The Looming Judgement Card Is Here, and She’s Got Receipts

You Better Not Postpone This Reckoning

20 - JUDGEMENT

The world I know has begun to tremble beneath my feet. There was an earthquake this morning, but that’s not it.

Just as I was trying to gather my senses, a piercing ringing of bells and reverberating tones cracked open the sky.

I’m tired. My soul feels tattered. And when I look at the angel, a tinnitus of terror flashes through me like a lightning bolt.

Judgement rings her trumpets at number 20 in the tarot.

There is no ignoring her call. These trumpets can wake the dead, and when they rise, they rise changed.

There’s a fork in the road. A decision needs to be made. The sound of the trumpets will only grow louder until you face the music.

Judgement is a wake-up call.
It’s time to come clean.
It’s time for absolution.
It’s time for reawakening.

A new life awaits. But before you can step into it, you have to take a long, honest look at the path that led you here. You must ask yourself, with courage and without excuse:

How have I walked through this life? Who am I now? Who am I becoming?

A lot of people confuse the Judgement card with Justice. They’re sisters, not twins. Justice demands fairness and balance. Judgement is a personal reckoning. It asks for clarity, and demands your internal truth.

A higher version of yourself is calling. Will you heed the call?

In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, a winged angel sounds a trumpet adorned with a red cross. The dead rise, arms lifted, awaiting their rebirth.

The image is steeped in religious overtones, but you don’t necessarily need religion to feel its weight.

I was out for a walk, thinking about the Judgement card and whether it’s really religious, and then like a cosmic wink, I saw this:

For my new readers: if you haven’t guessed it, my favorite color is purple.
And whenever I see something unusually purple, I take it as a wink from the Universe.

Judgement is not a punishment. It’s a summoning. There are crosses in several tarot cards: The Hierophant, Death, The World, the Page and Knight of Cups, and the Knight of Pentacles. Crosses mean a crossroads.

You’ve been here before. You knew this moment was coming. The choice is yours: Repeat the cycle, or rise.

My angel stands before me, 77 feet in the air. She’s dripping in copper bells.
Her face is veiled by a mirrormask. Her arms are folded like she’s waiting for my next move.

“Have I done you wrong?” she asks. “Have I ever been wrong?”

“Are you kidding me? Last year SUCKED.”

“I didn’t ask if it was hard. I asked if I was wrong.”

...Silence.

“Some of your bells are rusted,” I mutter. (A weak burn, but it’s all I had.)

“Get dressed. I’m losing light being here.”

I see new clothes laid out before me.

“These are uncomfortable and itchy and I can’t see shit in this fog.”

“The clothes aren’t made for comfort, they’re made for courage. And you won’t be able to see where you’re going until you start moving.”

My angel’s hot. But she’s really annoying.

When Judgement stands in your path, you’re being asked to wake up to who you truly are. The discomfort means you're not sleepwalking anymore. You're not lost, you're becoming.

So, what do you do when Judgement is blowing its trumpets at you?

From the Disney Tarot

Here are some actionable steps to heed the call:

1. Connect with Your Angel

Who is your angel? Draw them. Write to them. Talk to them. Ask what they’re here to tell you. Take a walk and have a conversation with them.
(As you can see, I fight with mine. But it’s not my fault. She’s snarky.)

2. Do a Life Audit

You’ve put yourself here for a reason. Now be brutally honest about what that means. Grab a journal or open your voice memo app and ask:

• What habits or behaviors have I outgrown? What do I want to replace them with?

• Where have I betrayed myself or others? How can I come clean so I can move forward?

• What truths have I been avoiding?

This is not about shame. It’s about clarity. Beating yourself up won’t get you where you want to go. You need to love yourself through transformation.

3. Own Your Choices

Accountability isn’t blame, it’s power. Ask yourself:

• What choices brought me here?

• What choices will I make now to move toward the next chapter?

4. Grieve And Let Go

Let go of guilt, resentment, and outdated identities. Thank them for getting you this far. Now, you’re headed down a different road. One that will require new tools. Write a letter releasing what no longer serves you, and then burn it. Repeat this mantra:

I forgive myself. It is safe for me to evolve.

Here’s a beautiful EFT tapping session by

Gala Darling

on Closing Out an Old Chapter.

5. Make the Damn Decision

You can’t stay in the waiting room forever. You’re at a crossroads. You must choose, even if it scares you. Even if it means leaving old versions of yourself behind. Trust the new versions you can’t see yet.

6. Answer the Call

What inner voice have you been silencing? Now’s the time to say yes to the nudge. The dream. The deep knowing. Start moving, even if it’s slow. Even if your body feels heavy. Even if all you have is a whisper. Trust that you will get stronger with every step.

I sat with this newsletter in my drafts for a while. I’ve been thinking about my angel these past few days, and I realized something. She’s not some distant entity or otherworldly guide. She’s me. Not the next version, necessarily, but a higher vibration of who I already am. Just as I am a higher version of the self I see in my old journals.

When I started this newsletter, it was a creative experiment. An exploration. A way to answer a question that’s lingered for years: What do I do with all of the journals I’ve filled?
(If you’re new here, you can read that origin story here.)

And now, as I heed the trumpet call and face the music that will carry me into my next chapter, something’s shifted. When I look through those old journal pages, I no longer feel embarrassed or cringey. I feel curiosity and compassion. The stories no longer hold power over me.

✨Because I am the storyteller and I’m ready to rise. ✨

Judgement is the storm and the clearing. It’s not here to destroy you, it’s here to remind you who you really are. And if you’re hearing the trumpet that means it’s your time. Are you ready to rise?

I’m so grateful you’re here. If you’re enjoying this newsletter, please restack, share it with a friend, tap that heart, or leave me a comment. I love hearing from you, and your support means the world to me. It makes me feel ✨extra sparkly✨. See you soon, my lovelies…✨💜✨