Tyldwick - Judgement

BodhiSeed

What I notice in the Judgement card:

wallpaper with people (top)
small altar with angel blowing trumpet
two jack-in-the-box toys

The wallpaper at the top of the card shows busy people going about their day. Like most of us, these people show how goal focused we can be to the extent that we are oblivious to the more subtle spiritual truths around us.

The small altar's angel is probably Gabriel, often connected to the trumpet blowing angel in Revelations 11 declaring the kingdom of God had come. I'm not sure how most fundamental Christians missed the earlier statement of Jesus that the kingdom of heaven was within, which to me implies an inner awakening rather than an external event.
Gabriel's horn (also called Torricelli's trumpet) is a geometric figure with an infinite surface area but a finite volume, suggesting the infinite divine meeting the finite.
In a traditional Jewish tale, it is said an angel teaches a soul all the secrets of the world before it is born. But at the time of birth, the angel puts its finger to the infant's lips (creating the indentation in the upper lip) and reminds it to keep everything a secret. But in this card, Gabriel calls us to remember what we've forgotten. It is this wisdom that will clear away the confusion and help us make decisions with confidence and purpose.

Most of the small children I've seen surprised by a jack-in-the-box cry before they laugh when the puppet pops out. Here's one theory about the origin of these toys (as quoted from retroplanet.com): "the name 'Jack' was a reference to the devil, referred to as a “jack”. There is a legend in England about a medieval ecclesiastic who claimed to have captured the devil by trapping him a boot. This story may have contributed to the toy’s invention as well, as illustrations were made of him holding a boot with the devil’s head popping out of it." So basically they symbolize a scary surprise that doesn't seriously harm us in any way, but makes a strong impression. In other words, it is a wake-up call.

malpertuis.co.uk/2013
 

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Tyldwick

I love this interpretations of the "jacks." Alternately, I had simply conceived of them as representing literal people, upon whom the Judgement is being rendered. In the Marseille tradition, this card features three human figures at the bottom: one on either side facing "out" toward the viewer (behind a table in fact), and one in the center seen from behind in the foreground.

http://tarot-history.com/images/Conver/Jugement-medium-3.jpg

The Tyldwick card shows the two faces present on both sides, which means the missing center one is... myself! Many of the cards in this deck "pull me in" to mentally occupy their empty spaces, but this revelation immediately felt like an uncomfortable and inexorable call, an almost physical tug towards the center of the card. Odd, as it had made no particular impact on me either way before that!
 

jaimiequick

I love this interpretations of the "jacks." Alternately, I had simply conceived of them as representing literal people, upon whom the Judgement is being rendered. In the Marseille tradition, this card features three human figures at the bottom: one on either side facing "out" toward the viewer (behind a table in fact), and one in the center seen from behind in the foreground.

http://tarot-history.com/images/Conver/Jugement-medium-3.jpg

The Tyldwick card shows the two faces present on both sides, which means the missing center one is... myself! Many of the cards in this deck "pull me in" to mentally occupy their empty spaces, but this revelation immediately felt like an uncomfortable and inexorable call, an almost physical tug towards the center of the card. Odd, as it had made no particular impact on me either way before that!

Just a nod to the genius of this observation!