Greek Oracle – Stone Of Judgment

Greek Oracle – Stone Of Judgment

The word used for judgment in the oracle, psephos, means white pebble. The word for ‘to vote’ in Greek – ‘psephizo’ – comes from the white pebble, or ‘psephos’, that was a symbol to cast one’s vote. The Greek oracle – stone of judgment implies that gods have cast their vote and that there is a majority agreement in the judgment, and that the judgment is fair and “righteous”. Whether the judgment is desirable to the querent is irrelevant, for it is an appropriate judgment.

In a way, the stone of judgment parallels biblical tales about the day of judgment or day of reckoning, where God tallies one’s life deeds and gives a judgment. In the image of the Psi, Y, we see a trident with three forks. These represent the three original powers from which manifest all else. The three powers rest on a central pillar, the pillar of justice, which represents the judgment of the three powers.

The sound of the Psi is also telling, for it is the same sound as the word “sigh.” A sigh can express many states – a sigh of relief, happiness, a sad sigh. The oracle does not tell us what type of “sigh” this is. It only tells that it is a fair judgment over which we have no control.

Choices

The corresponding letter on the learning path is Choices (Eta: Bright Helios, who watches everything, watches you). On the path of the Dark Woods is Karma (Omicron: There are no crops to reap which you did not sow). The judgment follows this theme of consequences for one’s actions. But it represents a final judgment than the two other stones.

In the Stone of Choices, the fool was presented with the Garden of Eden. But the fool has to be careful of her choices for Helios, the sun God, can see everything. In Choices, we can see that the fool has many choices and free will.

Similarly, free will is still available to the fool in the stone of Karma, which tells us that we must sow to reap: “Consider what work needs to be done or what needs to be sacrificed to reap a healthier and more fulfilling crop.”

With the stone of Judgement, there are no more warnings and no more free will choices. What is done is done, and the judgment has been cast. It simply is how it is, whether good or bad, and you must accept that “the judge’s decision is final.”

See Also: Journey of the Soul