Timely Tarot: Redefining Your Personal Values through the Justice Card by Lisa De La O Wyman
Timely Tarot: Redefining Your Personal Values through the Justice Card
by Lisa De La O Wyman
The Fall Equinox on the 22nd heralds in the beauty of autumn and beginning of Libra season. No sign better symbolizes the balance of darkness and light achieved at the peak of the equinox, that moment of perfect alignment. In pagan traditions, the equinox is known as Mabon, and signifies the second harvest in the cycle of the planting year. Light and life are dwindling, and it is a time of gratitude, reflection, and preparation to ultimately clear away the fallen fruits, dead leaves, and other detritus to lay upon the bonfire. Our own lives, like the earth, have these cycles of planting new seeds in the forms of dreams and goals. We tend to them lovingly, then harvest as much as we can of their bounty until accepting that not everything made it. Libra is associated with the scales of balance and embodies this time of year, where we tip into one season from another, from plentiful daylight into increasing shadow, and from heated activity into a period of greater rest and rumination. What have your harvests reaped?
There’s no denying that justice is a huge theme for us right now. We’ve watched many events occur that have caused fear, outrage, and despair. We all want things to be better. We have strong opinions about what’s a problem, what changes are needed, and who’s right or wrong. There are no easy answers, and sometimes just trying to imagine how we’re going to move forward is totally overwhelming. Fortunately, the Justice card helps us take those first steps by reminding us to examine our own individual sense of truth.
Justice encourages you to seek truth, greater alignment, and to make clear decisions rooted in your personal values and ethics. It asks you to define your own sense of truth apart from “groupthink,” while accepting that it doesn’t make other people wrong. Sometimes the values we hold onto so firmly no longer make sense for us. They were passed down from parents, cultural traditions, or spiritual belief systems. Part of the work of this card is revisiting those values and honestly assessing whether they are true for you anymore. Could you let them go and invite in new ones that resonate with who you are becoming at this moment? You’re an evolving being, so why wouldn’t your ethics evolve as well?
The Justice card also pushes us to ask some very complex questions: what is fair? Is impartiality even possible? Is a utopian ideal of a justice system that works for everyone feasible? There are ideals, which inspire and motivate us, but there’s also messy reality. Honestly exploring the point of balance between the two is crucial. Only by acknowledging the reality of what is can we begin to change it. The Justice card invites us to begin this process through self-examination and accountability.
Ruled by the planet Venus, Libra is a cardinal Air sign. Libra is concerned with harmony, balance, beauty, the arts, law, diplomacy, and partnership. More than just a focus on romantic relationships, Libra is concerned with the unique opportunity relationship with another provides. They force us to move beyond our self-interested motivations and consider the experience of another person. Venus symbolizes what we love and value, what brings and gives pleasure, and how we master relational tranquility. We learn the most from our relationships – how to empathize, listen, communicate our thoughts and feelings, prioritize our needs versus those of another, and so on. Our relationships with everyone in our lives, from the uptight employer to the challenging neighbor to the newscaster on television – you have a connection with all of them, and they are reflecting back to you important feedback about yourself. Notice how you react to them – what’s going on there? You can work with it all. In its highest form, Libra is a master at holding extremes and finding the middle ground, seeing from all sides, and considering differing perspectives without emotional reactivity. While this can sometimes result in indecision, this diplomatic and measured approach creates space for adjustment and recalibration at every level.
The constellation of Libra is represented by the scales of justice. In Latin, the word “libra” means balance, and the sign is connected to the Roman goddess Justitia, the origin of Lady Justice. Blindfolded and holding scales and the sword of discernment, she sees beyond biases based on appearance and is not susceptible to prejudice or bribery. She is an ideal of justice. Another goddess connection is found in the Egyptian Ma'at, the embodiment of cosmic order, truth and justice. In the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, passage through the afterlife involves the weighing of the departed’s heart on the scale of Ma’at to determine the fate of their soul. For them, true justice is determined by the purity of intention and action during their lifetime.
The Justice card is number 11, which is considered a master number. 11 signifies a powerful connection to a higher source of wisdom and can indicate spiritual support and guidance when most needed. The Justice card typically depicts an individual in stately robes, holding a scale in one hand and sword in the other. Like Lady Justice and Ma’at, the scales are a means of identifying where true balance resides. In Tarot, swords are connected to the element of air, as well as thoughts, words, communication, and language (which is also how laws are conveyed). In Justice, the sword is a tool of discrimination. It can cleave something in half, separating one part from another. It breaks things into smaller pieces for deeper examination. The sword dissects. Rather than taking something at face value and labeling it based on an initial emotional reaction, it encourages a closer look, varied perspectives, and mental space for discernment.
The Justice card represents balanced judgment. It can also signify pending or forthcoming legal issues, such as contracts, agreements, oaths, vows, or court proceedings. In going deeper, Justice invites us to employ discernment, recognize our accountability, and take responsibility for the reality that our intentions and actions have created. Justice is intimately connected to the concept of karma, which simply means momentum. Karma is the law of cause and effect, what results from your actions. What kind of consequences will be born of your intentions? We are part of a complex system of life on this planet and the invisible web of karma touches us at every point. Being clear about your truth and acting from that place helps you navigate this environment. Doing what is right for its own sake, even if there’s no benefit in it for you, or may garner objection, is living the Justice card. Do your actions reflect and embody your values – do you “walk the walk,” or just “talk” it?
When I’m reading for someone and they pull the Justice card, it may indicate a legal matter, or an area of their life where more balance or objectivity is needed. They may need to pursue greater clarity on an issue or understand that the narrative they’ve created surrounding it may not be accurate. It may also indicate a lack of accountability, emotional projection, or finger-pointing. Is an unhappy relationship always the fault of just one partner? Is political strife the sole result of one party’s choices? Do corporations bear all the blame for environmental damage? If you’re alive on this planet, you’re part of the mix and bear your share of responsibility. Can you be okay with that? It needn’t become a perpetual burden of guilt or secret fear that all those things you think are wrong with you are true. It’s part of living and being an effective agent of change, which is good! You can initiate change! You can decide to be different, do something else, and do it better. Justice liberates us by illuminating our power of choice. Take this light and shine it upon your final harvests with love and acceptance this season.
Lisa De La O Wyman is a Tarot reader and writer based in Redondo Beach. At Tarot for Empowerment she works with individual clients, private parties, and special events. Through her work she seeks to connect people with their innate power as well as encounter the mystery in everyday life. She can be reached via Instagram and Facebook at @tarotforempowerment.