The Judgement card is a powerful symbol of spiritual awakening and rebirth often portrayed as a figure blowing a trumpet, signalling the call to judgement and the end of an era. Similar but different, Crowley’s Aeon card is a unique interpretation of the traditional Judgement card. The Aeon embodies the idea of spiritual awakening, where the old self is broken down and shed, and a new, enlightened self emerges. This card is a reminder that we must let go of the past and embrace change to reach a higher state of consciousness.
In tarot readings, the Judgement/Aeon card represents a moment of truth, where we are forced to face our past actions and the consequences that follow. It asks us to confront our mistakes and move beyond them, to live in the present and create a better future. This card also represents a call to action, reminding us to step up and take responsibility for our lives, rather than simply being an observer. The card brings a powerful message of hope, reminding us that we can always transform and evolve into our best selves.
In everyday life, the Judgement card can be seen as a call to wake up and take action. It can represent the need to atone for past mistakes and to move forward with renewed purpose and clarity. This card reminds us we have the power to change our lives and make a positive impact on those around us.
The Judgement card is not about punishment or damnation. Rather, it is a symbol of hope and liberation. It reminds us that improvement is always possible.
Questions to Consider
- What are you holding onto that’s holding you back?
- In what ways can you take responsibility for your actions and make amends for past mistakes?
Exercise Ideas
- Write a letter of forgiveness to yourself from the perspective of someone you have wronged.
- Meditate on the imagery of the Judgement card and contemplate its symbolism.
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Surrealist |
Diary |
bifrost |
Langustl |
Rider-Waite |
Variations of the Card
Card number 20 is traditionally known by the name Judgement. Its title can also be the Final or Last Judgement or the Angel. Crowley reinterpreted the card against tradition, entitling his concept the Aeon. While most tarot decks choose one or the other to follow, bifrost contains both cards. Of the two extra Major Arcana posited by Timothy Leary, bifrost brings Leary’s Starmaker concept to life under the Thoth-inspired title of Aeon.
With the Judgement card, bifrost follows the RWS style with a few key differences. Instead of multiple graves all opening at once, bifrost notably shows the experience of death and rising happening in solitude. The Angel and the rising soul are one, as is the soul of the wolf and lamb.
Langustl also uses Rider symbolism in its own style. Heavenly symbols and characters are represented as an eye of higher perception. The idea of an eyeball blowing a horn that wakes up the dead is difficult to imagine, but here it is, happening.
A unique similarity happens with Langustl and Diary of a Broken Soul on this card, the eye of higher vision. In Diary’s version, the eye is actually the eye of a needle on the horizon, and yet the two different types of eyes say the same thing symbolically. Diary’s version of this card is entitled Redemption. Redemption may be far away, but the camel will eventually get there.
The Surrealist Tarot’s reinterpretation of this card as the Beast may be more difficult to understand. A serpent wraps around a surreal female form, perhaps representing the journey of life.
