It's The End of the World As We Know It

and I feel fine (REM)

Stefan Lochner, 15th c. The Last Judgement

Judgement Day

Scary stuff. I’m no theologian, but monotheistic religions believe that there comes a time when we all have to face the music, whether we hang out in purgatory for a while, or whether the decision is made quickly where we go in the afterlife. I bring this up because I have always had a complicated relationship with the Judgement card in the Tarot. Unsurprisingly, the Judgement card appears almost at the end of the Major Arcana, card number twenty. The Judgement card appears at the end of the cycle that is the Fool’s Journey through the Major Arcana. We must metaphorically die to be reborn again to set out on yet another cycle. I use the word “metaphorically” here, but also recognize there are many people who believe in this resurrection quite literally.

"There is no idea and ideal more bold, more contrary to all empirical existence, and more shocking to common sense than that of resurrection." Valentin Tomberg, Meditations on the Tarot

Tomberg’s stance on the Judgement card, and really all the cards in the Major Arcana, is that the magic of the world is born out of an understanding that there is more here than just the material world, and though he acknowledges the possibility of an actual resurrection, it is the rebirth that happens while we are here, the forgiveness we show to ourselves and others, human honesty, this is spirit.

Judgement in the Tarot

I wonder why we get such a distinctly Christian image and message in this card. The angel blows her trumpet as the gray bodies rise from their graves. It is, as Kim Krans says “about seeking truth. No more blaming yourself or others, no more excuses. Now is the time for forgiveness and personal freedom.” (Wild Unknown Tarot Guidebook). I love this idea of honesty, of a time to come clean and forgive the past. There is no doubt that this card is about resurrection but I’m not sure how much Arthur Waite and Pamela Colman Smith were considering an actual afterlife. My own understanding of the cards is that though they may be spiritual, they are also very much of this earth, of how we live in real life. We go through cycle after cycle of the Fool’s Journey during our time on Earth. I’m not sure if we are ever done or what happens after, but as we finish a cycle, in fact he only way we can finish a cycle and move on, is with brutal honesty about ourselves, where we have behaved outside of our integrity, how we can and will do better the next time around.

Writing About Honesty

I’m doing a writing exercise every morning these days. It’s about honesty. I won’t lay out all the prompts here but two of them ask me to list three things I resent, and three things I can release. It’s tough to look at resentments. Some come easily. Some require more investigation. Initially I found myself saying “I wish I didn’t have to do all the planning in our family.” But really, the truth is “I resent doing all the planning in our family.” So I said it. But can I release that resentment and accept that after thirty years this is they way we function. I’m good at planning. In fact I like planning, and yes being in control. I accepted responsibility for this work long ago. Maybe I can accept it and release the resentment I feel about it. Maybe I can acknowledge my part in creating this dynamic.

What does this have to do with the Judgement card? At the beginning of this post I talked about coming clean. This card reminds us to acknowledge our part in patterns we have created, to release resentments about others’ parts in these patterns. We forgive ourselves. We forgive each other. It is only then that we are ready to move on to the last card in the Majors, The World. So maybe a way to explore the Judgement card is to ask ourselves where we can be more honest. Are there resentments which can be released to lighten our mental and spiritual loads? This release, this emptying, allows us to move on.

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