20. Judgement
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Welcome to Soulchology’s worksheets, your starter-kit into an intuitive self-enquiry using tarot and astrology. I write these in my usual dry humour, which reflects the tone of my sessions too, because learning is intense enough without stripping it of humanity. A little wit makes the wisdom easier to digest!
Anyway, while full sessions include numerology, Lenormand, and therapeutic layers, these worksheets are your solo starter kit designed to get you going without frying your nervous system.
Grab your deck, take a breath and don’t overthink it. No altar required. You can read these on your lap, mid-commute, or in bed with questionable lighting. If you know current transits, great, add them in. If not, the cards still work because they’re generous like that.
And, if you shuffle really fast, they love to fling out like you’re live in an episode of Ghosts and Trevor is standing next to you.
Each sheet prompts you to connect the cards with your real life, that is, not your aspirational, one-day-when-I-journal-daily life. Pay attention to the artwork, colours, symbols, and emotional tone because tarot is layered, not linear. Study only what leaps out, don’t go looking for clues.
This isn’t about mystical perfection, it’s about noticing yourself. Your thoughts, your choices, your patterns. If you’re new to tarot and feeling twitchy about it, you might want to read my piece on Substack that gently dismantles the pressure.
My advice is to pull (or fling) your card at the end of the day, not first thing. That way, you’re reflecting and not pre-loading your brain with vague forecasts. It’s a faster way to build intuitive confidence and a more honest way to learn what the cards actually mean to you.
i. The Nutshell
Upright
Judgement arrives with trumpets and is the archetype of reckoning and seeing yourself without the usual smoke and mirrors. This card marks a turning point where self-awareness meets accountability, and your past decisions show up to either hug you or haunt you. Either way, it’s time to answer the call. Abandon self-flagellating thoughts because Judgement only wants to liberate you from guilt, and from denying the version of you that’s running on an old system version and crashing. This card wants you to rise because you’ve outgrown your chrysalis and are ready to fly into your next chapter.
Keywords: Awakening, reckoning, renewal, liberation, clarity, life review, forgiveness, transformation
Translation: The call is coming from inside the soul. Pick it up.
Reversed
Judgement reversed suggests you're hitting “ignore” on that inner call, meaning you’re ghosting your own growth. Maybe you’re clinging to old stories, refusing to forgive yourself, or recycling patterns like that will produce different results. You might feel stuck in self-doubt, and afraid to commit to change because you’re spiritually bypassing by waiting for “divine timing” that never chimes. Maybe you’re dodging the discomfort that comes with honest reflection - because you know that once you see it, you can’t unsee it. And then change has to get real. This reversal isn’t a life sentence but it does call you to recalibrate. The judgment you're fearing is probably your own, so check what you need to admit to yourself and stop holding yourself back.
Keywords: Avoidance, denial, self-doubt, fear of change, spiritual bypassing, shame loops, stunted growth
Translation: You know what needs to change. Yes you do.
ii. Illus-traits
A symbolic glance of Judgement in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck:
Angel with Trumpet - The soul’s loudspeaker calling you out, and up. The red cross on the flag signals resurrection; a symbol of integration. Body, mind, spirit are aligned and alert. You're being summoned.
Naked Figures Rising from Coffins - Symbolic resurrection at its finest represented by former selves: outdated identities, expired narratives, and outgrown survival modes. They rise to transcend the past and nudity represents truth.
Mountains in the Distance - The horizon of what’s next. Transformation is the entry point. You’re leaving the flat for higher ground, but the ascent requires choice.
Grey Coffins - These aren’t graves but symbols of spaces you’ve lingered in for too long. Grey suggests neutrality: it’s up to you to decide whether to stay boxed in or break out.
Blue Sky - Revelation can be spacious, calm and undeniable. There’s room to breathe if you look up.
iii. Influences
Planetary
Judgement is ruled by Pluto, planet of transformation, power, and irrevocable change. Pluto obliterates what no longer serves and dares you to rise past. This is deep, truthful energy that turns breakdown into breakthrough. In the natal chart, Pluto shows where you’re pushed to evolve - or perish, so when Judgement calls it’s Pluto asking: “Are you ready to live like you mean it?”
Natal House(s)
Judgement resonates with the Eighth House, astrology’s underworld lounge. This is the house of death, rebirth, therapy, shared resources, psychological excavation, and literal and karmic inheritances. The Eighth House goes after soul-level metamorphosis so forget changing your clothes, think changing skins.
Astrological Sign(s)
While not officially tied to a zodiac sign, Judgement carries echoes of Scorpio, the sign ruled by Pluto. Scorpio energy pierces the veil, digs up buried truths, and insists on emotional honesty. This is the phoenix end of the spectrum: death, yes, but also resurrection. Judgement embodies Scorpio's glare and capacity for personal reinvention.
