Judgment Card

Judgment Day -Truth and Lies

Who is to judge? Who passes judgment on someone else? These are questions we all must deal with and there are at least two kinds of judgment to consider: civil and religious. What does the dictionary say about judgment? “The act of judging … to ascertain truth; the process of examining facts and arguments to ascertain propriety and justice. The act or faculty of judging truly, wisely, or skillfully. The sentence of the law pronounced by a court and a judge.”

Civil judgment and the law

B.O.T.A. deck

In civil cases, who is qualified or justified to judge another person’s behavior? Some people choose to become a lawyer or a politician by studying the laws of the land. A Judge is chosen for the bench because of his or her knowledge of the law and competent experience in adjudicating and passing judgment on cases brought before the court. These cases may deal with ethics, criminality, or abuse of power and/or other forms of wrong doing. Evidence is presented, and witnesses are called to testify. In criminal cases, a jury may be brought in to hear the evidence of the case and submit their verdict before a Judge, who then pronounces punishment or acquittal.

Theological judgment - religious beliefs

Where and how did the Tarot card “Judgment” originate?

It is obvious that, visually, the Tarot card, “Judgment,” in the classical Waite deck and other early decks, have biblical implications that have been depicted in Renaissance religious paintings of the “Last Judgment.” Here, we see people rising from their graves and tombs beneath an angel blowing a trumpet, which implies they have been redeemed and the virtuous are judged fit to enter the Kingdom of God and Heaven. The Judgment card clearly portrays the Christian view of resurrection and redemption. What happens to those who don’t pass the test and are “found wanting” -  eternal punishment? “You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.” (See Daniel 5:27) Do our choices in this life have eternal consequences? If so, what is God’s Kingdom and Heaven? What is Hell? Is it really the Devil’s ghastly place in the so-called Underworld of punishment and retribution for evil exploits, sins and wrong doing?

In theological doctrine over the past centuries, “Judgment Day” has been the final punishment of the wicked and, on the other hand, redemption of the righteous. In Judeo-Christian religion, the belief is that God judges. This has been the teaching of the church exemplified in the great religious paintings of “Judgment Day” by Renaissance artists from the 14^th to the 17^th century.

“We must live with our sins and one day we must account for our wrong doing … this card suggests atonement. Judgment. The need to repent and forgive.”

Stuart R Kaplan, Tarot Classics (US Games Systems 1972)

Hippie trip to Hell

In a movie short, a Hippie crashes his car into a tree and dies. We then see him going through a long laundry-type chute and come out in a very hot waiting room with a nasty lady at a desk in front of a red door. He realizes this is the entrance to “Hell.” He is actually excited to see what his eternal punishment will be because he has led a petty ostentatious life. He keeps asking the lady when it will be his turn. (There is nobody else in the room.) She keeps grumbling at him to sit down and wait.  After a long wait, the door opens and there is the Devil, all in red and he welcomes him to Hell. They go to another hot room where he will receive his punishment. After long wait, a couple comes in wearing Hawaiian shirts and, oh! he’s so happy to see them! They proceed to set up a screen and projector and get him started on his eternal punishment - which was - to watch their home movies and photos of their trips to Hawaii for Eternity.

Earlier religious beliefs -  Egyptian (See my previous blog on Judgment, May 19, 2012)

Well, it isn’t quite like that, but when we look back in history at the funerary art of ancient Egypt, at the time of death, according to the “Book of the Dead,” the deceased goes to the Hall of Justice in the underworld where there are 42 Judges or judgments that one must pass before achieving eternal life. Questions are proposed about wrongful acts, including theft, murder, fraud, inequity, violence, sin, lies, deceit, misplaced anger, wrathfulness, revenge, plunder, evil intent, and so on. This was presided over by Osiris who pronounced judgment, and the heart was weighed against the feather. (See “Egyptian Cosmology” by Mustafa Gadalla, Bastet Publishing 1997)

In biblical literature, there is “Judgment Day” (NT) where God or the Messiah, a Savior, passes judgment and punishes the wicked, or redeems the righteous, and redemption is in the form of resurrection. It is more about the immortality of the soul then reanimation of the body. In Renaissance paintings, sinners are depicted being punished in Hell by means of various tortures conducted by demons and monsters; payback for violating and disobeying God’s laws. (Such as the “Ten Commandments,” Exodus 34:28) In Judaism, Yom Kippur refers to the “Day of Atonement,” a time of confession and repentance. This day is when you confess your wrong doing and ask for forgiveness or make amends. 

