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General Book of the Tarot, by A. E. Thierens, [1930], at sacred-texts.com


XX. The Last Judgment. Jupiter.

If Saturn denotes 'death' and the grave, what more natural than that his counterpart Jupiter should stand for the resurrection from the grave? While Saturn, Lord of the mineral kingdom, is held to 'kill' by his crystallising effect, Jupiter, Lord of the vegetable kingdom and of all that grows and expands and evolves, leading up to sublimation and elevation, abstraction, etc., afterwards, is first the emblem and function of organic life, later on also those of psychic and spiritual life above the material existence, barren and naked, from which it consequently brings deliverance. The latter meaning is chiefly viewed when symbolising this principle in the card of the Last Judgment. "An angel sounds his trumpet per sepulchra regionum and the dead arise." (W.) Some people say "that it signifies renewal, which is obvious enough . . ." and "that it is the generative force of the earth and eternal life." (W.) The latter fairly covers our definition of Jupiter's function. Again W. further mentions, that it "is the card which registers the accomplishment of the great work of transformation." Which is also in the line of Jupiter, Io Pater, 'Our Father that is in the Heavens.' And every great work needs his co-operation; there is no important or great work

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done in this world without Jupiter, the planet of ideals playing a prominent rôle in it. Ideals, that "are the angel part of us," as Zanoni tells his disciple. So this card stands for ideals, religious, social or any other and for the elevating effect they have on man; for ideas and leading motives, aspirations, etc., consequently for generalisation, illumination, dispersion, elevation, for all that is honourable on one hand but also for illusions or vain aspirations on the other hand. It is the sign of deliverance from narrow thought and hampering conditions in the soul as well as in the body and in life.

The card is identified with the Hebrew letter Resh, which "is the head of man, and it is therefore associated with the idea of all that possesses in itself an original, determined movement. It is the absolute sign of motion, good or bad, and expresses the renewal of things with regard to their innate power of motion."--"Return to the divine world."--"Vegetable life." (P.) Yes. We might say: thought-power and the idea of motion which it implies and imparts. Jupiter was the first and chief of the Gods, Theoi, Movers.


Next: XXI. The World. Neptune