Judgement from the Rider–Waite–Smith tarot deck

Arcana	Major · XX
Suit	—
Element	Fire
Attribution	Pluto

Major Arcana · XX

Judgement

In shortFace the past honestly, then act on what you find.

Upright

reckoningawakeningcallingabsolutiona clear verdict

This is a reckoning followed by a call to do something. Judgement is the point where a long chapter gets honestly assessed and something is asked of you as a result. It carries a strong sense of work you are supposed to be doing, or a truth you are supposed to act on, and the relief of finally dealing with a past instead of carrying it. Where it turns up, the verdict is usually kinder than the one you have been giving yourself.

Reversed

self-judgementignoring the callunresolved pastharsh verdict

Either you are ignoring the call, or you are judging yourself and doing it harshly. This is a past that will not close because it has never been faced, a decision you keep reopening, or an inner critic convicting you on very old evidence. It can also mean you can hear clearly what you are meant to be doing and are turning it down for practical reasons.

In the pictureGabriel's trumpet sounds and the figures rise from their coffins with arms open — they are not afraid of the verdict. Grey figures, grey water, grey mountains: the past, colourless and complete. The cross banner is equal-armed: balance, not condemnation.

The turn

Close the loop. Make the call, send the message, or forgive it and stop rehearsing it.