Justice

A woman sits between two pillars. Behind here is a curtain that hides whatever is within the pillars.

She holds a Sword upright in her right hand, a scale in her left. The Sword points directly upwards, tilting neither to the right nor the left. The scale is balanced. The overall image is one of impartiality, fairness.

The Sword in her right hand can be regarded as representing logic and truth. The scales can represent intuition, which is needed to balance reason. Both are needed.

Unlike the High Priestess, the pillars here are both of grey. The white and black pillars in High Priestess symbolize the attributes of justice and mercy, strictness and kindness. Here, those attributes are blended into grey.

Again, the High Priestess is seated before a curtain that displays the symbols found in the Bible describing the building of Solomon’s Temple. Although the curtain hides some of what is behind her, you can see through the gaps. The secrets are not completely inaccessible.

Justice’s pose is similar to that of the Hierophant, who is also seated between two grey pillars. Behind the Hierophant, there is no curtain. There is only what appears to be a wall, unadorned.

With Justice, we can see nothing behind the curtain. What may be there is a mystery we cannot penetrate.

This card can stand for the clear meanings of Justice and fairness. It can also signify maintaining balance; it may hint at the law.

A Querent may seek Justice; but if so, he must be willing to be judged himself.

Keywords: Balance. Fairness.