Justice, Temperance, Lovers= a three-way mirror? I would like to discuss.

I pulled these cards, in the above order, in a three card spread. I was immediately struck by the sense that the three cards were three ways of looking at the exact same thing/issue, much like seeing onesself in a three-way mirror. This was the first time that these cards have appeared for me side-by-side in this manner and I was wondering if others have made the connection of the "two becoming one" upon the appearance of these three cards together?

I've never pulled those cards together, but I think your intuition is correct. There does seem to be a singularity to their meaning, a sense of marriage. Perhaps even a centeredness of the soul?

Hmm, the marriage aspect didn't occur to me, but you are right. I particularily like the phrasing of "a centeredness of the soul". I can't think of three other Majors that would link up in such a fashion to repeat a single message.

Temperance and the Lovers, as I think I mentioned In another thread are not quite the same.

Think of the Lovers as an apple that's been cut in two. The two halves find each other and reunite, the apple is whole again. Thus, with the lovers, the "two-becoming-one" is not really two into one, but rather half-and-half finding each other. You find your soul mate and it's like you're finally whole, like you've never been complete without them. So it's "half-and-half becoming one."

Temperance, however, is two different elements--maybe even elements that seem to be opposite each other (thesis and anti-thesis). Combine them, and you get a completely different third element--unlike either of the two other parts. You get, if you will a "child" or synthesis. This is "two-becoming a third" as it were.

Justice is doesn't try to unite two things, it tries to balance two things. In fact, if you have one thing, like a pile of money, the job of Justice is to SPLIT the money into two equal halves so that two parties can each get their fair share. Justice doesn't care if those two parties ever unite or like each other or become friends...just that the scales are balanced and justice is served. This is "One being split into two to achieve balance and fairness."

Actually, it creates an interesting story of a marriage. Two find each other, marry (lovers), have a kid (Temperance) then divorce and split things evenly (Justice).

shuffle around a bit...

let's play a bit of permutation here...

On the tree of life I'm developing, Justice balances Mercy and Severity-- it's the most precarious pathway on the tree. (Justice is also known as Truth). Temperence runs from Beauty to Splendor, the Lovers from Beauty to Victory-- a matched reflective pair.

so let's move the cards around and order them:

Temperence, Justice, Lovers.

here we have the 'ultimate' balance balancing a balanced set of balances.

Ever stand between two mirrors and watch reflections go off to infinity???


fly well
Raven

What popped in my mind as soon as I read the cards was Marriage. Justice of the Peace style!! And in doing so (usually a quick wedding) your marriage is going to need alot of patience and reuniting of the two lovers. That's just my two pennies. Some people read the cards literally per card, and I have found my first thoughts when I see the cards are usually correct? I dunno everyone has their own styles!

adding a very personal reading of temperance: i did a spread once that was full of cups. temperance kind of summed it up and i was drawn to the two cups in the angel's hands. the mixing of emotions, pouring one cup into another, communication of feeling but not verbally.

there is another element that might connect temperance to the lovers: as thirteen says, temperance creates a third principle, sth new. in haitian vodoun, the marassa, the cosmic twins, receive their offerings in a dish of three bowls: 1+1=3.

To me, Justice represents Law, both sacred and mundane, as represented by the sword, "No move can be made while there are still two". This act of making a verdict is similar to the choosing aspect of the Lovers (one path over another). Temperance is trickier but could be seen in the chemical reaction of mixing two substances, those substances no longer exist as two separate entities.
Of course, I did not analyze these cards as such when I pulled them. My intuition was just overwhelmed with a sense of singularity of purpose. I was really excited to see the interaction between the cards and that was my whole reasoning for opening up a discussion.
I am truly puzzled by the marriage/union aspect of these cards. I'm single and haven't dated in years. As a Reader, I can't deny the obvious interpretation, yet I feel there must be an alternative. I cannot come up with a suitable/logical interpretation and so my mind continues to circle around.

Justice=Temperance=Lovers

.traveler., here's what I got. It struck me as a past-present-future love life type of spread -- take from it what you will:

Justice - in the past, choices about your love life were made outside the self, by society at large or by someone else.
Temperance - you've been making do with making something out of nothing; try, try again.
Lovers - a choice is pending; a bend in the road you didn't expect. Maybe a change in the nature of a current relationship?

Good luck!

Justice – Temperance- Lovers.
.
Justice is talking about that something beyond of our hands needs to be in order or to fix up. Any effort to achieve Justice could be useless. .Waiting patiently is the key; Justice will be done in unimaginable way.

Temperance: Managing the situation? We are blending acts and feelings as we can, slowly and carefully (calling Justice?)

Lovers: Here it is. Between those things or persons there is a decision to take.
May be those three cards are talking about persons, three perhaps and how their relationship is going on.

Temperance with lovers, yes I think is talking about love. But Justice as a first one …. Hummmm …… I would say, is not about marriage but about relation between 2 or more person and something must to be solved.-