Judgment Day has a certain maniacal ring to it these days – if someone isn't warning us that it's nigh, they are telling us how terrible it will be. How often do we hear about Judgment Day as something good? Older generations used to pray for Judgment Day to come, to take them to paradise and away from all their worldly troubles. They longed to be cleansed of their burdens and lifted into the heavens, off to start a whole new life. This is the energy of the Judgement card.

For a card entitled 'Judgement', you might be expecting something a bit more grim looking. On the cover we see a large angel in the sky, blowing a mighty trumpet. Attached to the trumpet is a white flag with a red cross in the middle. Down below on the Earth, the dead are springing forth from their coffins. They look joyful, many of them raising their hands to the sky in jubilation. One woman even places her arms directly beneath the blowing trumpet, feeling the music bring her back to life.

Being reborn is the main theme running through the Judgement card. The dead rise from their coffins, cleansed, alive, and ready to live a new life in paradise. When you see Judgement in your readings, be ready for a chance to start anew. The Judgement card also asks you to cast away whatever is holding you back, even if it is something you once cherished. After all, those who are being brought to heaven won't be able to keep their bodies, will they? Why would they need them in that new life? Be ready and willing to leave those things behind that you no longer need to pursue a happier, healthier life.

There's no way to forget the darker side of Judgment Day – while those who are righteous are reborn, those who are sinners are cast into the Lake of Fire. Judgment asks us to pass judgment – unbiased, truthful judgment, on ourselves. Take a look at your life from a third-person view. What advice would you give yourself? What would you tell yourself to do differently? What decisions would you be able to make easily if you weren't experiencing them firsthand? Take a stand for yourself – take a look at yourself and your life, and make the hard choices that need to be made.

Some Things are Just Out of Your Hands

Judgement asks many questions of us – consider asking yourself some of these. What are you on the fence about? Are you lukewarm about something? What are you keeping in your life that is holding you back? Can you allow yourself to let it go? What fat should be cut away to bring a cleansing to your life?

The Fool and Judgement share one big element – the emphasis on a new start. It's easy to imagine someone going through a Judgement phase, being cleansed of all past burdens, and returning to their Foolish nature. Justice also has a lot in common with Judgement, seeing as Justice is the one who delivers Judgement.

What Judgement Means for You Today

When the Judgement card shows up in your reading it can indicate that the situation at hand is no longer under your control. You have done what you can and you are going to reap what you have sown. There is nothing you can do to change what is about to come. There is an element of enlightenment that comes along with this card. Whether you experience something positive or negative, either way, you will learn something and you are not likely to repeat the same mistakes in the future.