Judgment - Tarot Card Meaning

Judgment is one of the Major Arcana Tarot cards and will show up in the upright position when you are reaching an important point in your journey that will be a moment of transformation. You are ready to become a higher version of yourself. If it is reversed, it suggests that something is blocking that transformation, and you need to figure out what it is.

Upright Tarot Card Meanings - In Brief

In the upright position, Judgment suggests that you have reached a major transformational moment, but one that you are more than ready for. You need to make a major decision that marks a point of no return, but you will be better on the other side as you start to live your life more in line with your true calling.

Reversed Tarot Card Meanings - In Brief

In the reversed position, Judgment suggests that you are suffering from self-doubt and that negative self-talk is stopping you from doing what you need to do to achieve your goals and live your best life. You need to work on forgiving yourself for your past mistakes so that you can move forward.

Number - 20

The Judgment card is linked to the number 20, which represents the perfect balance between the mind, body, and spirit. When you achieve this alignment, you feel comfortable in your own skin and that you are on the right path. It is also suggestive of linking with a higher power.

Element - Fire

The Judgment card is linked with the element of Fire, reflecting the inner power that you burn with when you believe in yourself, and you are pouring your energy into things that nourish you. When you give to the right things, what you give, you also receive.

Planet – Pluto

Pluto rules the Judgment card. It is sometimes considered a dangerous planet because it is linked with ideas of death and destruction, but these things are necessary for rebirth and growth. In this case, it is suggestive of letting go of the things that no longer serve you so that you can move forward with a lighter heart.

Judgment - Tarot Card Description

While the Judgment card appears differently in different decks, most pull on the symbology represented in the Rider Waite deck.

The card is dominated by a group of men, women, and children, all naked, and emerging from their graves. While this sounds morbid, the image has a joyful feel as the people look upwards and raise their hands to the sky.

In the sky above is the Arch Angel Gabriel, the Messenger of God, sounding his horn. He has arrived to herald the final judgment. While the people appear to be joyous at their impending judgment, they also cannot escape. They are hemmed in by towering mountains, which means that they have no choice but to face judgment.

Judgment - Upright Tarot Card Meaning

When Judgement appears in the upright position, it usually means that you are about to arrive at an important point on your journey. It may not be a crossroads, but it is a point of no return. Once you pass the decision, there will be no turning back. This is not because the path is blocked. Rather, once you make the decision you will be transformed into a better version of yourself, and you will not be able to imagine returning to how things were before.

The path ahead will see you more in line with your true calling and more at peace with yourself, and your higher power, whatever that may be for you. While this could be a path that you take alone, it is more likely that this transition will bring you in line with a community that is important to you.

But this transformation will require you to leave certain things and people behind. While you will know in your heart that this is the right decision, it is never easy. You need to forgive yourself for realizing that you cannot carry people and that they have to make their own way. Only then will you be able to be reborn.

What to do?

When Judgment appears upright in a Tarot reading, it is a sign that you are about to reach an important moment on your journey. It is probably one that you have been consistently working towards, so it may not be a surprise, but it will certainly feel rewarding. But it reminds you that to move forward you cannot look back, and to transform you cannot hold onto things that no longer serve you.

Judgment - Reversed Tarot Card Meaning

When Judgment appears reversed in a Tarot reading it generally means that you have lost your way. There have probably been many signs and opportunities calling you toward your true calling and your better life, but you are turning away from those signs.

This is probably due to a lack of belief in yourself. You are letting past mistakes diminish your confidence. This is fueling the voice of your inner critic. This has left you believing that you can’t do what needs to be done. And more than that, even if you could, you don’t believe you deserve the rewards that sit on the other side.

You probably don’t realize how much you have changed from the person that you were. While you should never forget the lessons of your past, it is time to start forgiving yourself so that you can move forward. Staying stuck won’t make up for the past.

What to do?

When Judgment appears reversed in a reading, it suggests that now is a time to invest in some deep self-reflection and self-evaluation. You need to understand your past mistakes but let them go. And you need to see how much you have changed and evolved and find pride and strength in that.

Judgment Tarot Reading

When Judgment appears in a Tarot reading, it suggests that you have reached an important moment in your journey. If the card appears upright, it suggests that you are ready, and it is just preparing you to take that final step. Transformation can be scary, but the card promises that the rewards on the other side are worth it.

If the card appears reversed, it suggests that you aren’t doing what needs to be done to move forward, either because you don’t believe in yourself, or you don’t believe that you deserve happiness. It is time to finally deal with those issues so that you can truly bloom.