Giotto’s “Last Judgment,” (1304) a huge painting on the back wall of the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy, and other paintings like it in various Cathedrals of Europe were probably the inspiration for the Judgment card. The lower left corner of the painting portrays a Christian view of the redemption of morally righteous people who appear to be rising out of their graves and tombs, to be taken to Heaven.  

Other forms of judgment

In ancient biblical accounts, Israel, at first, never had kings like the divine kings of Egypt, or any rule by kings as in the other Middle Eastern countries. God was considered the King of Israel. (Deut. 33:5; Judges 8:23) In the section “Judges,” there were twelve leaders or heroic saviors who were not kings or monarchs, but they alone presided over and judged Israel.  As there was no king, “… every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). After continually disobeying God, the people begged for mercy and would send in a champion, a judge, who could deliver them from oppression and this cycle kept repeating through twelve different judges. The most famous was Deborah and her General, Barak, who were victorious over the Canaanites. Sisera, the insolent, arrogant commander of the Canaanite army was then tricked and killed by the woman Jael, who nailed his head to the floor while he slept - the subject of several artists' works such as the painting, “Jael and Sisera” (1620) by Baroque woman artist Artemisia Gentileschi.

“Anywhere and anytime that people begin speaking and acting from their hearts to protest world destruction and work toward peace, judgment is being felt.”

Vicki Noble, Motherpeace (HarperCollins, 1983)

Meanwhile, the other kings in that region were having their own problems.  “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN!” That was the “handwriting on the wall” seen by the corrupt Babylonian King, Belshazzar, which was interpreted by the Israelite Daniel to read that the king had been “found wanting” and Daniel predicted the division and collapse of Belshazzar’s kingdom. (These were verbs in Aramaic for stone weights of measurement -  meaning number, weighing and division) In Judges 4:4-23, the people of Israel disobeyed God again and again, so God’s judgment upon them was to deliver them to their enemies where they experienced the law of retaliation: “An eye for eye …” (Exodus 21:23-25)

“There are times in all our lives when we come under judgment followed by major changes.”

Madeline Montalban, The Prediction Book of the Tarot (Blandford Press 1983)

In Giotto’s monochromatic painting of “Prudence,” also in the Arena chapel, a woman is looking at

Giotto Prudence, Arena Chapel

herself in the mirror, perhaps examining her shortcomings and reviewing her life experiences. Prudence means the ability to judge between virtuous behavior and vicious actions. There seems to be a bearded old man’s head behind hers. Is this Father Time, and is the pensive woman looking back to her past? Some interpretations say this is an allegory of Time - past, present and future -governed and judged by the Virtue, Prudence.

Judgment - What is Fair and equitable?

Currently, we have been watching the Articles of Impeachment against the President carried out in the US Congress, as you all know. The US Constitution states in Article II, Section 4, that “The President, Vice president and all civil Officers of the United States shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” In Amendment XXV “… Congress … determines by two thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office …”

The House of Representatives investigated the allegations of wrong doing by the President in soliciting aid from a foreign government to “dig up dirt” which could denigrate a prospective candidate for the next Presidency and, through stochastic inference, cause irreparable harm.  This Impeachment process was carried out and voted in favor for by the House of Representatives. Documents and the witnesses’ sworn depositions were presented to the Senate for a vote. The Senate refused to hear any witnesses or evidence and voted along partisan lines to not hold the President accountable for misdeeds. They voted to acquit. Was this fair and equitable judgment?

This does not bode well for the upcoming Presidential election in the Fall. And the country appears strongly divided over the issues. We must keep in mind that for justice to prevail, we must hear all the witness testimony and review all the related documents in order to judge fairly and equitably. It is now up to the public to be the jury that decides. This is a good example of what is involved in passing judgment on other people’s good deeds or misdeeds and/or the problem of “burying your head in the sand.” What is left standing out for all to see?

Judgment card - reading

 When you receive the Judgment card in a reading can you pass the test?

This is a time to mentally assess your values and habits. This may involve a journey to your own “inner underworld” to take care of those mental demons that may come back to haunt you. What are your motives and past mistakes? How are you being fair and just in your dealings with others? Are they being fair to you? Take charge and confront those who may be harming you with their wrongful behavior. Take a realistic look at what constitutes the truth about your life experiences and what lies may have been told. It’s a simple matter of being able to recognize right from wrong and taking the necessary steps to change your behavior and/or make amends, to forgive and forget.

References:

Harper’s Bible Dictionary (HarperCollins, 1985)

The World of Giotto (Time-Life Books, 1967)

The Oxford Annotated Bible (Oxford University Press, 1962)

Vickie Noble, MotherPeace Tarot (HarperCollins, 1983)