Known also as the Spirit of the Primal Fire and ruled by the Element of Fire, the card of Judgement represents good judgement in personal and interpersonal areas of life. It also refers to the human habit of judgement, which brings in discernment but also prejudices, which you need to understand and release in order to move forward.
Traditionally this card represents reaping what is sown, getting the benefit or detriment of what you put out into the world, or as my grandmother would have put it, having one's chickens come home to roost. What you put out in the world, in word and deed, will come back to you for good or for ill. And so this is really a card of understanding cause and effect - what actions we take in the world, how we treat others, how we treat even ourselves, all have a result that is demonstrated to us by what we see come to us or leave us.
The card of Judgement sounds rather harsh, and yet it brings with it a renewal, a chance to make things work after struggling and striving to no purpose. The fact that you have been efforting and doing the best despite discouraging circumstances is, in the final analysis, what matters. Life is experienced as striving to improve our situation, whether it is in love, family, work, finances, friendship - often there is one of these that are the thorn in our side.
This card comes to you now to acknowledge your efforts, your struggles, yes, even your disappointments, and it says "I see you, I see what you have been through and it is never for nothing."
It often will predict a change of path, a new direction after a time of disappointment and striving. You can take this card as a sign of encouragement for a change you are contemplating in your life and feeling unsure about in regard to your future.
It is not a card of sudden change or enlightenment, but to be sure you are heading in the right direction and events are going to unfold for you in their own time in a way that will benefit you greatly, so don't rush it.
What can you do now to gain a deeper insight into what is truly important to you?
Image "The Judgement" © lulebel.deviantart.com