January 21, 2012: Judgment -- Utah Mannini One Tarot
This card was created in 2000, for the very first Utah Mannini Tarot Project. It is a view of Antelope Island from the shores of the Great Salt Lake, with a fustercluck of cherubim and seraphim fighting for position on the island. And that does bespeak the very heart of the way we use the word "Judgment" right now in our culture..."judgmental" is a nasty word, the idea of fundamentalism that people will be "judged" by an angry God for being gay, or atheists, or pro-choice, or many other things...yes, all that is there. And that is even more prevalent in Utah, where people often feel as if the LDS Church has everyone under a microscope, "judging" constantly, as is evidenced by the repeated forays of clean-cut young men to one's front door to "preach the Gospel", even after one has asked that they not come back.
So--Judgment...hmm....what kind of a message is THAT for today, ferpetesake? Didn't I have enough to do today without worrying about the Universe judging me?? Geeezzzzeee...
But wait just a minute....slow down. This is a Tarot Witchery site, so try thinking like a Witch. Don't fall into the lazy linguistic trap of giving this word, judgment, only one meaning. To judge, my dears, is to choose. It means to discriminate--another word that has gotten universal bad press over decades of common usage, but actually has quite a magical meaning. Judgment--discrimination--they both mean, to think, and to select, and to make decisions based on free choice. I choose this, and not that. I discriminate at the grocery store between those nice fresh smooth juicy-looking peaches and those that are overripe or still hard and green. And I look at the idea of judging others for their choices, and I realize that I myself have to choose how I will interpret that word, and this card. Everyone chooses. Everyone says, "this, not that." And the idea here is to do that with thought, and consideration, in a focused manner. This card, today, tells us that a choice will need to be made, and that we need to exercise the faculty of judgment in choosing. What do I choose in this instance, and why do I choose it? What do I judge will be the best choice for me and mine? If we exercise the faculty of "right judgment" when we make choices about our lives, we will be far too busy and focused to spend our time either 'judging' anyone else, or worrying about whether we are being 'judged'. Fact is--here come da Judge, and for your own life, dearie, that's you!! Get on with it, eh?
