Upright Meaning – Judgment, rebirth, inner calling, absolution, letting go
Reversed Meaning – self-doubt, refusal to grow, hindered by the past
Description of Rider-Waite-Smith
An impenetrable mountain range rises before you, impeding your journey onwards. Suddenly the sound of a trumpets call shatters the air and from the clouds emerges the giant form of Gabriel, summoning all to attend the day of judgment. All around the ground errupts and the spirits of the dead arise, their faces filled with joy as their earthly remains and cares are left behind. The angle smiles at you before blowing the trumpet again and you realise that to proceed you must slip free of your mortal remains and rise up to join them in the heavens.
Key Symbols
Angel
High in the heavens Archangel Gabriel stands, trumpet to his lips as he calls the dead from their slumber. He is the irresistible force which draws out all the shades of the past so they can be examined and bid farewell to. This representative of divine will indicates that the coming resolution is unavoidable, reinforced by the mountains behind him, and that the examination of the past is an unavoidable necessity. Now is the time to see old patters of behaviour or past actions that are inhibiting your progress to the future.
The Dead
As the dead rise up in resurrection they solely face the towering Angel before them. They have no care for what lies behind them and are ready to leave behind the physical remains that no longer serve them so they have go towards that irresistible call. This is the primary message of the dead “leave that which no longer serves” and they may represent anything within the querents life which may be hindering their growth be that their own patterns of behaviour, people or things around them etc.
The Judgment of the Arcana
The Judgment card of the Arcana is represented in the form of a great elephant, who’s trunk is very clearly an analogue for the angels trumpet. The old adage is that the “elephant never forgets” but in this case the elephant also learns and shares that gathered wisdom with others so that they may grow and move forwards in their journey. This is best seen in the character representative of the cards energies, Nazalia.
Nazali is the second Satrinava sister, the most traveled and educated as a doctor. As there are multiple levels of interconnectivity she is both the doctor who instructed Portia how to care the for the sleeping Nadia when the enchanted sleep came upon her but also the doctor who provided medical training to Julian. She is often thought the most world wise of the seven sisters, having traveled far beyond their parents kingdom and learnt many things. This means that she is often the one who points out the flaws in character that various main characters have, particular in the case of Julian, and showing them how they can grow and move on in their journey. During the masquerade Nazalia wears an elephant mask to represent her patron within the Arcana and her primary colour of red connects her with the root chakra.
Knot Magick 