His hair is like a lion's proud mane and his pale features light up with his renewed inner light. But something is changing or is going to change; the Fool can feel it as he leaves the garden of the Sun. Deep within his soul, a voice whispers he is nearing journeys end. But as close as he is to his goal, he can sense something holding him back. It's like a rider reining in his steed as it tosses its head with anticipation for the ride ahead.
He doesn't understand why but knows if he doesn't do something, he won't and can't move on. His brown eyes still full of his inner light, he gazes around seeking guidance. That's when he notices before him a large building amongst as sea of glowing sand, fiery and burning with a divine power. He knows this place and he knows now that this is the final step in his worldly journey.
***************
The house is divine, a mansion that supports those of great power. The innermost court is decorated with ancient paintings of the sacred and spells are etched in its surface to insure protection. Her six figures stand waiting for their king, and the boy that must pass this final trial.
The final trial is Judgment.
Judgment to man is easily such terrifying word. Here is where many religions say that god deals out rewards or punishment to the Earth and all its inhabitants. It step is the final step that determines one's eternity. For the lucky, ones sins are forgiven and they ascend to heaven, for the rest it is nothing but an eternal hell. Like the ancient Egyptian myth of the scales where one's heart is measure against a feather representing universal order and truth. If they pass they become like the Gods and if not, they are fed to a crocodile monster and cease to exist.
The scales in the man's hand gleam softly, as he and his companions wait patiently. Dressed in the finest linen of soft creams cool lapis and purples, the smell of sweat and perfume and incense hangs in the atmosphere. They find the guilt in the hearts of men and pass judgment. They solve disputes and cleansed the evil of people's souls.
The gold in their hands shines like fire, a fire that burns but does not always destroy. With Fire as its ruling element, Judgment is about rebirth and resurrection. One is asked to look deep inside their souls and let go of all past deeds, the evils they or others have committed. It asks us to resurrect the past, forgive it, and let it go. There are wounds from the past that we never let heal, sins we've committed that we refuse to forgive, bad habits we haven't the courage to lose. Judgment advises us to finally face these, recognize that the past is past, and put them to rest, absolutely and irrevocably.
This applies to those who choose to be the judges.
One man in blue scoffs at the idea of dwelling on the past, a cocky smirk gracing his lips. It is gone and dead and will never exist again. His eyes are as blue as the great river and hide just as many dangers. But for all his power he is loyal, and handles it pride.
"But we can learn" the only woman in the group seems to reply. Not only must we come to terms with the past, but from it we can learn to never make the same mistakes again. She is young and beautiful, dressed in a cream dress that reaches to her gold wrapped ankles. Her golden headdress compliments her dark hair, but despite this she exudes a wisdom that goes far beyond her years.
Mistakes. The old man sighs, his wither face covered with lines and creases. Despite his ages long hair emerges from his head and face, giving a look of a sage. The price he has paid is immense, but he chooses to bear it, even the reminder that sits within his own face. He knows a thing or two about hard and final decision, that which are riddled in judgment.
And it means facing something that most people don't want to face. This is not about Death, something ending whether you want it to or not, this is about deciding to make a change, to stop doing something that isn't working and do something that will work. This means that it's really a card about courage and about recognizing that you're holding onto something that needs to be let go.
His choice was one of life. Life for the kingdom but death for a village. He made his choice and he stood by it, no matter what changes it may have caused.
Change.
A far younger man stands regally with gold hanging from his neck. His dark gray blue eyes remain stoic, his mind only focused on his duty. He has seen change, and even conjured it on himself. Although his change is probably one many would ever know or experience.
It usually signals a change, one that involves leaving something old completely behind and stepping into something completely new. Like closing the door on an old job, and opening the door to a new and very different career.
This is another card of transition, like Death and the Tower, but its energy is neither violent nor catastrophic despite the fact that its power is far greater. This is the energy of creation without destruction, impossible on the material plane but certainly possible in the world of the spirit. There is rebirth not through discarding negativity, but through integration of all parts of the self. The spirit is cleansed and restored without loss or addition. It remains the same, but different.
"One needs balance", says the holder of the scales, eyes as green as papyrus plant. The man wears a linen sash across his front like many traditional Egyptian priests. He combines the parts of souls, so they become one power. His is the power of balance and unity.
Here is a union of the material and spiritual world into a single unit of manifestation. You must reconcile and unify the pieces of yourself your soul, back into one. United into one voice, they praise the angel that appears in the sky. After the non-destructive cleansing and restoration of Judgment, matter, mind and spirit are one - now and forever.
