Ancient Egyptian Study Group - Xi Justice

SweetIsTheTruth

The woman depicted on this card is named Ma'at. She sits upon her throne with her feather atop her head, while holding a knife upright in perfect balance.

In the religion of the Ancient Egyptians, Ma'at was perceived more as a personification of certain related concepts, rather than as a Goddess per se, as can be seen in the following quote:

"Great is truth (maat), the mighty and unalterable, and it has never been broken since the time of Osiris." - from the Precepts of Ptah-Hetep, 2000BC

Generally, Ma'at represented the four concepts of truth, balance, order & justice. Wikipedia claims of Ma'at, "she came into existence at the moment of creation, having no creator."

The "truth" aspect of Ma'at is represented by the feather upon her head. This same feather represented the Egyptian God Shu, the God of the air. This feather is found on arrows, which caused the arrows to fly straight or "true."

Ma'at was considered to be the underlying cause, or force, of order in creation. If we think of the DNA helix, it's formation follows a certain pattern or order. We can see the same idea in the formation of snowflakes or crystals. The mathematical concept of pi and indeed, all mathematics (maathematics), show this same aspect of Ma'at. The concept of Ma'at personified this aspect of underlying balance & order, not just in the natural world, but also in the social, ethical or moral world, which brings us to the relation between Ma'at and justice.

To "uphold Ma'at" was to uphold that which is right, correct and true, whereas to work against Ma'at was called "isfet," or speaking or acting in such a way as to contribute to chaos & disorder, like say, any guest on Jerry Springer! One need only look at Ancient Egyptian artwork to see paintings of this very idea. In Ancient Egypt, the head of state was also considered the head of the "church" in a sense. The pharoah was the Gods' (Neteru) representative on earth. Therefore, whenever a new pharoah was coronated, we find scenes of the pharoah making the "presentation of Ma'at." In such paintings, the pharoah was shown offering a small statue of the Goddess Ma'at to the Gods or Neteru. This presentation of Ma'at represented the new pharoah's pledge and duty to uphold the divine cosmic and natural order, as well as the social, ethical and moral order.

The "balance" aspect of Ma'at is shown on this card in the way She holds the knife. To the Ancient Egyptians, the forces of the world walked a very tenuous line between chaos and order. If the sun didn't rise, chaos would ensue. If the nile didn't flood or recede on time, chaos would ensue. Ma'at, being the underyling order of reality, kept such things in balance, ensuring the welfare of the people of Kemet (ancient Egypt). For this reason, this card is an excellent focus of meditation in those times where you might be feeling unbalanced or "out of order,"

We can add the previous concepts together to create a mathematical formula:

truth + order + balance = justice

The justice aspect of Ma'at doesn't completely translate in our modern understanding. We tend to think in dualities of "black and white," or "right and wrong." But justice, to the ancient Egyptians, was essentially tied to acting and speaking truthfully in accordance with the underlying order and balance of reality, perceived as the very essence or fabric of the universe.

In the ancient Egyptian view of the afterlife, one's heart (as a metaphore for one's conscience) was weighed on a scale against the feather of Ma'at. If the heart was in balance with Ma'at, one's continued existence in the afterlife (Duat) was assured. The dead had to recite the 42 Negative confessions of Ma'at (http://www.paganizingfaithofyeshua.netfirms.com/42_negative_confessions.htm) prior to the heart being weighed against the feather of Ma'at.

We generally attribute the idea of karmic return (consequences of one's words or actions returning to one) to the Justice trump. This idea is very much in line with the ancient Egyptian concept of Ma'at. If one has upheld Ma'at, one has no fear of the consequences of one's words or actions. If one speaks or acts in isfet (contrary to Ma'at) however, one can thereby bring isfet (chaos and disorder) onto oneself, which fits very well with our modern understanding of karma.
 

The_Star

Excellent!!!

SweetIsTheTruth said:
The woman depicted on this card is named Ma'at. She sits upon her throne with her feather atop her head, while holding a knife upright in perfect balance.

In the religion of the Ancient Egyptians, Ma'at was perceived more as a personification of certain related concepts, rather than as a Goddess per se, as can be seen in the following quote:

"Great is truth (maat), the mighty and unalterable, and it has never been broken since the time of Osiris." - from the Precepts of Ptah-Hetep, 2000BC

Generally, Ma'at represented the four concepts of truth, balance, order & justice. Wikipedia claims of Ma'at, "she came into existence at the moment of creation, having no creator."

The "truth" aspect of Ma'at is represented by the feather upon her head. This same feather represented the Egyptian God Shu, the God of the air. This feather is found on arrows, which caused the arrows to fly straight or "true."

