping with the death of a loved one, but that doesn’t mean that she’s unfeeling at all. In fact, being an Earth sign, she can actually become one of the most melancholy signs.
When dealing with death and loss, Capricorn often takes it to heart and her normally-serious personality turns into deep sorrow.
When Capricorn loses someone close to her, she often becomes disconsolate. It’s a deep, emotional blow to her and it’s not uncommon for her to pull away from friends and family as she grieves.
Capricorn becomes disheartened and sad, making it hard for anyone, no matter how close, to pull her out of her funk before she’s ready.
Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)
To a lot of people, Aquarius seems to be pretty emotionally distant during times of grieving and loss, even when she’s dealing with death. But in reality, she’s dealing with death her own way.
She knows that to close herself off from everyone around her after she’s lost someone doesn’t help the heart heal. Instead, she tries to help where she’s needed and shows that she’s coping in other ways.
Aquarius lets her naturally selfless and giving nature shine through during these tough times. She will need time to cope on her own, but she knows that she can also be supportive of others, as well.
She acts as a friend by helping make arrangements, letting friends and family stay with her for a while, and even cooking meals so everyone gets a home-cooked dinner made with love.
Pisces (February 19 - March 20)
Losing a loved one is a time of great significance to Pisces. She is usually a sensitive person, and while that doesn’t change when she copes with death, it does become more meaningful for her.
She wants to show that she can help others while they cope, too, but she takes losing someone close to her incredibly hard.
Depending on how sad she is, Pisces often resorts to crying and retreating into herself. When she feels like she can handle things a little better, she becomes compassionate and feeling, talking it out with friends and family and helping where she can.
For this zodiac sign, introspection and self-healing methods are just as important as healing with loved ones.
Emily Ratay is a full-time writer living in Pittsburgh who is passionate about the environment and feminism and knows that anything is possible in the right pair of shoes. She plans on writing a book in the future.