78 Weeks: Justice

To find out what these threads refer to, please seeThe link above provides suggested dates and links to all threads for this study.

Some amongst us may be working through the deck in a different order, and using different decks.

For more general comments or questions about the 78 weeks, please post in the thread linked above.

Enjoy!

Blue Rose deck

Note: the actual card differs from the one that is on tarotpassages in that there are is no butterfly nor hourglass. The scales are the same but are slightly larger and are placed lower down in the left hand corner.

The floor has the black and white tiles of polarity, yet the columns are transparent as though the foundation of Justice is the polarity of Right and Wrong, yet Justice is blind to superficial characteristics such as male or female, rich or poor and "sees" through to the inner soul, to intentionality and motivation. The horizontal bar of the cross hilt could stand for severity, the vertical for mercy, the firey blade for having a passion for cutting through obfuscations to the truth. Justice and her scale are both within spheres as though outside of time and human influence: incorruptible.

www.tarotpassages.com/PGJustice.htm

Justice

Sharman-Caselli and RWS

The images for Justice in these two decks are very similar but I do like the Sharman-Caselli one better.

Justice, shows a lady wearing a green dress (feminine - the colour of love & healing) and a red cloak ( the colour of passion and purpose) - have read that they represent a balance, which is interesting as from memory they are sit as opposites on a "colour wheel" which makes sense. Behind her are two pillars (representing justice and mercy) with a purple veil - purple colour of wisdom.

She sits on a square bench holding an upright sword in her right hand - hand of action and a set of balanced scales in her left hand. She wears a head piece or veil of yellow - yellow representing intellect, thought (the background of the card is also yellow). To her left sits an owl on a pedestal. Owl is the bird of wisdom - known for its clear vision and ability to see in the dark.

Did some really interesting reading on this card in Sharman's Mastering the Tarot and Pollack's 78 Degress of Wisdom in regards to the history or mythology of the figure represented by Justice. Greek Goddess Athena - Goddess of dispassionate justice. The Romans worshipped her as the goddess Minerva - and Minerva's sacred bird was the owl. Also Athena apparently had a companion owl as well, which revealed unseen thoughts to her. I think this is why I like the Sharman-Caselli Justice more, as it has the owl - which makes sense to me for this card.

Looking at this card makes me think of a the ability to look at something clearly and squarely (the lady in the card is looking straight ahead - straight at you), and then being able to weigh up the situation or thoughts to take the appropriate action or make the appropriate decision using all the wisdom from the seen and unseen (owl). Also makes you think of any decision made - there is always consequences - and being prepared to live with the consequences makes you give more thought to the decisions you make. The thought of Karma kicks in here - what you give out is what you will receive - be fair in the judgements and decisions you make that affect not only yourself but others.

I always try and associate the card for the week with something that has happened during the week and this one was very clear this week - having had to do a not so positive performance review for one of my team - so made a conscious effort to be fair, honest and impartial in assessment but assuming the responsibility of my role in this and communicating to the person in a way that I would like to be treated. Which made the whole process (for us both - as I don't totally enjoy this aspect of my job), a lot better and with a more positive outcome and plan and a feeling of being fair and just.

On to the next card .....

CreativeFire

Hadar

She wears a red and blue dress and cloak showing the balance of material and spiritual planes. Her crown has red and blue bands for the same reason. The green circle in the crown means vitality and revealing life. Could this mean the will to do justice and reveal the outcome. She is analysing her sword which she holds in her right hand (projective/action side) and the scales are in her left hand (receptive) - therefore she balances emotions and will.

She is sat with a straight back because she is grounded and has a look of determination and will on her face. She sits with her knees loosely crossed and appears to be uncomfortable in her pose. She has a strange, almost choking expression on her face and stares intensely at the reader. Does she have wings or is it the back of her throne?

I haven't had the same time to spend on this card so I may post more as time goes on

Moonbow*

Justice

Imagine three fish swimming in the same direction. The first fish, the smallest has it's mouth closed and it is thinking, "there is no justice in life". The second fish, immediately behind the first has it's mouth open wide as it follows and is thinking, "there is some justice in life". The third fish immediately follows the second with it's mouth open wide and is thinking, "life is just".

In the Marseilles tradition Justice holds a sword not quite upright and a pair of scales which she unbalances with her elbow. She wears what could be a rope or a heavy chain around her neck. She looks directly at the viewer. For me, these symbolise the important points about Justice. Justice can be swayed according to who comes before her.

It was a simple matter to dress Justice in what a British High Court Judge wears in the modern world. I present my version of Justice.

I decided to approach my study of Justice a little differently this week. I was away for a week with just a couple of decks for company and so did very little 'other' work. By this I mean I usally do a lot of reading and looking at different decks, meditations etc.

I sat with my Justices from the Hadar, Haindl, and the Crystal and needed a different starting point so I took the word JUSTICE and decided to brainstorm keywords beginning with those letters. These are some of the words I came up with :

J Justice
U Understanding
S Strength
T Truth
I Integrity
C Cause or Consequence
E Effect or Evaluation

(BTW This is a great way to remember meanings, I have since devised similar systems for everycard so far including the Hermit!)

