Justice is the eleventh card in the Major Arcana;(in the Rider-Waite Deck, at least) the half-way point on the journey of The Fool; or your own personal journey; a tipping point you might say, between the realm of the world you have been moving through up to this point and the realm of the other-worldly that is to come from here.
Is justice simply a balancing act? A give and take on a cosmic level; the scales of the universe tipping one way or the other and some cosmic force inserting itself to correct that imbalance? I see again here the dichotomies and binaries that drive so much of the Tarot deck; the notion that all things must be equal and balanced. I suppose the Universe exists this way; or that is how we perceive the universe. Day and night; alive or dead, awake or asleep. You cannot be both of these things at the same time; they are in constant equilibrium. Or are they? Perhaps we just cannot understand them to see beyond the perceived balance. Does Justice work this way as well? We assume there needs be a balance; a correction of imbalance, the ‘scales of justice’ and all that; but what informs and guides that balance? An innate sense of moral correctness? The law? What ‘feels’ like the right thing to do? And what happens when systems, created by humans, actively obstruct the pursuit of Justice and make it so that scale will never be ‘equal’ but always tipped in the favor of one group? I think Justice may be much more complex and complicated than a simple sense of right/wrong, justice/injustice, balance/unbalance. Which brings me to the sword.
In one hand, Justice holds the scales. In the other, a sword. In Tarot, Swords are an entire suit in the Minor Arcana and they are symbols for the mind; a cutting intellect, a sharp wit; the world of the mind can cut through nearly any problem. So when I see Justice holding a sword, I don’t see vengeance or revenge; I see an equilibrium between the enforcement of Justice and the will and role of the mind. Humans created laws; these laws exist to maintain order, protection and structure in a society. Where do these laws come from? Do they come from the heart? Not really; the Law is much more firm and structured and rigid than matters of the heart; I mean let’s be honest, there have been several laws created by the heart (love thy neighbor) but they are rarely followed. Are the laws of humanity created by the spirit? No; they are created by the mind. The mind observes the world and makes conclusions about what things should be allowed and what things should not be allowed. This is why we have very complicated, nuanced and often highly interpretable laws; because they were constructed in a very intellectual way.
So the scale and the sword; what does this card tell us? It tells us that Justice is possible; this is an important step on the journey of the Tarot, the half-way marker. If we face injustice in our life, it can feel so, so hard to become the victim of that unjust action. This card reminds us that we are going to make it through that nullification of justice; that justice will come.
“Astra inclement, non necessitant” (the stars incline, they do not compel) -Meditations on the Tarot.
This book discusses, among many other things, the connection between Justice, balance and conscience. “But Justice, the practice of balance, is only the beginning of a long path of developing of conscience.” (Mediations on the Tarot, 196). I like the idea of the stars inclining but not compelling. We should be inspired by the idea of Justice to strive for balance and strive for equilibrium in all things. And no one can really compel anyone else to be ‘just’, although we certainly pretend that laws do this. Ultimately, humans have free will to act how they wish; the consequences be damned. A strong conscience can often guide a person to make better choices; but Justice will always remain in the world of the mind and morality, conscience and love remain matters of the heart. There is far more to say about Justice and I’m sure we will see her again one day. Until then, look for moments of injustice and ask yourself; how can I not only tip the scales back to balance, but make sure the scales are actually calibrated correctly.