Looking Back to Move Forward: the Wisdom of Sankofa
The Sankofa wisdom of the Akan people teaches that going back for what was left behind isn't shameful. Judgement in tarot carries that same call to revisit your own story.
The Sankofa wisdom, from the Akan people, teaches that going back for what was left behind isn't shameful — it's maturity — and Judgement in tarot calls for that same honest review of your own story. Learning from the past is different from staying stuck in it.
Today's page in my grimoire
I'm writing this entry thinking about a symbol I came across while studying African traditions: a bird flying forward with its head turned back, carrying an egg in its beak, a symbol of the future still to be born. This symbol comes from the Akan people of Ghana, and it carries a beautiful name: Sankofa. It teaches something many people forget when they keep rushing forward without stopping — that there's no shame in going back to retrieve what was left behind, if it's to bring learning with it. I want to share this ancient wisdom with you today, and introduce you to the tarot card that speaks of the very same courage to revisit your own story.
What Sankofa teaches about going back
The wisdom of Sankofa teaches that moving forward without ever looking back can cost dearly, because we end up repeating what was never learned, carrying patterns that were never examined. The bird that gives this symbol its name doesn't walk backwards, and it doesn't stay stuck in the past either — it keeps walking forward, but turns its head to gather what was left forgotten: a piece of wisdom, a lesson, a part of itself left somewhere along the way. A simple way to put this idea is: there's no shame in going back for what you forgot to bring. The past, revisited with that intention, becomes a tool, not a chain.
Judgement and the call of your own story
In tarot, Judgement is the card that calls for that very movement. An angel blows a trumpet, and figures rise with their arms raised, climbing out of their graves, as if summoned to reckon with their own history before moving on to a new stage. It isn't a card of punishment — it's a card of calling, of honestly reviewing what's already been lived, so the person can rise more whole, not more weighed down. When Judgement turns up in a reading, I tend to say life is asking for a pause to look back again, not to blame yourself, but to gather the lesson that hadn't been gathered yet, before moving on to the next chapter.
Between dwelling and learning
Some people avoid looking back for fear of reliving the pain, and some people get stuck looking only backward, unable to move on. Both extremes hurt. The anxious mind tends to do both at once: it avoids facing the old mistake, and yet keeps reliving it in repeated thought, a guilt that never turns into learning, only into looping suffering. The difference between dwelling on the past and learning from it is the intention behind looking back. Dwelling hurts without transforming anything. Learning hurts too, but it hands you something to carry forward — a discernment that keeps you from repeating the same story in different clothes.
A practice for this page
Pick a situation from the past that still weighs on you and write three simple questions about it. What did this situation teach me about myself? What would I do differently today, knowing what I know now? What part of that lesson am I already using in my life, even without realising it? This exercise turns a heavy memory into a living tool. Do it without rushing to forgive yourself too quickly or blaming yourself more than necessary — just with the honest intention of gathering what that moment still has to teach you, one step at a time, with patience for yourself.
When looking back hurts too much
Revisiting the past with the intention to learn is different from reliving a trauma alone, without support. If what's left behind still hurts in a way that blocks the present, that returns in nightmares, that paralyses you, the right care is to seek therapy, because some wounds need professional support to be processed safely. Here, tarot works as a symbolic mirror that helps name what needs to be looked at, not as treatment — and that distinction matters a great deal when the pain from the past runs too deep to face alone.
Closing the grimoire
I close this page thinking about how many times I avoided looking back for fear of sinking into it again, and how, every time I finally looked with courage, I came out carrying less weight, not more. Sankofa and Judgement teach the same thing through different symbols: there's no shame in going back for what was left behind, as long as it's to move forward more whole. If you feel there's an old chapter asking for this kind of review, a reading here at Witchroom can help you understand what it still has to teach you before you turn the page.
Frequently asked questions
Isn't looking back the same as staying stuck in the past?
It depends on the intention. Dwelling on the past without purpose keeps you stuck, but looking back to gather a specific lesson, as the wisdom of Sankofa teaches, is different: it's a movement that serves you moving forward more whole, not staying stuck there.
What does Judgement mean in a tarot reading?
Judgement represents a call to honestly review your own story, a moment of reckoning with yourself before rising to the next stage of life. It's a card of rebirth, not punishment.
How do I learn from past mistakes without over-blaming myself?
Swap the question 'why did I do this' for 'what did this teach me'. The first feeds guilt, the second turns the memory into learning. If the guilt is very intense and persistent, it's worth seeking therapeutic support to process it with more care.
A card's meaning shifts with the question, position and context. No single card should be read as a verdict on its own.