78 Weeks of Tarot: Judgement

[Trogon]

For information on what these threads refer to, see this thread;

 

78 Weeks of Tarot - Informational Thread

 

The above linked thread gives suggested dates for the cards as well as links to the individual topics.

 

Some of us may be working through the study in a different order and using different decks. If you have general questions or comments regarding the 78 Weeks of Tarot study group, please post in the topic in the above link.

 

Have fun.

[Bookworm]

Deck: Fairytale Tarot

 

Card name: Judgement

 

First impressions:

 

Snow White, a lovely young woman, sits up in her glass coffin, surrounded by seven joyous dwarfs. She takes no notice of them. She’s looking at the Prince, whose face we can’t really see. He’s telling her something, with his arms outstretched. Snow White has long wavy black hair and wears a pale blue gown. She’s mostly covered by a blanket. The Prince is wearing a fancy patterned blue jacket. The dwarfs are all dressed colorfully, a la the Disney movie.

 

From the book:

 

Keywords and phrases: Awakening to a new life, rebirth and renewal, finding an alternative way of living, feeling refreshed and rehabilitated, putting the past behind you and going on to a whole new existence, shaking off guilt or regret and realizing that “today is the first day of the rest of your life”

 

Snow White appears to die three times (three being a magical number in fairy tales), but is brought back to life. The third time, her “death” echoes the story of Persephone, who is kept in Hades half the year because she ate the seeds of a pomegranate. It also clearly echoes the idea of the apple in the story of Adam and Eve. Snow White “dies” as an innocent child and wakes up as an adult.

 

Snow White is seven years old when she goes to live with the dwarfs. Seven used to be considered the age of adulthood. Seven is also a number symbolizing transition in Tarot. This lends a hint to interpreting the death and rebirth theme of the Judgement card as cyclical, rather than a one-time event.

 

The dwarfs can be seen as children, and the prince as an adult, adding to the idea that Judgement can be about transitioning from one stage of life to another. Often when we feel a distinct move into a new way of being it does feel like being reborn anew.

 

The original story:https://www.thetarotforum.com/Themes/green-flowers/images/bbc/bold.gif

 

“Snow White,” from Household Tales, by the Brothers Grimm

 

https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm053.html

 

Traditional meanings:

 

Redemption, rebirth, an awakening, a calling (spiritual or career), renewal, reincarnation, a realization, a change that has already occurred, end of an era, a rite of passage, a period of transition, decision making, ignoring a calling, doing what you know is wrong for you, doubting yourself, being led by your own fear, change that’s coming but is delayed, avoiding making a decision, unhealed karma.

 

My impressions of the card/story combination:

 

I think this card/story really nails Judgement. I like the card itself, with Snow White sitting up in her coffin and all the dwarfs being all excited, and Snow White and the Prince having eyes only for each other.

 

Obviously, there’s a lot more going on in the story than what is represented by the Judgement card, but the idea of starting a new life happens at least twice in the story – when Snow White is forced to leave her home and again at the end when she falls in love with the Prince. You can also count her recovery from the two other attacks on her life by the queen.

 

My take (what I make of it/what I might see in a reading where I drew it):

 

This has made Judgement more understandable to me. I think I might see it now as a “wake up and smell the coffee” moment, as in, the time is right to make a big change. I might also see it, as Karen discusses, as a transition from one life phase to the next. I know that I saw some of this in The Snow Queen (The Chariot), but the difference to me is that while The Chariot could be seen as the act of traveling through a phase of life, Judgement is more about suddenly becoming aware that your old way of being (for example, a child, or a mother of a child) doesn’t work any more. It’s time to put your old self away and become your new self.

[Hemera]

Everyday Witch Tarot (D.Blake & E.Alba 2017 Llewellyn)

The Judgement

 

 

Description:

A witch is dancing down a path and playing a tune in her recorder. A black kitten is following her and chasing a red butterfly as they go along.

 

What action is going on:

Making music and dancing.

 

Images and Symbolism:

Black kitten

Red butterfly

Flute (or a recorder)

 

Colours:

Red stands out: The butterfly, the band on her hat, her blouse and her striped stockings are all red.

This card encourages:

- Open up to new developments and change

- Rise to new and higher levels of consciousness

 

Warns against:

-Fear for change

-Staying put

 

Traditional meanings (J. Bunning):

- Making a judgment; get off the fence, take a stand

- Feeling reborn; transforming, making a fresh start

- Hearing a call; feeling inner conviction

- Absolution; feeling refreshed and cleaned

 

From the Book:

- Are you following your own music or dancing to someone else’s tune?

- Listen to your inner wisdom.

- Rebirth and renewal wait if you are willing to down the path, let go of the old and embrace the new

Sallie Nichols: (in Jung and Tarot. An Archetypal Journey. Weiser 1984)

- Sound is a more direct, arresting and primitive form of communication than illumination. Music connects the inner and outer worlds in a mysterious way.

- Resurrection is an important theme in the Judgement card. (-but not in our deck, I think)

- Who has vocation, hears the inner voice, he is called, said Jung.

 

Notes:

- Karma card; Reap what you sow

- I like this card. She is so carefree and heading happily towards new adventures!

- A dancer such as this might have worked better as a World card where you are carefree and moving on to the next level. This picture is something that is happening *after* the actual wake up call. I think she is not playing a wake up call here but rather a carefree dance tune that will be played afterwards. I think that at Judgement one should still feel more focused and even a little worried about what is to come!

 

Quote:

At the still point, there the dance is.

(T.S.Elliot)