MAAT Study Group- Justice

crazy raven

Juliecucciawatts said:
The symbol of the scales in the zodiac sign of Libra is found in the ancient Egyptian stories of the judgment of souls. In these stories it is Maat the Goddess of Truth and Justice who weighs men's souls against a feather before they can pass on into the next world.

The problem I have with this, is the soul truly doesn't have a weight....it is not an organ of the body. It responds with curiousity, eagerness and enthusiasm to our personality or what has been called our ego. We have to set it in motion.

When a plant becomes pot bound we repot it......the soul then is no longer stifled it flourishes....it has room for growth. A weak personality can stunt our growth...it becomes tangled and twisted in knots, it cannot move or grow. Life is supposed to be about growing emotionally and spiritually.

As we move through life many of us can become psychic garbage collectors vacuuming up other people's feelings. The more sensitive we are, the more debris we collect. On the other hand the heart wall thickens when we are defensive or constrict our emotions. An open heart is expressive, vulnerable, full of compassion and joy......whereas a closed heart, a hardened heart is created through fear, anger, which cuts off the flow of blood to itSelf and all other body organs. Plague builds up and we suffer blocked arteries, atherosclerosis and possibly heart disease.

Maat 'knows' when we are authentic as opposed to 'play-acting nice'.....she laughs knowing that our actions tend to draw similar reactions.

Another way I see Maat in this card......she seems to be saying it is not healthy to keep giving until you feel drained or used or beaten. Such giving can become laced with anger, resentment and a message upspoken that says " haha now you owe me". This is not love, it is bartering.
 

juliecucciawatts

crazy raven said:
The problem I have with this, is the soul truly doesn't have a weight....it is not an organ of the body. It responds with curiousity, eagerness and enthusiasm to our personality or what has been called our ego. We have to set it in motion.

When a plant becomes pot bound we repot it......the soul then is no longer stifled it flourishes....it has room for growth. A weak personality can stunt our growth...it becomes tangled and twisted in knots, it cannot move or grow. Life is supposed to be about growing emotionally and spiritually.

As we move through life many of us can become psychic garbage collectors vacuuming up other people's feelings. The more sensitive we are, the more debris we collect. On the other hand the heart wall thickens when we are defensive or constrict our emotions. An open heart is expressive, vulnerable, full of compassion and joy......whereas a closed heart, a hardened heart is created through fear, anger, which cuts off the flow of blood to itSelf and all other body organs. Plague builds up and we suffer blocked arteries, atherosclerosis and possibly heart disease.

Maat 'knows' when we are authentic as opposed to 'play-acting nice'.....she laughs knowing that our actions tend to draw similar reactions.

Another way I see Maat in this card......she seems to be saying it is not healthy to keep giving until you feel drained or used or beaten. Such giving can become laced with anger, resentment and a message upspoken that says " haha now you owe me". This is not love, it is bartering.


To be sure... you ARE correct. I think the most important thing to remember with this symbol is it is a metaphor and that we are dealing with the symbol
of an ancient culture as well as translating ancient language and ancient world views. We have to think AND feel out these symbols. This is the essence of MAAT.
Try this...Tell yourself a lie...feel it. How does that make you feel.
Now tell yourself the truth about something, or think of something
inspiring and exciting. Now sense the difference between these two feelings.
This is the difference between a "heavy" heart and a "light" heart. We still have these ancient ideas in our modern language.
"The law is written on our hearts" was one of the messages from Catholic school that still seems to apply here. In other words each one of us knows our heart's desire we know what brings us joy. How many of us will dare to follow our hearts? This all seems pretty well established and common knowledge yet day after day I see people hating their lives mainly due to not feeling like they can do what they really want to do. I have found that if you follow after your bliss the universe will support you. Even if you have a few sleepless nights in the process ...nothing is easy. ;-)
thanks for posting
Julie
 

Penthasilia

Maat tarot IDS

Card/Number: Justice/37

Card Image: see attached

First Impression: The impact of her sheer presence, this glorious Ma'at- the namesake of this deck, is tremendous indeed! What a fabulous card!

Card Description: An image of Ma'at---a beautiful black woman with braided/beaded hair sits naked and cross legged on the floor, the scale of truth in front of her. Her head is tilted back in laughter, her wings spread, as the scale is balanced between the heart filled jar on the left and the feather on the right. She holds a dagger in her left hand. There is a multi-colored wreath of ribbons on the ivory tower to the right, similar to the one on the tree in the two of wands.

Masculine/Feminine/Neutral: Feminine

Colors: rainbow colors of the wreath, black, ivory, white and red

Senses: You hear the rich laughter as it ripples through the air, a warm breeze brushing your skin. You can smell the faint scent of frankincense and myrrh.

Symbols: scale, heart/jar, feather, dagger, pillars and wreath.

Story (intuitive): Oh child, come and sit by me. Sit, listen and understand. Can you feel my joy as the scales weigh even? I sit here with you at every crossroads, and I watch, listen and wait, including that crossroads of death for which you traditionally feel my presence. I laugh with joy when you choose the path that is true to you, and I mourn when you wander astray. When you walked through that opening and chose your path, your scale balanced. How do you know the path that is true for you? You look for the signs- the ones that let you know, such as the wreath. Or, you listen, listen to that deep voice of truth that lies within you. Keep your heart open child, and follow that inner voice. Know that every time you do, the scales stay balanced and my joy and laughter will be that light-hearted sound that you hear in the wind.

Astrologic: the full moon cycle of Libra, planetary ruler: Mars

Element: ether

Keywords: truth, justice, karma

Meanings: an initiation, rite of passage, death rituals/preparations

Quote: "I balance."
 

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