TAROTJudgement
Upright
Serving your higher good through transformation.
Reaching a major life-goal. A better understanding of yourself by judging yourself against personal convictions.
Finding your calling and transforming yourself to meet it.
Intuition
The card shows a more ancient view of judgement as a continuous process where souls journey to the afterlife as they die, rather than awaiting a single Day of Judgement at the end of this world.
This is closer to the personal belief most people have irrespective of what modern religions specify. Deceased loved ones are already in the afterlife and may even be able to look over us.
Reversed
Failing to define or reach life goals, resulting in a lack of direction or judging yourself as a failure.
Judging yourself and others harshly. Failing to let go of past mistakes or old ways of thinking. Inability to move on.
Astrologia
Major transformations and rebirth, deeper unconscious emotions or the ‘shadow self’. The gateway to either salvation or deep obsessions and addictions.
Judgement
The Judgement card (sometimes called The Last Judgement) represents a change after the long spiritual and physical journey of the Major Arcana thus far. The final card (The World) will be the boon gained from the journey but before this the boon has to be decided via Judgement.
The Rider-Waite-Smith card probably refers to the Christian resurrection, particularly 1 Corinthians 15;
When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else… The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
This ties in with much older analogies based on the dead being a buried seed or hidden chrysalis that will transform into the final resurrected being. This was the message of much earlier beliefs such as the Eleusinian (Demeter/Persephone) and Dionysian cults.
The Judgement card fixes the journey mapped out by the Major Arcana as one of spiritual transformation. Although the way the cards work is often unique to each reader, one way of thinking of the deck is as follows:
The card represents outcomes and the resulting renewal, redemption and inner growth and transformation gained from the journey. It can refer to a complete reincarnation of the self, a change in life or a new meaning within it. In all cases this judgement comes via a trial of some sort. This trial can be your own judgement (or forgiveness), the judgement of others or circumstances conspiring to give you what you deserve based on previous actions and behavior.
The Judgement card uses several ancient motifs to represent Judgement;
- The God Hermes, the Greek spiritual guide for the dead (or psychopomp).
- The ancient God Wepwawat, one of the oldest known Egyptian Gods. He is denoted in his animal form of a white wolf or Jackal. He appears sat on the prow of a boat that will carry the dead across the river.
- The Ferryman of the Dead, Charon. Although Charon took many guises in ancient times (a brash sailor, an unkempt old man, etc.), he is most often depicted today as a skeletal form in a shroud. Charon allows those who have had funeral rites to cross the River Styx (or depending on the myth, the River Acheron). This trip often also requires a coin to be left with the deceased as the cost of the journey.
Hermes
The High Priestess as Hecate is the liminal deity that controls the barrier between the living and dead but she does not guide the dead across it. That task was given to Hermes as a Soul Guide or psychopomp.
Hermes controlled personal journeys across the liminal spaces and death was one such journey. Hermes was a God of Souls; not just a messenger God but a mediator between the human and divine realm.
He is shown on the Judgement card in this role, guiding people who have come up through the mud at the side of the River Styx and are awaiting the Ferryman to give them the final journey across the river.
Wepwawat
Animal forms usually denote the oldest Gods as they are the ones our ancestors created first based on the animals around them, their behaviors and relationships with humans. Wepwawat is one of the oldest Egyptian Gods and also one of the oldest animal archetypes; the wolf. His place of origin was Asyut in Egypt, later called Lycopolis (literally city of wolves in Greek). He was originally seen as a scout and protector (his name means ‘opener of the ways’) and seen as a God who could help achieve victory in war and hunts. His associations with death led him to be linked with funerary rites and he occupied a position as a Soul Guide much like Hermes (where his name as ‘opener of the ways’ now meant opening the way to transformation and rebirth after death).
Wepwawat is shown sat at the prow of Charon’s boat. We also see the eye of Horus at the front of the boat (in this case used in its role as denoting restoration).