Ma'at was considered to be the underlying cause, or force, of order in creation. If we think of the DNA helix, it's formation follows a certain pattern or order. We can see the same idea in the formation of snowflakes or crystals. The mathematical concept of pi and indeed, all mathematics (maathematics), show this same aspect of Ma'at. The concept of Ma'at personified this aspect of underlying balance & order, not just in the natural world, but also in the social, ethical or moral world, which brings us to the relation between Ma'at and justice.

To "uphold Ma'at" was to uphold that which is right, correct and true, whereas to work against Ma'at was called "isfet," or speaking or acting in such a way as to contribute to chaos & disorder, like say, any guest on Jerry Springer! One need only look at Ancient Egyptian artwork to see paintings of this very idea. In Ancient Egypt, the head of state was also considered the head of the "church" in a sense. The pharoah was the Gods' (Neteru) representative on earth. Therefore, whenever a new pharoah was coronated, we find scenes of the pharoah making the "presentation of Ma'at." In such paintings, the pharoah was shown offering a small statue of the Goddess Ma'at to the Gods or Neteru. This presentation of Ma'at represented the new pharoah's pledge and duty to uphold the divine cosmic and natural order, as well as the social, ethical and moral order.

The "balance" aspect of Ma'at is shown on this card in the way She holds the knife. To the Ancient Egyptians, the forces of the world walked a very tenuous line between chaos and order. If the sun didn't rise, chaos would ensue. If the nile didn't flood or recede on time, chaos would ensue. Ma'at, being the underyling order of reality, kept such things in balance, ensuring the welfare of the people of Kemet (ancient Egypt). For this reason, this card is an excellent focus of meditation in those times where you might be feeling unbalanced or "out of order,"

We can add the previous concepts together to create a mathematical formula:

truth + order + balance = justice

The justice aspect of Ma'at doesn't completely translate in our modern understanding. We tend to think in dualities of "black and white," or "right and wrong." But justice, to the ancient Egyptians, was essentially tied to acting and speaking truthfully in accordance with the underlying order and balance of reality, perceived as the very essence or fabric of the universe.

In the ancient Egyptian view of the afterlife, one's heart (as a metaphore for one's conscience) was weighed on a scale against the feather of Ma'at. If the heart was in balance with Ma'at, one's continued existence in the afterlife (Duat) was assured. The dead had to recite the 42 Negative confessions of Ma'at (http://www.paganizingfaithofyeshua.netfirms.com/42_negative_confessions.htm) prior to the heart being weighed against the feather of Ma'at.

We generally attribute the idea of karmic return (consequences of one's words or actions returning to one) to the Justice trump. This idea is very much in line with the ancient Egyptian concept of Ma'at. If one has upheld Ma'at, one has no fear of the consequences of one's words or actions. If one speaks or acts in isfet (contrary to Ma'at) however, one can thereby bring isfet (chaos and disorder) onto oneself, which fits very well with our modern understanding of karma.

A most excellent post! Well done! Highly informative.
 

rwcarter

Justice deals with issues of reaping what one sows, action followed by reaction and cause followed by effect.

Balance is also suggested in this card - the balance of opposites within oneself, of good and evil, of right and wrong, the conscious and subconscious mind, the sun and moon, etc.

Ma'at was the daughter of Ra (his emblem hangs between her breasts) and either the counterpart or wife of Thoth.

Ma'at's priests were the judges, who wore a mask of her face when pronouncing their judgments. She was the personification of the laws of existence, a principle that was codified into a set of laws. The universe, natural world, state and the individual were all seen as parts of the wider order that Ma'at created.

Because one of the pharaoh's duties was to ensure truth and justice, many of them were referred to as beloved of Ma'at.

Ma'at is shown balancing an upright sword in the palm of one hand while the scales of fate hang perfectly balanced from her other hand. Only she knows which way the sword will fall and how the scales will tilt.

She plays an important role in the Weighing of the Heart, in which the dead's heart is carefully weighed against the feather of truth to determine that person's goodness on earth and therefore their right to eternal life. The souls that passed this test began a series of tests that they had to pass in order to reach paradise. Those who failed the Weighing of the Heart had to stay in the Underworld where the test was given.

I can't make out any of the gods pictured on the pillars behind Ma'at, but I assume they are the Assessors of Ma'at, the 42 gods to whom the dead had to make their 42 negative confessions and through whom they had to pass as part of their journey to paradise.

It appears that the Weighing of the Heart happens first. Those who pass are then presented with the purple curtain and the Assessors of Ma'at. Those who are deemed to truthfully present the 42 negative declarations are then allowed through the curtain to continue their journey to paradise.

Her emerald green dress suggests the peace of mind that comes with living a just and balanced life.

Rodney