Numerologically
Judgement is card 20, reducing to 2 - the same root number of The High Priestess. But where she sits quietly at the threshold of mystery, Judgement blasts the doors off their hinges. The number 2 invites reflection, balance and duality, but 20 adds a layer of culmination: you’ve gathered the data, lived the lessons, and now it’s time to integrate. Think of it as a final exam where the only grade that matters is whether you’re ready to move forward.
Elements
As a predominantly Fire-based Major Arcana card, even under Pluto’s watery rule, Judgement ignites the inner call to rise. Associated with Fire for its themes of awakening, action, and spiritual ignition, Judgement does also carry strong Water undertones catering for emotional release, inner reckoning, and rebirth. This card lives at the crossroads of the elements, where the soul is both purified by flame and washed clean by truth. It’s the wildfire of awakening where fire is transmutational and not just inspirational. It burns off the false narratives so you can move forward lighter and sharper.
iv. A Day in the Life of Judgement
Well That Escalated Quickly
You thought you were just taking a little break, maybe scrolling through memes or pretending to journal, when suddenly; existential trumpets. Like that exact moment you realise you’ve been arguing with your dog for ten minutes over a slice of pizza and that stubborn refusal to compromise is why every relationship you’ve had ends in passive-aggressive silence. Ugh, spiritual intervention and everything feels slo-mo, dramatic, painfully true, and like a bad sitcom plot. Is this an epiphany or just your brain’s version of binge-watching self-destruction? Either way, you’re awake now and you can’t find the snooze button.
Adjusting the Knobs
Okay, so maybe that was your wake-up call. You’re cautiously engaging with words like "alignment" and "accountability" without cringing. You're re-watching your life like a docuseries, noticing the plot holes and searching for the redemption offer. You haven’t turfed your ego out but you’ve asked it to stop driving. Progress. You're owning your choices and this feels enough for now.
Unsubscribed from Self-Sabotage
Liberated but still feeling très awks. You’re making peace with your past, reclaiming your power, and low-key glowing, but you're still not sure how to talk about it without sounding like you just returned from a silent retreat in the desert. You’ve unsubscribed from shame spirals, stopped auditioning for worthiness, and started using the voice that belongs to you. It's weirdly emotional and you’re even considering forgiving your teenage self.
Writing the TED Talk
You’ve stepped into your main character era and not the heavily filtered influencer kind. You’re now embodying your truth of someone who’s faced their shadows and proud of them. You’re not preaching, but you are wafting about TMI eau de parfum. You’ve accepted the call, answered it with integrity, and now you’re living as you mean it. Cue the cinematic soundtrack because this is your rebirth into the life purpose you came here to live. God it feels good.
v. Working with these Energies
Answering The Call
Judgement is the relentless fog-horn that demands you stop sleepwalking through your story and start living it out loud. It offers accountability, freedom, and the opportunity to shed old versions of yourself before becoming who you’re meant to be.
Own Your Resurrection - When was the last time you fully owned a truth, no matter how uncomfortable? What parts of your past are ready to be laid to rest? If you were writing your obituary today, what would you want it to say about your transformation?
Face Your Echoes - Which recurring patterns keep knocking on your door, begging for your attention? What voices from your past are you still letting narrate your present? How can you break the loop without rewriting yourself into a cliche?
Study the Lessons - What facades have you been using to avoid reckoning? Which truths are you ready to live openly, even if it means losing some people? Who are you when no one’s watching and are you okay with showing that person to the world?
Step Into the Light, Even When It Burns - How can you hold your own shadow with compassion? Where does your courage lie dormant, waiting for your attention? What if vulnerability is the real power move you’ve been avoiding?
Celebrate Your Rebirth, Daily - What practises support the person you’re becoming? How do you remind yourself that transformation is an ongoing process and not a singular act? When life demands you show up, how can you carry this newfound clarity like the badge of honour it is?
vi. Building Skills
Whilst Judgement demands reckoning, it doesn’t mean self-immolation. So accept what matters to you beyond your ego, and commit to it. Here’s an ACT-aligned toolkit to own your awakening without frying your circuits:
Creative Hopelessness: Admit the Struggle
Start by naming what’s not working. Maybe it’s the endless self-judgment or trying to outrun old stories of unworthiness. Say it out loud: “I’m tired of pretending I can fix this by doing more, being better, or hiding less.” Feel that frustration; this is your ‘creative hopelessness’ moment, where surrender isn’t defeat but permission to change the approach.
