The Meaning Of The Judgment Tarot Card

Major Arcana cards add an overarching spiritual or philosophical layer to any reading.

The Judgment card’s message is this: Answer the call to liberation. It’s time to shed your old life and embrace a more connected and enlightened version of yourself.

Rebirth is the Judgment’s theme. It wants you to notice what’s holding you back and rise above it. Set yourself free of negative self-talk and the stagnation of cultural expectations.

This means making fundamental changes in your day-to-day life. Giving yourself more grace, but also showing more dedication. This is the path to a life that inspires you.

So step back and make an honest assessment of where you’ve been and where you’d like to be going. If you’ve fallen off track, it’s time to hop back on and take the future seriously.

You create your experience with your choices. So make the ones that improve your situation.

The Judgment Tarot Card Description

To better understand the meaning of this card, let’s look at the art & symbolism:

• Angel/Trumpet – The Archangel Gabriel blows a horn to announce Judgment Day. This is a proclamation from the Universe that life as you know it is about to change.
• Flag – St. George’s flag was a Christian symbol in the Crusades. It signals a time of conversion to a new mindset or path in life.
• Humanity – In the lower half of the card, we see people standing in their graves. They are the grateful dead, awakened from their long sleep. Seeking release from darkness, they rise toward the light.

This card is about the rebirth you experience when you shed old ways of being. The guidance is to consciously embrace the transformation that is waiting for you. Let your own Judgment be your guide!

Key Facts

Upright Meaning of The Judgment

The upright meaning of this card is the same as the core meaning: Second chances and renewal are the name of the game.

This is a time to reflect on your life so far and make peace with people and events that were hard or confusing. Whatever’s holding you back, it can’t hold you anymore.

Here are the central themes:

• Forgiveness – To leave the darkness behind, it’s best to forgive yourself and others. That means canceling all debts and putting hard feelings behind you.
• Transformation – Think of this as a turning point. From this day forward, you will not be the same as you were before. You have the power now to make positive changes that will stick.
• Letting Go – It’s time to release old stuff, thoughts, and habits that no longer serve you.
• Opportunity – A great new opportunity or turn of events is on the horizon. When you feel the call to pursue it, trust yourself.

Love and Relationships – Upright, The Judgment

In a love reading, this upright card signals a time when you reevaluate your reasons for being in love. You are discovering new things about yourself now. And as you change, so must your relationship.

Your heart is calling you to make choices that reflect what truly makes you happy. Rejoice in this message! What you need and desire should be top of your mind on your journey to lasting love.

This is your opportunity to hit the reset button on your relationship. Keep an open heart and listen to what it tells you.

This card definitely isn’t a command to leave your relationship. Rather, it’s a call to grow into the best romantic partner you can be.

Career and Work – Upright, The Judgment

In a reading about your career, Judgment in the Upright says you’re at a crossroads. It’s time to compile the lessons of the past into a philosophy for success.

Your work life is going through a big change. Old ways of doing things no longer work. The only way forward is up, so look for your opportunity to advance.

Whether that means taking a promotion, changing jobs, or investing in a new startup, you can and will do better for yourself.

Make an honest assessment of your skills and your aspirations. It takes courage and dedication to raise your standards, but you’re worth it.

Health and Wellness – Upright, The Judgment

For health and wellness, this card signals a time when you choose more healthy options. It’s all about outgrowing old habits and taking a serious attitude about wellbeing.

Looking and feeling well is a choice. Or rather, it is dozens of small and big choices you make to benefit your body and brain. Deciding to have more nutritious foods or getting out and moving are obvious options.

It’s also a reminder to look after your peace of mind and schedule medical check-ups. Taking the reins of your wellbeing gives you the power to feel well more often. You’ll be stronger and more capable of bouncing back from challenges.

Spiritual Context – Upright, The Judgment

When it’s about your spirituality, Judgment upright has a profound impact. This is a literal awakening. You can see a bigger part of the Big Picture now, and with this wisdom, your faith grows deeper.

This is about the struggle for personal liberation. Now is the time to account for all the things you do and allow that to keep you bound in a lower vibration. We’re breaking free from self-limitation!

Moments like this aren’t necessarily easy. For the new version of your spirit to be born, the old one has to die. But embracing this challenge means you will re-emerge brand new, more brilliant than you could have imagined.

Reversed Meaning of The Judgment

When Judgment comes out in reverse, there’s something you’re avoiding.

Judgment is all about hearing the call and rising to the challenge. So it’s possible you haven’t been paying attention. Worse yet, you may be resisting necessary changes on purpose.