Charon
Charon has no obvious root although he is thought to come from Egypt and is perhaps a later version of Wepwawat/Anubis. He was tasked with ferrying the souls of the dead onwards after Hermes had brought them safely to the far edge of the Styx.
He requires a single coin as payment and this was left with the deceased as part of the burial. Those who did not have such a coin were fated to wander the far side of the Styx and potentially cross back to the human world as ghosts or shades, or be eventually reincarnated into another life.
The Dead souls
The dead souls are depicted in the same form as they were buried, pushing out of the mud on the bank of the River Styx and awaiting Charon’s boat to take them onwards.
In the distance, we see a far shore where physical bodies are consumed by fire. This transformation by fire is taken from the story of Demeter and Demophon; the child Demophon was made immortal via burning. The mortal part is burned away, leaving only the immortal part.
The final part of Judgement (being judged by Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus to decide on which part of the ancient Greek afterlife the soul would reside in for eternity) is not shown on the card as the card is most concerned with the journey to transformation.
Description and Symbology
As implied above, the card illustrates Judgement using the ancient Greek version, but also references root Egyptian motifs.
It should be noted that the ancient view of death is not the same as some more modern religions that see a final day of Judgement or Resurrection. The ancients saw the afterlife as a continuous process and not as a single event at world’s end.
This ‘continuous’ version is perhaps closer to the version most people personally believe. We believe our loved ones are already in the afterlife and perhaps even able to watch over us and not in limbo awaiting a common day of Judgement.
Card Symbol
We see the symbols for the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; alpha and omega meaning beginning and end. This combination of letters has many meanings in current orthodox and non-orthodox teachings and relates to an all-pervading and infinite sense of the Creator, of which Judgement is only one part.
Hermes as the Soul Guide
Hermes is shown as a Soul guide, standing on the bank of the River Styx (in some myths it was the River Archaeon).
Dead souls rising
The dead rise from the wet mud at the shore of the River Styx. This symbolizes the first part of the transformation from being buried into the ground of our world to crawling back out of another earth. This other earth is the world of the spiritual afterlife. At this stage the dead have the bodies they died with.
Charon and Wepwawat as the Ferryman
The dead must convince the ferryman Charon to take them to the next stage. Those who died without proper funeral rites or without possession of a coin for the ferryman were cursed to stay on the shore or haunt the previous world as ghosts or shades.
Transformation
Although this is the smallest detail of the card it is the most important; the dead on the far of the Styx being transformed from mortal to immortal. This occurs via a divine fire that consumes the mortal part leaving only the immortal. They will then go on to the judged by the three Greek judges of the dead; Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus, and this decides their final destination in the afterlife.
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
Denotes forgiveness, healing and renewal. Communication and a fresh start when previous issues are buried.
Reconciliation and moving forward together.
Unresolved issues and hidden agendas, resentment or pain that prevent growth or reconciliation.
Refusal to forgive may cause serious breaks in the relationship.
This card suggests redefining goals or a coming of age in understanding new found skills.
This may cause promotion or a fresh start and change of career or direction
You may be guilty of resistance to change as a way of hiding deeper problems, holding on to the past, or failure to see your own skills are causing problems.
These problems need to be resolved before you can move forward.
A time to forgive yourself of previous indulgences or habits and make a fresh start.
Find a new direction that takes you out of old ways to forge a new balance.
This card suggests an inability to heal because of old habits: too little sleep/overwork, indulgences and/or overwork are getting in the way of a better lifestyle.
Expect a profound change in the way you see yourself via a spiritual transformation or rebirth of your higher self.
This opens the way to finding a new and more fulfilling meaning to life.
You are judging yourself via limiting beliefs or blaming yourself harshly for past failings. This is causing guilt and pain that prevents you finding peace or a true meaning for your life.
You need to let go of such beliefs before you can move forward.
A time to recall past mistakes and learn from them.
This may begin with managing your money with eyes on a greater purpose in life rather than just living day-to-day.
This card denotes ongoing financial difficulties related to using money as a crutch to please or keep people onside rather than for financial stability.
