Deep Dive - Justice

This card depicts a food chain. The frog is devoured by the snake, who is then eaten by the coyote, who then at the end of its life succumbs to decomposition via the mushrooms of the forest floor. Behind this scene water ripples radiate outward. This is a fairly simple illustration, but it highlights what I find to be the most important aspects of Justice: the themes of natural order, balance, and inevitable consequence. Natural order is integral to the balance of the world. While things can often feel out-of-whack, chaotic, and unjust, I find that it always returns to this natural state of balance and hierarchy. The real Justice of the world is that no matter how good or bad we are, we too will go the way of the coyote in the image and eventually be brought back down into the Earth, to be consumed and dispersed into other living things.

The Rider Waite Smith version of Justice shows a figure seated between two pillars, wearing a crown and robe. In her hands are a double-edged sword (emphasizing the quality of duality as presented by the two pillars) and a set of scales (representing balance and fairness). This is a card of authority, either putting the reader in the position of Judge or referring to an external force or figure that will be making some kind of ruling. Certain symbols like the blue stone in the crown and the white shoe and brooch symbolize mental and spiritual clarity, an integral part to making unbiased and rational decisions.

If you’d like to read the full article on Justice check out my Deep Dive series over on my Patreon. I go into much further detail of the RWS Justice card, the FD Tarot version, and even share a look at a very early iteration of Justice that I created while in college!