Over to you: reflections on the Judgement card

By Sarah Taylor

So much has been written about the Venus Transit of the Sun and what it means from an individual and a collective perspective, I thought that I would take a step back from any further interpretation and invite you to explore what this time in your life means to you.

Planet Venus and Judgment -- Xultun and Mary-El Tarot decks.
Planet Venus and Judgment from the Xultun and Mary-El Tarot decks. Click on the image for a larger version.

To do this, I enlisted the assistance of four different versions of the 20th card in the tarot’s major arcana (the 22 cards that represent the larger themes of the journey of individuation, or ‘becoming uniquely yourself’): The Xultun Tarot by Peter Balin, The Mary-El Tarot by Marie White, The Voyager Tarot by James Wanless and Ken Knutson, and The Thoth Tarot by Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris.

Your role? To take a few moments to put yourself at the centre of your experience and pick one or more of the cards that resonate for you. Without feeling a need to do anything more, simply look at it, immerse yourself in the imagery, try it on for size.

Look at the composition, the different elements, the colours, the card’s movement. Think of what is going on in your life right now, and what is going on inside you, and feel for the point of connection between the card, you and your life.

What does this connection want to say to you? Entertain all possibilities. Don’t discount what your mind wants to doubt, neither be in awe of it. You are co-creating with the tarot. Feel free to write it down, store it away, discard it, or share it here or with a trusted friend or confidant.

If you want a bit of help finding direction, below are four excerpts from each deck’s accompanying book.

See you in the comments section or via email: sarah [at] integratedtarot [dot] com

— Sarah

The Planet Venus — Xultun Tarot

“Psychologically, the archetype of the apocalypse is the earth-shattering advent of the Self into full, conscious realization. …

In the Western tarot this card is called Judgment with images of the resurrection and people rising from a tomb to the call of the last trumpet. … Symbolically, the prison, grave or coffin is a psychological problem which one cannot get out of and in which one feels trapped. It represents the necessity to be shut up or imprisoned for the time it takes to outgrow one’s problems. The conscious reaction to this restriction is impatience, hopelessness and feeling that one will always be like this and never get out of one’s difficulties.

The goal of the alchemists was the coniunctio, the marriage of Sol and Luna, the union of male and female dualities within the oneness of the Creator. Similarly the redeemer or Messiah whose prophesied return will bring peace is, on a psychological level, the conscious union of opposites. This existed in the Garden of Eden where there was no division, but the state of wholeness was unconscious. To the extent that one has a conscious relationship with the Self, one is released from the conflict of opposites and peace comes.” [The Maya Book of Life by Michael Owen]

 

Judgment — Mary-El Tarot

“Metatron [the angel in the Rider-Waite Smith version of Judgement] pulls his cloak tightly around him, flesh, and offers you the rose-colored phoenix egg, the philosopher’s stone, Metatron’s Cube, the universe contained in a shell, the apple of Sin, of the Moon, of Division. You, the Fool, at the start of your journey put it into your bag (ignorant of its significance) and off you go. Innocence and experience become one, then separate again. The Aeon has ended and begun.” [Landscapes of the Abyss from the Mary-El Tarot by Marie White]

 

Time-Space — Voyager Tarot

Time-Space and The Aeon -- Voyager and Thoth Tarot decks.
Time-Space and The Aeon from the Voyager and Thoth Tarot decks. Click on the image for a larger version.

“Time-Space, known traditionally in the tarot as Judgment or Aeon, is symbolized by Xipe Totec, Aztec god of spring who, wearing the skin of a sacrificed human, represents the new life which attends the death-judgment of old karmic patterns. As symbolized by the three Buddha judges, this is a time for rendering justice to yourself through objective and acute self-evaluation.

The law of karma, the law of laws symbolized by Time-Space, means that with your telescopic vision, you are able to see the causes and effects of your mental and behavioral patterns. The sequences of the rock monument, sun, and moon indicate your ability to see how your past determined your present and what your present will create for you in the future. Through your vision, you are able to alter the future and redirect your karma. Your sundial steering wheel illustrates your understanding of who you are and where you are going.” [The Voyager Tarot by James Wanless and Ken Knutson]

 

The Aeon — Thoth Tarot

“The Aeon points to a need for well-thought-out judgement of the situation. A long, difficult work process may be required before you finally reach this judgement.

All-encompassing insight cannot be achieved solely through the intellect. Body, Spirit and Soul (the three figures at the bottom of the picture) are drawn into the process of forming a judgement, and during this process you will instinctively move toward that which will support your blossoming, and move away from that which will offer no help.” [Tarot: Mirror of the Soul by Gerd Ziegler]

If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread.

10 thoughts on “Over to you: reflections on the Judgement card”

  1. bkoehler: A humble request for your brilliant services if I may. A quick interpretation of what I wrote above please? Mars will be trining my AC also. I really wish I knew more about astrology – I know this is important and I often feel like the Double Rainbow Guy when looking at my chart: “What does it meeeeeeeean??????”
    In case any of you missed it, here’s the link. In the spirit of Venus, total ecstasy.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI&feature=player_embedded

  2. Yes, it does help me. Thank you so much, dear Sarah, this bit rang so many bells, “Symbolically, the prison, grave or coffin is a psychological problem which one cannot get out of and in which one feels trapped. It represents the necessity to be shut up or imprisoned for the time it takes to outgrow one’s problems. The conscious reaction to this restriction is impatience, hopelessness and feeling that one will always be like this and never get out of one’s difficulties…To the extent that one has a conscious relationship with the Self, one is released from the conflict of opposites and peace comes.”