You need to lose these limiting habits before you can move on.
Indeterminate because the nature of transformation is not a binary yes/no.
Indeterminate because the nature of transformation is not a binary yes/no.
Reading the Card
The first point of confusion to address is the difference between the Justice, Temperance and Judgement cards. Briefly,
- The Justice card refers to justice and fairness of actions.
- The Temperance card refers to balance between immediate pleasures vs longer term spiritual growth and living in a way that is being true to what you know is right.
- The Judgement card refers to points in life where we reflect on past actions that have had a profound effect. This self-reflection is often transforming. It can also represent a period when events in our past affect our future through providence, serendipity or synchronicity. Some may also see a divine/supernatural system of reckoning.
The first two are a continuous process, whereas Judgement occurs at specific times in our life. It often represents nearing the end of a process or part of your life and is a tallying up of how it has changed you.
The other two cards that are sometimes confusing are Death and Judgement, mainly because both are related in a religious context; Death is immediately followed by Judgement.
- Death rarely signifies your own death. It represents something that has to end, and this process is often painful. You move forward through acceptance of the change.
- Unlike Death which does not signify your own death, Judgement does signify your own judgement. This judgment causes a change in yourself that will be unexpected but is often a long time coming. It represents the end of a journey that has already happened and you now have to face its consequences, good or bad. The facing of consequences is how you learn and grow to become a better person.
The upright card
The judgement card signifies you are coming close to a major milestone in a plan or your life. This will necessitate a taking stock and self-reflection. You will have a clearer understanding of yourself, where you are in life and what you need to do. The card suggests now is the time to look deeply on past actions and judge them against who you thought you were and who you actually are. You will also need to consider where you hoped to be and where you find yourself.
These can be difficult questions to ask yourself as life changes are inevitable, but taking stock of them and changing yourself to find a new balance can be difficult.
There can also be difficulty here because there is often a hint that life has caught up with you at this point. Your decisions cannot be changed and you now have to face all the consequences, both good and bad.
For example the loss of a relationship can cause loneliness and pensiveness, but admitting that it was built upon poor foundations and had to go is often the only way to move forward.
The transformative part of the Judgement card is this; events change our lives but until we acknowledge them and transform ourselves to accept them, they remain disjointed events. Without Judgement, we will never learn nor grow because our past is not part of the story of who we are today.
Without Judgement, we will never learn nor grow because our past is not part of the story of who we are today.
The reversal
Given the description of the upright card, the reversed card is now easy to understand; it is a failure to pass through the transformative phase of Judgement.
It represents:
- Failure to be happy because you do not give yourself the benefit of your past success. This is far more common than many realize. Time to reflect gives you natural ‘chapter ends’ in your life, and without them you cannot savor progression nor success. Instead, every success leads to the next problem and you will never be fulfilled.
- Failure to be able to let go and grow after a lost relationship or bereavement or avoiding addressing it. This is the darker side of Judgement. We have to understand that failures and bad news shape us as much as our successes. Both make us better when we accept them. We naturally dwell on what is lost or negative emotions caused by unfairness, but should always consider what good remains.
- A failure to realize you did everything you could have done. Blaming yourself is an easy thing to do initially, but doing it constantly means you block future growth. Most people always do as much as they could on the information they had at the time. You were no different, and realizing it makes things far easier to handle.
Card Design Process
Displaying the start of the ancient Greek afterlife was a daunting task for a Tarot format card, even though it only shows the initial stage.
To make things easier it was decided to ignore perspective. Hermes and Charon are both larger than should be and the destination shore is closer than expected. This is as per dream symbology – things appear in relation to their importance. The symbology would have been harder to read or even lost if everything was displayed within such a small space according to the rules of reality.
However, nobody noticed this during card testing. Perhaps all the testers were already attuned to dream-symbology!
Final Words
The Judgement card represents a renewal or forgiveness that leads to a transformational change in your life or way of seeing the world. When reversed the card tells us this transformation is being blocked by you holding on to your previous life or being unable to let go of old events.
