Judgement is the twenty first card in the Tarot Deck. It is given the number 20 because the very first card (The Fool) is given the number 0.
Judgement represents the judgement of ourselves and others. It is a ‘wake up’ call, a chance for transformation and new possibilities. It can show us that we have a vocational calling to something. Judgement invites us to live a more meaningful life, close to our truth and that of Spirit.
Let’s look at the picture below of Judgement. The picture is from the Rider Waite Tarot deck which was first published in 1909. It is a great deck for beginners because every card has a picture describing its meaning. Today the majority of Tarot decks are based on the Rider Waite deck. It is also a ‘deep’ deck because the creators of it put multi layered meanings inside it.
We see an angel blowing a trumpet as he rests on clouds. Six figures look up at the angel with adoration. They are coming out of coffins, whose lids are off. Behind in the far distance are mountains. Traditionally this card reflected the end of days when we meet our maker. The imagery explains to us that there is a chance to be rescued – from ourselves, from a drab or painful life, from old patterns and ways of being. We have a chance to be ‘resurrected’ and made whole again.
SYMBOLS
Angel
The angel is Gabriel, the ‘messenger of God’. Gabriel comes to wake up the people and tell them that there is no separation between ourselves and our Maker.
Trumpet
The trumpet signifies a call to action. A loud noise that wakes us up from our ‘coma’. 7 lines emit from the trumpet indicating sound. They also represent the 7 tones. In Kabbalah, God created the world by speaking – by making sound. The noise the trumpet blows is the sound of creation. Something new is being made.
Banner
The banner represents celebration. The equal divided cloth represents the four elements. Everything has come together and is complete.
Dead/Alive People
The people are ‘reborn’. They have risen from the dead. They look to the angel for redemption. They are naked because is is the symbol of birth (all babies are born naked). They are called to create a more meaningful life. The people are grey because it is the color we become when we are sick or losing lifeforce. Another reason for grey is that black and white create grey (like the black and white pillars of the High Priestess card) and show assimilation of both types of teaching.
Coffins
The coffins represent the places where we stay asleep, hide away or keep our heads down. Judgement gives us the opportunity to stand up and shake off our past, let go of our sins and start afresh.
Mountains
Waite called these mountains the ‘mountains of abstract thought’. There is the eternal truth beyond our limited comprehension. What the Hermit card seeks in the mountains has now been found.
Gods / Goddesses
Judgement is ruled by all the Gods and Goddesses that rule over Judgement
Female: Maat, Isis, Kwan Yin, Tara
Male: Horus, Hades, Pluto, Yahweh
Number
The number of The Judgement card is 20
20 can be reduced to 2 which is the number of The High Priestess. The High Priestess holds the mysteries of the world inside of her. So too, inside of us are mysteries waiting to be revealed. Judgement opens up our subconscious and presents us with our baggage. The greatest mystery after all is not outside of us, it is inside of us. The Delphic Oracle said, ‘Know thyself’ and the Judgement card asks us to do just that!
We can also reflect on the number 0 as The Fool. The Fool appears foolish but he is fact is wise beyond our comprehension. Judgment tells us to take a risk and let go of what is old, to allow ourselves to be reborn. We may need the courage of The Fool to do that.
Astrology
The astrological sign that rules over the Judgement card is the planet Pluto
Pluto is a higher octave of Mars
Pluto brings to the light that which is not seen. It reveals what was in the deepest shadows.
It is interesting that in astronomy, Pluto is no longer considered a planet in the solar system. It feels to me similar to the modern man who renounces spirituality. Pluto no longer is a planet. The Creator is no longer considered important. Logic and reason dominate with no scientific place for spirituality. There is mystery and magic in the world and denying it, does not make it disappear.
Kabbalah
The creators of the Rider Waite Tarot deck were members of the Golden Dawn, a group that had many teachings based on the mystical Kabbalah of the Jewish nation. When I say Kabbalah forget about monotheism, Judaism, God, and religion for a moment. Kabbalists are mystics in a sense. They believe God is neither male nor female and in fact has many aspects. Their systems are all about learning why we are here, the mystery of the universe and what the big plan is.
Inside the Rider Waite deck is a multitude of Kabbalistic meanings. I will briefly explain a few of the Kabbalistic meanings within The Emperor card. Believe me when I say you could learn for the rest of your life about Tarot and Kabbalah and still only scratch the surface. I’m keeping it superficial but easy to understand. I am also using on purpose the word Kabbalah rather than Cabala.
