Tarot of Prague Café Club - Justice

Jewel-ry

Hi there,

I had to have a really good think about the elephant on this card and its possible significance. Elephants are intelligent, gentle and have a great memory, and that of course is the answer. To me Justice represents truth, integrity, cause and effect, consequence and evaluation, so the elephant is there to remind us that we are responsible for our actions, even if its a long time after the event. When I see him stood on the globe I think of 'what goes around comes around'.

Justice balances on his back and holds her left foot out to steady herself. A reminder to balance our present action with the circumstances that have put us in that situation in the first place. The only colour in the card is in Justice herself. Red, orange and yellow all the colours of passion, courage, confidence and spirituality. In a Marseille deck, the Justice figure has what appears to be a rope around her neck which always makes me think that given enough rope we will hang ourselves. This justice appears to have a rope tied around her waist (this could just be my imagination though!). The way she balances on the elephant makes me think that she has paused and is waiting before she makes a response.

A phoenix in the background rises from the ashes to represent rebirth, perhaps a reminder that we can be rejuvenated by facing our past actions.

J :)
 

Bean Feasa

Well if you had asked me as a Tarot of Prague trivia question which card has an elephant on it, I wouldn't have been able to answer. I read Jewel-ry's post here at work where I don't have a deck - so couldn't wait to get home to see that elephant, and sure enough, here it is. A lesson to me in how we can think we're looking carefully, but maybe we're just not seeing.
The elephant gives a very exotic feel to Justice - maybe an Eastern atmosphere as in the Fool card? It's a rather endearing depiction - Justice is usually quite stiff and stern, but here her scales have gone slightly awry - perhaps because she's standing on the elephant's back, and needs to concentrate on keeping her own balance. The figure seems dynamic, fluid, flexible. This card doesn't have the same - coming-to-getcha feel (oh, my guilty conscience! :)) as some Justice cards, and I like that. It seems to speak more of how it's difficult for all of us to get the karmic balance right in life, and we can slip but we can clamber back up on the elephant and sort ourselves out just the same. The alcove behind is decorated in wonderfully intricate black-and-white work that once again seems to hint at Oriental styles. A phoenix raises it's wings behind and above Justice's head - a positive symbol of rebirth, trying again, overcoming and transforming mistakes and difficulties.
 

annik

I think that with the elephant, the question of balance is accentuated. Equilibrum is very important to be able to go on this elephant. This justice is able to keep it's calm and is not out of balance. So the elephant is really adding a nice edge to the card
 

RedMaple

Bean Feasa said:
Well if you had asked me as a Tarot of Prague trivia question which card has an elephant on it, I wouldn't have been able to answer. I read Jewel-ry's post here at work where I don't have a deck - so couldn't wait to get home to see that elephant, and sure enough, here it is. A lesson to me in how we can think we're looking carefully, but maybe we're just not seeing.
The elephant gives a very exotic feel to Justice - maybe an Eastern atmosphere as in the Fool card? It's a rather endearing depiction - Justice is usually quite stiff and stern, but here her scales have gone slightly awry - perhaps because she's standing on the elephant's back, and needs to concentrate on keeping her own balance. The figure seems dynamic, fluid, flexible. This card doesn't have the same - coming-to-getcha feel (oh, my guilty conscience! :)) as some Justice cards, and I like that. It seems to speak more of how it's difficult for all of us to get the karmic balance right in life, and we can slip but we can clamber back up on the elephant and sort ourselves out just the same.
]

This Justice card was not my favorite, though I do love the elephant. What you say about her having to keep her balance, though, is helping me see the card differently -- yes, how difficult it is to keep balance, how difficult to seek Justice, or accept it, most of the time.

The bright colors were also a little strange for me, but they do echo the Eastern theme of the Fool and the Empress -- which would make sense with the Elephant. Since the Phoenix is a symbol of Justice in Japan, red as a color of courage would make sense.

I keep thinking of the Feng Shui principles, where you keep the Phoenix in front of you where it can fly, and back yourself up with the Turtle, maybe in this case, the elephant. :)
 

Herzog

An elephant is firmly planted to the ground... very difficult if not impossible to move or sway. He's a big, heavy mass. Justice is the same. You can never sway Justice to your advantage. Justice gives you what you deserve.