Tarot

The Judgment card can show that there is something that you are holding onto from the past that may be affecting the present. This can be a card about moving toward forgiveness when you are carrying the unnecessary and often hidden baggage of resentment.

Judgment appears when we have to make a difficult decision in order to let go of the past and move forward. Like a call to initiation and to begin the hero’s journey, often this happens because the ego has been wounded. You may have gone through a disillusioning and even while you keep holding on to hope, life seems to be showing you that a door is closing.

The thing about Judgment is that it works like a mirror. We feel judged only when we are judging others. When we look around and accept others for being human and perfect in whatever condition they appear, we seem to make peace with our own self image.

You may have been sitting on the fence avoiding a tough decision, but as you finally see the light at the end of the tunnel you can move forward with a sense of renewed purpose. Often our life unfolds from one level to the next effortlessly. We get our education, go to work, start a family and suddenly find that we are grandparents. Observing the younger generations, we wonder where time went. When did we arrive at this strange life stage?

When the Judgment card appears, the transition is not so easy. Somehow you may feel out of place with the way events are unfolding. An identity crisis may be underway that will transform your outlook. You may face an obstacle or defeat in a way you never have before. What did you learn in the process? What is it that holds you back from moving forward? More importantly, how long has your life been on hold?

You can’t hide from the truth about your condition when the Judgment card appears. The time is now to make a change and there is no going back. There is enormous rebirth potential available for you, but only if you heed the call to honor the past in a way that you are no longer carrying any excess baggage with you.

Dreams of losing luggage, wallets or purses can show how we let go of the past during times when our identity is undergoing transformation. Like the Death card, there are all sorts of people facing life’s changing and transforming energy regardless of who we are or what we do. It is just the natural cycle of life that regenerates us by cleansing us of our own misconceptions and misunderstandings. Not knowing can be an elixir.

Dreams of losing teeth also coincide with the energy behind the Judgment card. We lose our teeth at monumental stages of life and these types of dreams show that wisdom is emerging from a monumental change. You may be standing at a crossroad unsure of your next step. Chances are you will be moving into a new area of life that is nothing like where you had previously been.

Like the I Ching hexagram Abysmal, if you are clinging to anything because you believe you need it – the deluge of change will ensure that you are swept away so that you let go and your hands can be open to life’s gifts. It is better to meet life’s transformative power with open arms rather than believing you are any match for the force of change.

Keywords: Hearing the call to a new life. Rising above adversity. Being judgmental of others leads one to feel judged. Coming to a difficult decision. Taking time out to hear the inner voice. Choosing another path. Monumental changes in life stages. 

Reversed: Not taking responsibility for actions. Standing at a crossroad but failing to move forward. The final judgment is still undecided. Too heavily focused on the actions of another.