  3. granma – I’m happy that you managed to get so much from the exercise. I, too, connect most with the Xultun card – and the final, transpersonal, row in the consolidated picture of the major arcana (i.e. Star, Moon, Sun, Planet Venus, Planet Earth) feels powerful and inspiring.

    Lolly K – I would tend to agree about it never being quick. The Leo in me wants to rush headlong and balks at having to exercise patience in a way that often feels counterintuitive. But thank goodness I don’t always get my own way!

    aword – You are welcome! 🙂

    Charles – Yes, absolutely – the energy feels Plutonian, as are the cards. However, I didn’t feel that The Empress told the whole story of this transit. Moreover, Judgement continues the theme of the Weekend Tarot Reading, and feeds into the upcoming astrology. The Empress feels like a foundation to this – getting the ground ready and rooting ourselves in something that nurtures and that can also move with the changes, and which is archetypally feminine, and, as the Sumerian Goddess Inanna, is counterpart to the underworld Goddess Ereshkigal; also Demeter/Persephone to Hades.

    MandyM – Ah, that word patience again! I think I need to look up Saturn in my chart too. The Xultun version of my birth card is The Flowering Cactus, which has to stay in the same place. Oh, but when it blooms … 🙂 Thank you.

    michele – Yes, this card fits. See above comments 🙂 I’m going to read the article you link to right now.

    Huffy – I was wondering whether the quote from Michael Owen’s The Maya Book of Life might help you to feel you’re right where you need to be.

    Thank you, all!

  4. Infinitely creative and wise Sarah. You’ve done it again, thank you dear! Still ‘wading’ through the thick of it. Unusual for me, but preferring to feel my way through it rather than put it into words. But find it so interesting and helpful to read about everyone’s experience of this time. xx

  5. Along these line – (thanks Sarah – that was the card that absolutely gripped me in your last piece and I really can’t choose any one of them… ) I’ve been thinking a lot of what it means to have been born in the slow out-flow of the Pluto-Uranus conjunction. And being a living, breathing person on the square…

    This card fits, right?

    I have just begun looking at past writings on PW (use that archival access!!!) and this one popped up, though I am sure I can read many more… (Hard to balance current with research and pull it all together in my head. Speedy times.)

    http://www.ericfrancis.com/planetwaves/sixties3.html

    I’m kinda digging the Uranus/Pluto energy but am trying to fit the past into the present… And what the responsibility-call is for us born in that moment and living with the results and possible futures…

    More reading and living.

  6. I like the visual of Thoth, but the interpretation of Voyager is bang on for me right now. I was really surprised to find this is traditionally a Pluto card. I can understand why, but I can also see Saturn (karma/time) and 12th house (psyche/prison/coffin/confinement).
    The Voyager description is just what I have been processing the last few days. After shutting down the information overload of the last while, and digestating (my 2nd new word for the dictionary!) everything, I sought out the info that seemed the most significant for myself. It was liminali (bless you!!) telling me how to find my chart ruler. Saturn. Haven’t really paid much attention to him (I’ve been aware), but with this info and the fact that he’s also in my natal 1st (Aquarius), I thought perhaps I should zoom in on him a tad.
    Then Hugging’s dream where he said his teeth were in his way made my mind go “DING- DING-DING!!!! Friggin’ right, Saturn’s in my way too!!!!”
    I then realized that I started welfare when Saturn went rx (semi-sextile my MC) and will station forward creating a t-square -1 deg with my AC/DC (Varuna will be conjunct my DC also.) Saturn is in my 8th right at the 12:00 mark of my chart. Welfare gives you 3 months ‘sick-leave’ before they kick your ass to get a job. I was expecting to have to do this at the end of March (I knew I wasn’t ready), and was definitely surprised that when I told them I still had no energy, they responded with “Another 3 months then Mandy?” I didn’t argue, and I did realize the powers that be were telling me “Not yet, it’s not time”.
    Oh so Saturn – Ultimate Authority knowing what is best for me, and teaching me to be patient until the timing is perfect. AND not only will he and Venus be going forward, but Mars will finally (happy happy joy joy) be out of my 7th. I am absolutely thrilled that this is a Cardinal t-square. Finally, forward motion on the horizon for little ol’ moi. It’s just icing on the cake that Mercury will be conjunct my PofF and TNode also.
    I also relate this card to the 4th step of AA – made a searching and fearless inventory of ourselves.
    Thanks for all of this Sarah, I think you are quickly becoming my new favourite white rabbit!

  7. The Thoth image called to me – but the words connected to the Voyager and the Mary-El spoke more.

    Thanks for presenting this opportunity for insight and outsight, Sarah.

  8. With my natal Sun square Rising Sign and just past opposition with my Moon, the Thoth image seems to fill the bill. The decision making process is never quick.

  9. I usually feel overwhelmed by Tarot images, but, just now, I connected immediately with the Planet Venus Xultun card.
    The symmetry; the pastel, muted colors appealed first.
    The green trees give me a sense of renewal, of clean air, enough room to breathe.
    The serpentine flame-like forms coming out of the tops of the two mountains – fearlessly rising up to meet the dragon-like creature coming down from the sky.
    The four rungs of a ladder or steps – we’ve reached the top.
    (I keep finding myself using “we” – it’s a new sense that the disparate halves of myself are finally coming together in peaceful union.)
    No loud colors, noises; no big drama or outwardly showy blasts of trumpet and fire. This is a very intimate union within myself, an inner knowing.
    “We” have been on a long journey; years of inner work; the challenges faced – all have been in preparation for this time that is opening up before me.
    Now the *really good stuff* begins!
    All that lies ahead is UNKNOWN and I am in the front seat, eager and ready for the adventure – like never before!
    Thank you, Sarah, for offering us the chance to do this – what a trip!

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