• Denial – Don’t pretend you don’t hear it when transformation is knocking at the door. All you have to do is look within. Ask yourself how your present life resembles your ideal life, and the work you have to do will be obvious.
• Trust – Subtle information is available if you’re open to it. Learn to trust what your intuition tells you. You can also “listen” to the interpersonal cues from the people around you. 

Love and Relationships – Reversed, The Judgment

When Judgment pops reversed in a romance reading, it points to an unresolved problem. To make progress, you’ll have to face your fears together. The result will be a better connection.

Sometimes, we cling to habits that feel comfortable or safe for our partnerships. But growth begins beyond your comfort zone.

If you’re holding back because you don’t want to rock the boat, it’s time to have an authentic heart-to-heart. This is how you can find growth and transformation together.

Career and Work – Reversed, The Judgment

When asking about your career, Judgment in reverse asks if you’re playing it too safe? Making professional progress means taking risks.

If you think you’ve been passed up for opportunities, you struggle to embrace change. If you don’t adopt new rules and keep up with the current training, you’re not going to get ahead.

This problem is easily solved. All you have to do is accept the challenge to get better at what you do. Or, if you want to try something else, commit to a plan that will guarantee success.

They say growth begins at the end of your comfort zone. In fact, it helps you to expand it, so you’re comfortable doing more as you progress.

Health and Wellness – Reversed, The Judgment

Are you falling down on the job of taking care of your mental and physical wellbeing? If the Judgement Card pops reversed in a question about health, that may be the case.

This is your reminder to pay attention to what your body needs. If you don’t take care of yourself, you spend more days feeling below-par.

Some self-assessment is called for. What’s keeping you from doing what it takes to feel as though you are healthy, alive, and growing? It may not be easy confronting your fears, but it is worth it.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking because you have bad habits, you can’t improve. That’s a self-limiting idea that won’t work if you plan to live a long and happy life. So give yourself some grace, and give your body and mind what they need to support you completely.

Spiritual Context – Reversed, The Judgment

For a question of spirituality, this reversed card says you’re missing your signs and cues. The Universe is sending messages of guidance and support, but there is a disconnect.

It’s up to you to make the connection by reconciling yourself with the ideal you’re not living up to. Nobody’s perfect, but we all deserve to feel we are part of something bigger, something inherently good.

Have a quiet talk with yourself. Forgive yourself for not knowing or doing better. Give yourself the grace you give others every day.

When you put down the weight of your imperfection, you begin to vibrate at a higher, lighter frequency. And that’s when the connection comes back, and you know you can trust your intuition again.

The Judgment: Yes or No

“Yes! Heed the call to life’s big adventure!”

The whole point of the Judgment card is to hear the call to transformation and embrace the change. Especially if the actions you take represent your values and aspirations, go for it!

The Judgment and Astrology

When you add Astrology to a Tarot reading, you get another layer of significance. The Astrological symbols for the Judgment card are the planet Pluto and the sign Leo.

• Pluto – In mythology, Pluto rules the Underworld. This is about the unseen, death, and transformation. The message is to let go of what no longer matters so you can become something new.
• Scorpio – This sign is interested in authenticity. We are meant to do our best at all times, which means caring about improvement. This sign lends strength when you dedicate yourself to a higher cause.

With both Pluto and Scorpio, it’s important to get quiet and seek out what you don’t often see in your own heart. This self-reflection gives you the power to see more everywhere you look.

The Judgment and Numerology

Numerology is about the symbolism of numbers. Judgement’s number in Tarot is 20. In numerology, you add the numbers until they are reduced to a single-digit number.

In this example: 2+0=2. So the Judgment card vibrates the number Two.

As in, “it takes two, baby!” this vibration is about balance and partnership. When we’re working to improve, it’s nice to have the trust and help of our friends.

It also expresses duality: Above and below. Conscious and Subconscious. Material and Spiritual. These opposites create and destroy one another, keeping the balance in check.

The Judgment as a Daily Draw

In a daily Tarot draw, the Judgment card offers you a chance to rise above the judgments directed at you.

Feeling the grace that comes with transcending negativity is an uplifting experience! Allow it to help you lighten up and feel renewed as you go about your day-to-day life.

Judgment calls for personal accountability, too. This means taking responsibility for both your wins and your losses. Gain insight by knowing what choices you made to get where you are.

Embrace it as an opportunity to learn from your mistakes and improve with your next effort.

How to use The Judgment in a Reading?

To use this card in a reading, you have to keep in mind that it signals a turn for the better.

As a Major Arcana card, The Judgement’s influence is stronger than a regular suit card. And whatever other cards turn up with it, it broadcasts a message of transformative change!