Values Check-In: Clarify Your True North
Each morning, ask yourself: What do I really want to stand for today? What feels essential to your core without the shoulds and musts? This grounds Judgement’s call into practical direction. Write it down. Maybe it’s honesty, courage, or doing that thing you’ve been putting off for fear or judgement.
Defusion from Ego-Traps: Outsmart Your Inner Critic
Hear that voice saying, “You’re too much,” or “No one wants the full you”? Give those thoughts the ridiculous treatment: draw them as a cartoon villain, or sing them to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” This cracks their power and reminds you they’re just words.
Committed Moves: Small Acts of Reckoning
Pick one tiny daily action that feels slightly risky, whether it’s sending a message you’ve been avoiding, sharing an unpopular opinion, or owning your needs without apology. These micro-commits build the muscle Judgement wants - showing up as you despite your fear.
Embodied Accountability: Ground Into Your Body
Judgement is the whole caboosh; mind, body and spirit. Try a one-minute grounding practise by standing tall, feet firm, shoulders back, and take three deep breaths. Imagine your feet rooting you to your values, your breath fueling your resolve. Your body learns what your mind’s still figuring out: you’re here, fully present, and ready to rise with integrity.
vii. Embodiment
Learn to Live in the Light of Reckoning
If you’re used to hiding in the shadows, wrestling with guilt, regret, or “unfinished business”, Judgement can feel like the spotlight you didn’t ask for. It’s time to stand in your own conviction, embrace karma and embody your call:
Smell: What does honest air smell like? Maybe it’s that clean, post-storm freshness or the scent of a crisp notebook waiting for your truth. Breathe it in. This is your life without denial or self-deception.
Body: Where does your awakening settle? Your throat, where you speak your truth? Your stomach, where courage churns? Place a hand there. Let that feeling guide you, because your body knows when you stop running the old scripts.
Soundtrack: Choose music that stirs you into action - maybe an evoking choir, a bold trumpet, or a pulse that mirrors your heartbeat. Let it be the anthem for your personal resurrection.
Action: Do something that says, “I’m here now.” Say the honest thing you’ve been holding back, open Whatsapp and get typing. These small acts honour your new chapter.
Nature Cue: Stand in the sun or find a window where the light filters beautifully. Feel how the physical warmth mirrors your undeniable physics of transformation.
Notice What’s Lighting You Up: What simple, raw joy have you been too busy to notice? This clarity is your soul’s broadcast, so receive it without overthinking because this needs no edits.
viii. Your Impressions
Look at the Judgement card in your own deck if possible. Take a moment to observe without overthinking.
Where does your eye land first? The angel sounding the trumpet like your life just got an unexpected RSVP? The crowd rising like unhelpful but hopeful zombies? The cracked tombs hinting at what’s been buried but about to rise?
What stirs inside you? Is it a strange mix of relief and anxiety? An ember of hope tangled with “Am I ready for this?” Let it surface because there’s no plot twists at this stage - it’s now the penultimate curtain for the performance you’ve been rehearsing your whole life for.
Now check in with your body. Are your shoulders dropping their usual armour? Is your breath a little freer, or maybe catching on the edge of something new? This might just be what it feels like to meet yourself.
ix. Intuitive Meaning
If Judgement keeps landing it’s time to ask: What part of me is done hiding behind filters, ready to trust joy against the odds, and willing to step into my full, unapologetic brilliance?
What part of you is done with polite half-truths?
Where have you dared to trust joy, even when it made zero practical or tangible sense and turned out to be exactly right?
Where are you mistaking “playing it safe” for actual safety?
What truth about your own brilliance are you ready to stop underestimating?
Applied Insight with a Three-Card Reading for an epiphany:
Where am I already thriving but pretending it’s dumb luck?
What part of me deserves to take up more space on the stage, or in the quiet corners?
What joy should guide my life, even if it disrupts my carefully crafted image and plans that aren’t right for me?
Pull or shuffle-fling your cards, listen for trumpets and write three personal words that reflect your experience of Judgement:
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x. Closing Reflection: Track Your Evolving Lens
Your relationship with each card will grow over time because it’s meant to shaped by your life. Consider the prompts below to revisit and reflect.
What I thought this card meant when I first pulled it: —————————————————
A recent experience that changed how I see it: —————————————————
How I feel about it now, in my body or life: —————————————————
What surprised me as this card kept showing up: —————————————————
One way this card is living in my life right now: —————————————————
If this card visited me today as a guide, what would it want me to remember? —————————————————
Revisit these after a week, a moon phase, or a meaningful moment. Let the card evolve as you do.
If you feel a quiet sense of recognition, curiosity and want to explore it, browse the sessions page for what feels right.