Anyway, my first thoughts took me to courts and legal systems but this is more of an inner journey so with this in mind I looked at my cards.

HADAR

Her sword points straight up. This makes me think of 'straight as a die', so we should look for honesty and be true to ourselves. Her scales are not balanced, one side looks larger than the other and is being pushed down on one side by her elbow. She is, dare I say it, cheating, tipping the scales, favouring one side more than the other. She looks like she is being throttled. I see a pair of hands at her throat. A warning maybe? Be deceitful and face the consequences. Her hair is plaited but it looks like a rope and is slung over one shoulder. It looks like a hangmans noose. I think this is an excellent way of saying 'give her enough rope and she'll hang herself'.

She has wings, so is she an Angel? This thought made me wonder if she has a connection with Michael, the Angel of truth and Justice.

She also has a ray of yellow light oozing from the top of her head, signifying a connection with higher consciousness and the spiritual. She has an eye in the middle of her hat, she can 'see' the truth.

CRYSTAL

She sits so straight and her sword the same. Uprightness. The sword is half coloured in a yellowy/orange colour and the other half is a turquoise, one light the other dark. Other opposites are apparent, there are two flowers on the right side of the card. One a tight bud the other fully open. Protect your integrity but be open and honest with yourself and others. Her feet get me. One of them definately looks like the head of a snake. Not sure of the connection here but snakes do have forked tongues!! She wears a bright pink gown which signifies honour. The tiles at her feet, I see as a reminder of integrity.

HAINDL

This card is simple and yet beautiful. A set of scales sit in front of peacock feathers. The scales remind us to balance our lives. One bowl is silver, the other gold. We must balance our world with the outside world. The inner we have control over, but the outer, we very often dont have control over. To gain an overall balance will give freedom and that is signified by the floating balls above the bowls.

There are eight feathers with eyes in them. When I think of eyes I think of clarity, understanding. Eyes are a dead giveaway. If someone is being dishonest, looking them right in the eye is often enough to show them up.

I struggle with the Haindl at the moment as the cards tend to have very different angles on the theme. I intend to persevere though because I am hoping it will contribute to the 'big picture'.

J

Justice

The Quest

This card is so beautiful, in the center of this card are the scales of justice, and at the base of this scale are 4 swans. The pillar of the scale rises to a point, upon which the earth is balanced. Across the top of the earth is a golden plank with ornate scroll work in the center. Suspended on either side of the plank are two globes. The crystal globes seem to be magically suspended. In the foreground is the figurehead of a woman that is blindfolded. There are several large swan feathers, that kind of float around her. The floor gives you a beautiful sense of perspective black and white tiles that seem to go on forever. This gives me a deep sense of balance and fairness.

Rohrig

This card is fairly classic, a robed woman, blind folded, holding the scales of justice in her hand. It has a small futuristic feel too it as well. Behind the scales leans something that I can only describe as a light saber. On the notepaper are written the words justice, adjustment balance and Virgo. Strangely, I just noticed that her blindfold had the same stars in it as the universe above her head. As if her blidfold was made from the universe.

The rune symbol Nyd, necessity, survival and the Hebrew letter Lamed; whip are on both cards as is the sigh for Libra.

Justice - Morgan Greer

This is a richly coloured card - almost jewel colours - yellow, blue, green, purple, red, gold.

It shows Justice as a woman sitting between two yellow stone pillars, there is a purple cloth veil stretched between the pillars and a yellow background behind.
The woman is seated but you can't see what it is she is sitting on. In her left hand are golden scales which have tipped down to the right and in her right hand is an upright sword.
Her dress is a reddish brown, lined with blue, a green cloak is held by a buckle shaped like a square with a red circle centre. She wears a blue cowl on her head topped by a gold crown. There is a red square shaped jewel in the centre of the crown.
Her eyes are blue and she is facing and looking straight ahead.

I might come back to this card later, I don't think I'm finished with it yet.

Radiant Rider-Waite

XI - Justice

LWB
Equity, rightness, probity and executive

My ImpressionI think this card has a lot to do with having to make choices and decisions without emotions getting in the way. So, in the sense then you could imagine that the decisions and choices that need to be made are difficult ones. It is about coming to a fair and balanced solution when you have decided on things in an impartial and unbiased way. A lot of this could do with the fact that you need to see both sides of the coin, and tow sides of the story.

Another way of looking at this can be about karma in the sense that you and others will be rewarded for their past deeds, for good or bad. For example, if any way you may feel that someone has done something bad to you, then you can be pretty much guaranteed that it will be repaid back to them, and not necessarily by you, sometime in the future. In the sense of what goes around, comes around and another way of looking at this is what you get out of life is what you put into it.

Another thing that could possibly be said about this card, is that once you have made up your mind in respect to what you want to do with your life, or what you change, then that you would act decisively to bring this into a reality. He is holding a sword in one hand, which may be indicative of a new way of thinking or a new idea, thought and concept. Since he is wearing read and green will mean tha the has the passion to bring that something new to make it a reality.

