The essential meanings of this Major Arcana card from the Rider-Waite-Smith deck.

Upright: Judgement upright represents rebirth, inner calling, and absolution. It often appears when you are at a crossroads, ready to leave the past behind and step into a new phase of life. This card suggests a time of self-evaluation – hearing the “call” to live your truth – and making decisions that align with your higher purpose. Upright, Judgement encourages forgiveness (of self and others), releasing past regrets, and trusting that you are being guided toward your true calling. It signals a powerful transformation where you can rise up renewed.

Reversed: Judgement reversed can indicate self-doubt or reluctance to heed a calling. You might be avoiding a decision or fearing the changes that come with answering your inner truth. This reversal suggests a need to let go of guilty feelings or indecision that are holding you back from growth. It’s a nudge to trust yourself and not fear others’ judgment. If you’ve been hard on yourself, now is the time to practice self-compassion. The reversed Judgement card implies that once you release those doubts, you can move forward with clarity and purpose.

Three Possibilities

The secrets of this card for heart, mind and soul.

Love: In love, Judgement is the call of destiny awakening sleeping hearts. Past patterns and old wounds rise up for review and forgiveness, allowing a relationship to be reborn or a new one to begin with a clear conscience. It’s a time of truth and absolution: an angel’s trumpet sounds, heralding a rebirth of love — whether it’s two partners reconciling with honest hearts or an individual releasing the past to answer a higher calling in love.

Career: In your career, Judgement indicates a pivotal reckoning or breakthrough. You may find yourself at a crossroads, facing a major evaluation of your work or feeling an inner call to change your professional path. This is a moment of truth and transformation — by reflecting on past experiences and lessons, you can make a decisive choice. Answering this call leads to renewal in your work life, aligning your career with your true purpose or giving a long-standing project its final, triumphant resolution.

Spirituality: Spiritually, Judgement is the clarion call of awakening and rebirth. You stand at the threshold of a higher calling, urged to let go of past guilt, old identities, or judgments against yourself and others. Like souls rising to an angel’s trumpet, you undergo a profound renewal — forgiving what has been and embracing your true purpose. This card signifies an enlightenment moment where you step into a more authentic self, reborn and aligned with your soul’s calling.