WalesWoman said:
The Lady of the Lake is so large, totally dwarfing Arthur and just now it hit me, that our drives and desires (his mantle perhaps, and the symbolism of the swords) may be what bring us to the lake in the first place, but have to be balanced with what is right, with the "rightness" of what we want to achieve from those drives and desires.
That's interesting WalesWoman, I wasn't thinking of Arthur's desires, or at least not those proceeding from the ego level. Because the "Whispered words rode the wind: 'the coming of Arthur draws near,'" I saw the reason that he was there was that he was answering the divine call on this life. I felt that Arthur was responding to high Justice on the cosmic level, that he was discovering the life mission for which he was incarnate.
WalesWoman said:
Most of the time when I see this card, I see Justice as balance, as equality and fairness or reaching an equilibrium. But in this light it is seeing what we want for what it is, is it worth the cost of persuing it, will it be fair to others or fair to ourselves? Nothing comes without some sort of price, so to recieve Justice we also have to be willing to give it as well. To be impartial when weighing the balance of some action or decision or whatever.
Yes, I think that is an important point, that Justice is a daily practice, that it is more important to give Justice than to receive. Finding the balance of Justice is one of the most difficult challenges we face, for we are all collectively responsible in some degree for what happens throughout the world.
I also forgot to mention my appreciation of Justice as the embodiment of perfect form, that to be just is to be finely tuned, perfectly suited to a use or task. Just as the Lady's body is a large and imposing icon of dynamic womanly beauty, Justice forms the perfected container in which idea and emotion are expressed. It is the book of rules about which art frolics, the grounding string that enables creativity to fly. As in
just intonation, it is the perfect form into which expression is focused, the silver chalice into which the wine is poured.
While the traditional mapping of the Tarot Justice with Venus in Libra makes sense, I see an even closer association with asteroid Pallas Athena in Libra. My natal Pallas is conjunct my Capricorn Sun. Aside from a pronounced tendency to legalism which is often a curse, there is the blessing of an innate sense of artistic form. In dreams and meditations she is a powerful and perfectly formed ice queen, a pristine blonde with almost no personality of her own.
WalesWoman said:
One of the thoughts I had was about the sword and sheath, when to use that sword to cut through to the truth, to be determined and a bit ruthless and when to show mercy, to sheath that sword. Justice is learning to know the difference or perhaps is that delicate balance of distributing justice with mercy and fairness.
Justice is the high archetype that finds personal expression in the Queen of Swords, and like the
Connolly Queen, Justice may wield a sharp and formidable weapon. The sword may destroy, but it also may cut free and liberate.
Justice is naturally passionate, but from a high perspective that is not natural to humanity. Unlike the Wheel, she never seems arbitrary, but yet her judgements may be cruel to some, merciful to others. And although inherently neutral, the unscrupulous may try to tip her scales out of balance. Those who love her with courage will seek to save her from error.
snowy25 said:
But he, it was the theme of 2004 for me.
Snowy, do you mean it was your year card (however that is determined) or that events in your life kept seeming to refer to Justice?