The balance itself could indicate the need to balance certain aspects of your life as well as yourself. So, then by the fact that you need to balance aspects of your life, then that would mean don't become too obsessive about one thing and in the process don't neglect other aspects. As in aspects of yourself, then that would include between your masculine and feminine, dark/shadow and light as well as earthly passions and spiritual aspirations.

Numerological - Eleven
Many people study astrology, metaphysical sciences, alternative medicine, healing, theology, religion, psychology, science, arts and languages. Revealing the truth, finding the answers to their hidden desires, invetigating their family heritage and constructing a family tree or trying to unvravel the mysteries life, death and nature's secret forces. Exercising tact, diplomacy and cooperation is essential. The world is theirs if they maintain a positive attitude and follow their hunches. They must put as much into the world as then get out of it. Open communication with others, try to gain empathy and understanding with those they contact

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Goldent Tarot of Klimt

VIII - Justice

LWB
Harmony, order, equilibrium and severity

My Impressions
Here you have woman holding scales up in one hand and the other she is holding the hilt of the sword, and the sword pointing downwards. The woman has her eyes closed and she is most definitely not smiling.

The impression I get again of balance as indicated by the scales. I think this would indicate that no particular area of life should be done to extremes while other areas should not be neglected. The immediate impression is that she has got a particular set of rulses that she lives by, and may be hard working, so since we are talking by balance then I would imagine that this means that she should not take life or herself too seriously and that she should allow her hair down from time to time so that she could have some fun, and have a bit of a laugh from time to time. Not only can she a bit hard ont herself but she can be a bit hard on others, in the sense that she would expect a lot from other people and as a result could be a bit intolerant of certain behaviours exhibited in other people.

Numerological - Eight
Prosperous, strong, powerful, authorative, a leader, abundant, memorable, respectful and happy. If they can create some type of balance this will make all the difference to how things proceed and they will become aware of this as time goes by. 8's have a wonderful flair for creativity abundance in life and they will not settle until they have managed to achieve this. They will do well with whatever they choose to take on in life as it is second nature, but remember they are a leader and need to be in a position of power. 8's will prefer to take the fair approach when it comes to organising or leading others and they will alswys be willing to listen. There can be a tendency for them to be too hard on loved ones or expect too much from then and 8's need to learn to relax a bit and allow others to find their own level of achievement in life.

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Astrological - Libra
In most areas of life there is a often a need to balance one thing, one situation, one choice against another. Because Librans are always looking for answere about who they are and what makes them and others tick, through being all things to all kinds of situations they learn the most about themselves and destiny. Creating an ordered, organised existence means a lot to them. Being able to see both isdes of most situations gives them a great deal of innate wisdom. Librans are good at shifting their own viewpooint so that even when things look bad Librans can keep them in perspective. For this reasone they're able to function with a sense of detachment that other people often mistake as indifferent. They are exceptionally empathetic of other's trials and tribulations. When they really truly want something, or make a decision, they go for it big time and nothing or nobody can hold them back. The Librans definitely have the alert mid, the inner fortitude and honourable heart to follow their dreams, but only once they figure out what they are. Their sense of justice already knows that even when deceipt appears beneficial, it rings up and exorbitant price tag somewhere in the future. Librans seldom escape from the cosmic justice system because they are so closely aligned to it and with it. One of the greatest strengths is their ability to achieve a balance in their emotions and in all areas of their lives.

Bec

The Giotto card mostly reflects what most people have said here already, so I won't comment on that.

In my own Tarot (of which mythos will hopefully upload the picture shortly), you see simply a large yin-yang symbol, in black and white, shaded red on the one side, and green on the other, to symbolize the path between Geburah (severity, wanting to "kick against the pricks" of injustice) and Chesed (mercy). From the top dot in the yin-yang hangs a spider, suspended from its web, with the caption: "the spider's comfort" and words from Finn Corey's William Blake project, "then worry no more, you soldier's son, just walk on by, and you'll be fine..." With the idea that, in the web of interconnectedness, the flies (of injustice) that annoy us today may well represent a spider's lunch tomorrow! ;-))

The Voodoo Tarot of New Orleans also makes a significant departure from the norms

http://taroteca.multiply.com/photos/photo/165/23.jpg

In this one, the 'secret societies' exist more in the psychic dimension than in the physical. There seem those who seek to maintain balance in the world through clandestine censure, magick or force of arms. You see the kneeling woman dressed in blue and white, the colours of Agwe, the cleansing power of the sea. Her hands seem only loosely tied behind her back. On a very deep level, it seems her choice to find herself in the clearing. The function of the ropes seems more to remind than to restrict. In her hands, she holds a guarde, or packet charged with protection by a mambo (priestess) or houngan (priest). The beasts seem more interested, than either vengeful or quick to acquit. They bear the aspect of Loup Garou. The severest judgment comes from within oneself. For the moment, the ancestors (Judgment) wear their bodies.

Both my own and this card differ from the others in that they involve not only a human figure, but also our non-human brothers and sisters, and it seems time we acknowledged that judgment (or justice) comes from the whole community of Gaia, i.e. all the ancestors, human and non-human alike, and not the human alone, in its arrogance... ;-P