Il Guidizio: Judgement
Verse
“The call of Gabriel’s horn
radiates seven sounds of sorrow
the notes flow into a rapturous crescendo
that wakes the dead.
Once wayward souls emerge from their sullen graves
who in life,
through strife and suffering,
saw the truth behind the veil,
now rise gladly towards their final judgment
ready to be born again.”
Keywords
Upright: Call to action. Atonement.Life-altering decisions. Forgiveness. Leaving the past behind. Redemption.
Reversed: Ignoring the call. Regret. Shame. Fear. Holding onto the past.
Correspondences
Planet: Uranus
Element: Fire
Aroma: Hyssop, Cedar, and Gardenia
Description
An angel sounds their horn to call three souls to their judgment. They float up from a cemetery full of solar cross grave markers. The solar cross represents balance and equality, as all humanity is subject to final judgment. In the Hermetic Tarot, this card is known as “The Spirit of the Primal Fire.”
In a reading, Judgement serves as a call to action. You may be on the cusp of a life-altering decision or event, so act in accordance with your highest self to bring about the best possible outcome. You may be ready to finally leave the baggage of the past behind and start a new journey. Seek atonement. Forgive yourself and others. Let the past die and be reborn.
The reversed suggests that there is something inside of you that is holding you back from your chance at redemption and rebirth. You may be experiencing feelings of fear, shame, regret, or self-criticism. The universe is calling you to acknowledge these feelings and set things right, but you’re choosing not to listen because it’s too hard. The call is for you but you pretend you do not hear it because of what you may need to sacrifice.
Design
For this card, I wanted to capture the sort of rapturous feeling one might experience when hearing an angel’s call. The spirits are not in control here, they completely let go. The graveyard at the bottom has more than 3 markers which suggest that there are other spirits that are not answering or perhaps the call isn't for them, not yet anyway. I wanted it to feel sort of fiery at the bottom like the world is burning, and the heavens are a peaceful blue/purple. Keeping complex details as simple and clear as possible is something I had to consider for all of the cards, but I feel like it was especially important here.
Key Symbols
The solar cross: represents balance and equality, as all humanity is subject to final judgment.
Sound lines: The call to action/your higher self
Angel: Divinity, higher self
Spirits: humanity
Color Theory
Blue: Truth. Clarity. Communication.
Purple: Intuition. Spirituality. Psychic energy.
Red: Severity, Strength, Grounding, Focus, Support
Orange: Creativity. Identity. Pleasure. Passion. Desire. Inspiration.
Yellow: Instinct. Wisdom. Confidence.
(Green is missing because there is no love emotion or compassion involved in final judgment)
