(Tarot Prompts for Writers)
What I See in the Card:
The Judgement is a very positive card (unless you’ve been very wicked!) It’s a celebratory card, joyful and auspicious.
(I’m Canadian so I can spell it with or without the “e.” I prefer the “e,” especially in this context. And I like to keep the “The” in the name, too. It’s not judgement in general; it’s “The Judgement.”)
Typically, the card depicts a family rising up from the grave, young and healthy, to the trumpet of angels. They pray or give thanks for new life. Their Judgment is a happy occasion.
This is a card of salvation and renewal, new beginnings and the end of things that needed to end. It’s not a card to fear.
All the imagery in The Judgement is bright and inviting; there’s nothing ominous here. This is the Judgement at the end of the world and things are rosy for these folks. Golden streets await. No worries about going downward.
The idea of Judgement can be scary. I’m not a believer but I’ve read The Divine Comedy in many translations and the post-judgement possibilities are not fun for non-believers. But this card is not scary. I quite like the name of the card in the Druid tarot deck: Rebirth. That’s the vibe the card has. Everybody’s born again.
The colours of the card are vibrant and the winged horn-blower looks friendly. The nakedness of the people attests to their honesty and openness. They are reborn. And they’re together. The whole scene exudes joy.
The Judgement is about moving onto new things as your best self. It’s a fortunate card. Just look at those people: they are being called to something awesome.
Don’t be scared. It’s just The Judgement.
Read will take you to my notes on how to tell a fortune with the Judgement — traditional interpretations; what the card might mean in different positions; keywords to help memorize meanings; and questions to ponder or ask the querent.
Write will take you to a few prompts for launching from the Judgement into a story. A first line, an object, and a theme — three possible ways to turn the Judgement into fiction.
Tarot will take you to a central Tarot-Prompts page.
Go ahead, rise up.
Images on this page are by the following artists:
Banner (and top box), left to right: Marseilles deck engraved by Nicolas Conver; Dragon Tarot illustrated by Roger and Linda Garland; Tarot Balbi by Domenico Balbi; Gilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti; Radiant Rider-Waite deck illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith; Druid Craft deck illustrated by Will Worthington.
Mid-page boxes: Tarot Balbi; the Tarot of the Divine illustrated by Yoshi Yoshitani.
Catherine Austen 