DOLLY PARTON IS JUDGMENT, CARD #20
Friday, September 3, 2010 at 10:21PM 
JUDGEMENT
CARD #20
KEYWORDS: Acceptance, Discernment, Professional Success
Judgment.
A loaded word.
Even as the condition of our world invites visions of last days in a biblical sense, personally we’re either passing judgment or receiving it. It’s human nature.
Culturally, we’re obsessed with it. Judgment plays over and over again in movies. Arnold had his terminators, Keanu Reeves chased the white rabbit out of the matrix, Tom Cruise was caught in a war of worlds, and Will Smith kicked alien ass on Independence Day. Many modern religions expect Judgment Day, as well. The Mormons stockpile everything they can think of, and the Jehovah’s Witness are waiting for Armageddon to roll down the freeway. Take the time to scroll through the thousands of websites that are dedicated to survival, and you’ll gain an understanding of the kind of fear this viewpoint incites. Many people are intent on experiencing Judgment Day no matter what the Mayan Elders say about their calendar or the year 2012.
Symbolically, the Rider-Waite Judgment card seems based on the Christian resurrection before the Last Judgment. Naked figures beg the Angel, Gabriel, for redemption while he seems too busy playing his trumpet to notice. In my rendition of The Judgment card, Dolly Parton, or The Dolly Momma as she is affectionately referred to, is the Angel. A successful entertainer, businesswoman, entrepreneur and philanthropist, this highly focused Capricorn is the perfect pop-culture candidate for the Judgment card. Dolly makes no apologies for her identity or image, and she has achieved a high level of professional success without compromising either. In this, the Judgment card makes reference to success in our professional lives, while Dolly, a living example of self-empowerment, asks us to avoid judging ourselves or others too harshly in order to nurture that success.
Dolly is surrounded by mini-Madonna’s seeking her approval. They hang on her, beg, and offer anything, if only she would acknowledge them, while she seems too occupied with lofty pursuits to notice. The irony implied is that while the Madonna’s, Gaga’s, and Adam Lambert’s of the world are so intent on being individuals, they lay themselves out repeatedly for the fickle public to judge. Never mind the fires of hell. Public approval and the scorching fires of the media are blistering enough. However, despite being a tabloid staple her entire career, a pillar of the gay community and a drag queen’s role model who is reported to have an open marriage, those flames never seem to burn The Dolly Momma. It’s as if by embracing herself wholly and completely as she is, Dolly has developed a protective mantle of the most impervious Teflon, one that rivals Oprah’s.
Like The Fool, The Judgment card encourages us to release emotional baggage, and as signified by the presence of all four minor arcana suits, this baggage can be emotional, mental, spiritual, or material. This card, however, gives us the tools we need to do so. Its gift is discernment, or the ability to grasp and comprehend the less obvious. Discernment enables us to make sound decisions by utilizing intuition to see into the truth of matters. It is the difference between reacting and responding, which further enables us to make decisions that support a positive spiritual mindset. Perhaps this discernment is the secret to Dolly’s success.
When we pull this card in a reading for ourselves or a querent, consider where judgment may be at play. Do we judge ourselves or another? Do we accept who we are, or must we see ourselves reflected back in the eyes of those around us. Ask yourself, “Am I getting stuck here? What am I holding onto, and how is it holding me back?”
Then, consider using discernment to discover what that baggage is, forgive yourself, and let go.
Take a long walk or go work out.
You’ll get over it.
And then get into yourself.
After all, as I’m sure Dolly would agree, you’re pretty cool.
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