"Agreed" whispers the bareheaded man. Though he covers himself in a creamy hood, a large golden ankh sits quietly in his hand. He has opened the door to many hearts, to see all the good and the bad, the dreams and the fears. Although to see into the hearts of others is a great power, to open the door of your own heart is greater still.
The change is under your control, and in fact you can even turn your back on it if you wish. In time, however, you will likely regret doing so - this is another lesson of Judgment. Decisions such as the one it offers are necessary to growth and spiritual development, and you cannot run from them forever. The day of reckoning will come someday, and you will have to admit where you have gone wrong in order to receive rewards you deserve.
A second chance. Here the souls of the judged are cleansed, the slate wiped clean. After facing the consequences of your past decisions, you must now take what you've learned and start over. Do not degrade yourself on past sins, but go forward with your held high and become better than ever before.
A second chance.
Suddenly the figures all turn as the greatest of them all approaches the dais. His cape flows smoothly as he walks with regal steps and sits on the throne. He bears that which can dispense justice and mercy equally, an aspect of both creation and destruction.
The fierce gaze of the man is fixed on something far away, something only he can see. He was rescued by the light, for judgment shines a light on all that was hidden. Something which is both positive and negative.
In the positive sense we are being awakened from a long sleep, a period during which we lacked clarity, and now insight is dawning upon us in a psychic rebirth and resurrection. Something which was lying dormant within us, some unconscious knowledge or truth is finally being awakened and brought into the light. In the negative sense, we are being called to account for past actions and to justify in the light of truth what we have done in the past. Judgment is a time of reckoning, a time of bringing to light those things which were hidden. The psychological process of self-revelation often brings relief and joy, yet it is often a difficult process in which we encounter darker aspects of our personality which were hidden out of fear or self-defense.
A tan hand runs over his face. He knows this now, knows that he must face all that is good and evil in his heart and learn to control it. Now it is time to teach one other.
He sits back, straight and proud on his throne and motions for the boy to be let in.
****************
The large wooden doors, covered with protective gods and goddesses, are increasingly familiar. He visited this place once before, back when his journey was fairly new.
The doors groan open, and he can smell the perfume and incense from the great hall. As he walks down towards inner court, he finds that there are new and unfamiliar faces awaiting him. He bites his lip, a tad nervous, but he knows this is his final step to a higher plane.
Six figures stand before the throne, faces impassive but regal. The gold covers their necks and arms and legs, yet the most precious remains unnoticed. Here is great power, one that is both beautiful and terrible. But he knows something is holding him back, and he must know what it is.
"You are right," the oldest figure confirms, "you have only one last step on your journey, one final step to completion. But you cannot take that step until you lay your past to rest."
The Fool is stunned at the old man's accuracy. But he is also slightly perturbed. "Lay it to rest? I thought I'd left it behind, all of it!"
"There is no way to leave the past behind," The woman observes. She has the eyes of the High Priestess he met before. "Each step wears down the shoe just a bit, and so shapes the next step you take, and the next and the next. Your past is always under your feet. You cannot hide from it, run from it, or rid yourself of it. But you can call it up, and come to terms with it. Are you willing to do that?"
The king, motions to his sacred court. They approach closer, and the fool can feel the magic they are gathering. He is hesitant, but he knows that these people are right. There are certain memories he has a hard time looking back on as they make him feel guilty, ashamed, angry. He knows that he's never come to terms with what happened and he must if he wants to make that final transition.
He closes his eyes as a bright light consumes the area. A sharp CRACK is heard as the Earth opens in a fissure. From under the Fool's feet, the spirits of his past selves rise up, including those less than admirable past selves that he's tried to forget.
For the first time, he faces them. They are, he sees, nothing to fear. They were him once-upon-a-time, but not now. Even as he realizes this, he finds himself forgiving those past selves for the wrongs they did that left him feeling bad.
In turn he also hears the voices of his friends calling out to him, the one's he tried to protect by locking himself away. They like his past selves, forgive him for ignoring the lessons they had to teach him, of the pain caused by his other. Now he sees those smiling faces, amongst his own phantoms, and he knows this is true in reality.
As he reaches an understanding with them, they start to rise up and float away, vanishing into the sky. Though they remain as experiences and memories, they no longer have any power over him. He is free of ill-feelings, reborn, and living in the present.