Here are some themes to pay attention to:

• OUT WITH THE OLD – Whether it’s material items or outdated ideas, this card wants you to identify what’s slowing you down or holding you back. Now is not the time to be sentimental about what used to be good.
• IN WITH THE NEW – Open your heart and mind to new ideas, different kinds of media, styles, and influences. Take a deep dive into an interest you haven’t explored before. Have some new experiences to inspire the newer, lighter version of yourself.
• CHANGE IS CONSTANT – If you ever get the idea that things should stay exactly as they are forever, you won’t be alone. But the truth is, without change, you get stagnation. The more you embrace transition, the more positive experiences will come to you.

How to use The Judgment in a Love Reading?

In a love reading, the Judgment card asks you to look at the dynamic in your relationship. If you’re finding stagnation (boredom, distraction), something needs to be cleared up. Have an honest conversation. Have compassion for both of you and say what you mean.

You will know what this means in the context of your own reading. It will stand out in your mind and demand your attention. Remember to blend its meaning with the story told by the rest of the cards collectively.

Also, apply the meaning of the card in this context to the position it landed in. For example, it could turn up in the “past” position of a “Past, Present, Future” spread. If that’s the case, the romantic transition it indicates happened before now or up to now. 

How to use The Judgment in a Career Reading?

In a career reading, The Judgment card relates to letting go, leveling up, and being accountable.

For any reading, it’s important to ask specific questions. Keep your job prospects in mind while you shuffle or mix the cards. Take a grounding breath. Trust what comes immediately to mind when you turn the card over.

Then, when Judgment comes out in the reading, you can blend its crossroads vibe with the messages of the other cards. This tells a more complete story.

How to use The Judgment in a Health Reading?

In a health reading, Judgment represents becoming more dedicated to your own wellbeing.

It promises that if you don’t feel well now, you do have the capacity to improve. With every effort, you will be rejuvenated and feel better than ever.

The guidance for using it in a health reading is the same as any other reading. Compare and blend the story of this card with that of the others. The Judgment card should make you think about what you aspire to be at your best.

The Judgment in Relation to Other Cards

The Judgment card gives an energy of change for the better. Now is the time to assess what you’re willing to give up for a more fulfilling experience! But just what are these transformations about? The answer may lie in the cards that surround it.

Here are some tips for comparing Judgement with other cards:

• Paired with Positive Cards: When The Judgment card is surrounded by other positive cards, you can be that much more optimistic. This increases your joy and confidence in making changes that will stick!
• Balanced with Negative Cards: If The Judgment card appears with challenging cards, consider the glass half-full. Your efforts to change will be rewarded, but there will be challenges to overcome. 
• In the Company of Other Major Arcana Cards: Other Major Arcana cards sitting near The Judgement card enhance the power of this card. They add more dimension to the story, giving you clues to the path ahead.

The Judgment Card is an important part of the overall story a reading tells. The key to a good reading is to blend its message with the messages of the other cards in the spread.

Complementary Cards

Some cards support Judgement. They do this by spelling out a similar story or adding depth and dimension to the tale of potential. When it shows up with complementary cards, the message of success and celebration becomes more clear.

Here are some cards that complement the Judgment card:

• The World – The World and Judgment have endings in common, and leaving things behind. Together, they signal saying farewell to what came before while looking forward to a new chapter.
• The Sun – The Sun and Judgment have enlightenment in common. Together, they grant you uplift and clarity so you can see the path ahead and why you must take it.
• The High Priestess (HP) – The HP and Judgment have intuition and self-knowing in common. Together, they implore you to trust your instincts as you weather this transformation.

Contrasting Cards

Some cards contrast with the energy of Judgment, signaling resistance to change. These contrasting cards are a wake-up call when you’re sleeping on your potential.

Here are some examples of cards that contrast with the energy of the Judgment card:

• The Five of Cups – Where Judgment offers hope, The Five of Cups signals emotional setbacks. Together, they come as a reminder to focus on what inspires you to keep going.
• The Tower – Where Judgment offers you growth, The Tower brings destruction and loss. Together, they want you to appreciate and maintain what supports your growth. At the same time, remember that all good things come to an end. And there is always hope for transformation in the chaos.
• The Eight of Swords – Where Judgement offers you freedom, The Eight of Swords warns against getting trapped by your own machinations. Together, they say that the thing most likely to hold you back is you.

Conclusion

And so we come to the end of our deep dive into the Judgment card in Tarot. It’s a message of change with hope. One that predicts a transformation to a more enlightened way of being. With these themes in your life, you can expect some transition as you become more like your new self and less like the old.

Have confidence in yourself. You’ll come out of it a lot better off than you were when you went in.

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