Judgement is represented by the letter Shin – ש.
Judgement on The Tree of Life sits on the path between Hod and Malkuth
The name of this card is ‘Perpetual Intelligence’. It means that once we ‘know’ the eternal, the creator spirit we will have perpetual intelligence.
KEYWORDS / KEY PHRASES
Coming out from the light / Karma / Enlightenment / Death and Rebirth / Absolution / Judgement Day Wise judgement / Honest appraisal / Transformation / Awakening to new Possibilities
Following Destiny
MESSAGE FROM JUDGEMENT
Judgement and Justice can often be confused with one another. They are both about analyzing our behavior. They are both about doing what is right, moral and just.
Justice however belongs to the realm of man and Judgment belongs to the realm of a Higher Power. In other words, you can lie to a judge in court but you cannot lie to a Higher Power. Judgement reveals the real you that you cannot hide from. In court (the Justice card) we are judged by the rules of man. In our souls we are judged by the rules of the Creator.
Judgement tells you that it is time to take a good hard look at yourself.
Are you living within your morals and ethics? Are you making sure that Justice takes place in the world? Are you trying to improve the state of your soul? When you die and meet your maker, will you carry shame and regret?
Ask yourself these questions:
Do I feel connected to Source?
Do I feel I am awakening to something?
Am I being called by Spirit?
Do I feel I am going through a Rebirth?
Do I need some regeneration right now?
Am I shedding an old skin I no longer need?
Am I letting go of habits that pull me down?
Do I really know who I am and what I want?
What is my unique gift that only I can give the world?
What healing can I offer the planet?
Allow yourself to focus on the fact that to really strive to be a better person you must examine yourself, your thoughts and your behaviors. Do they fit within your ethics and morals? Can you strive to be a better person?
JUDGEMENT REVERSED
When I see a reversed card I simply see the energy blocked or inhibited in some way.
How would Judgement be inhibited?
If Judgement is reversed you are hiding from yourself and a Higher Power. You are not being real and authentic with yourself and others. You can only deny the truth for so long, eventually it will be revealed, whether in this life or the next. It may be that this is the time to integrate parts of your personality that you were in denial about.
If you get Judgement reversed for yourself or someone else some questions to ask might be…
Am I feeling overwhelmed right now?
Am I judging myself too harshly?
Am I judging my loved ones too harshly?
Do I fear change?
Can I ask for forgiveness?
Am I guilty about the past?
Can I forgive and let go of my pain?
Do I know what I need to let go of?
Can I allow myself to be reborn?
Am I aware of how my past has shaped me?
Am I attached to old ways of being that no longer serve me?
If you get Judgement reversed you are being asked to wake up and make changes. Examine your life and decide to move towards a better you. Judge yourself and find if there are changes / improvements you can make.
TO SUM IT ALL UP…
Judgement is about the change to start afresh. Each cycle of life as women, gives us that opportunity.
As women, we go through multiple rebirths in our lives. When we first menstruate, we become a woman. If we get pregnant, we go through the powerful process of birth and then become a mother. We journey the ups and downs of our children, going through their own cycles of rebirth. When our menstruation ends, we enter menopause and the crone years. We are experts in reinventing ourselves… if we want to.
In many spiritual traditions and religions the belief is that we will go to meet our maker once we die and then we will be judged, based on our life and behavior. Karma will dictate what happens and whether we will come back to planet earth again. Karma has a habit of following us and biting us in the ass.
The Judgement card is one we often wish to avoid. If we just pretend the problem does not exist, it might go away. If we just ignore the signs that our childhood could be making a negative impact on our present, then everything will be OK. We can just ignore the the fact that last week we were nasty to our loved ones.
Judgement gives you the opportunity to forgive yourself and also allows you to be forgiven.
We all mess up. We all make mistakes. What are you going to do about your mistakes?
Judgement invites you to explore your inner state. To make an inventory of your thoughts, emotions, morals, ethics and decisions. At the end of your days you will meet your maker and hopefully you will be happy with the life you lived. If you are not….Judgment tells you there is still time.
Open your heart and live a more meaningful life.
PHOTO CREDITS
Judgement Tarot Card: By Pamela Coleman Smith – a 1909 card scanned by Holly Voley (http://home.comcast.net/~vilex/) for the public domain, and retrieved from http://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot (see note on that page regarding source of images)., PD-US, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17299777
Picture of Maat – Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1685485
All other photos are from www. pixabay.com and are creative commons and free for commercial use.