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Esoteric Tarot Course
Lesson 12
Supplies you will need:
- 78 Card Deck of your choice (required)
- Your Tarot Journal (required)
- “The Tarot Trumps and the Holy Grail,” by Margaret Starbird (buy if you can afford it)
- “Tarot Journeys,” by Yasmine Galenorn (buy if you can afford it)
- “Tarot in Ten Minutes” by RT Kaser (buy if you can afford it)
11 – Justice
We now come to the 11th card of the Major Arcana, Justice. This card is the “half way” point among the Tarot Trumps. You should congratulate yourself for making it so far!
As usual, let’s begin by looking at what Margaret Starbird has to say about this card. Read the section entitled “Justice” in her book before proceeding with the rest of the lesson.
Journal Writing
Go to your journal and start a new page with the word “Justice” and the number 11 at the top. Now take the Justice card out of your deck and look at it. Again, you may want to step into the card to see if the throned figure has any special messages for you. Be sure to write down everything in your journal. What do you feel, hear, or what things just pop into your head? By now you know that you are exercising your intuition here. What do you see on this card? Take note not only of the figures (both human and animal), but also of colors, shapes, the landscape, vegetation, heavenly bodies and symbols.
Now, in your journal, write down what this card is showing you. Record any key words that come to mind or any feelings the image evokes. Be sure to do this before continuing with the lesson.
What Do These Symbols Mean?
Description
The Justice card features a rather androgynous, red-and-green bedecked figure sitting upon what appears to be a throne. This figure wears a crown and holds an upraised sword in one hand and a pair of golden scales in another. (You might be reminded here of the famous sculpture of Justice from Washington D.C. which depicts a blindfolded woman also holding scales in her hand.)
The Symbols
Strength is the 11th card among the Tarot Trumps. The number eleven is associated with magik, the element of Air, gold, and spiritual arrogance. It is also a prime number, meaning that no two other numbers, when multiplied together, can add up to eleven.
If you look closely at the card, you will notice that it includes the colors of all four primal elements: Red–Fire; Yellow–Air; Blue–Water; Green–Earth. This symbolizes the balanced nature of Justice–it is never one-sided or partial. The fact that the scales the figure holds are perfectly even underscores this point. The scales also allude to this card’s astrological relationship with the sign of Libra, a sign which, in its purist state, signifies physical and spiritual harmony and integrity. The upraised, almost threatening sword represents the sometimes severe nature of justice. Real justice cuts through all human-made boundaries and exists as perfection, as a Divine force that makes no concessions to circumstances, privilege or apologies. Justice is absolute fairness, which can, at times, seem unfair, even harsh. The card promises that, ultimately, justice will be served in all times and all places, but it also warns that the nature of justice is for God/dess to decide and does not always satisfy human expectations.
Some scholars of the Tarot have equated the throned figure with King Solomon who, in his wisdom, was often depicted as an arbiter of justice. Those of you familiar with the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) might recall the story in which he mediates between two women who both claim rights to the same infant. Solomon’s solution: The baby should be cut into equal portions. If any tale has ever captured the severity and extremity of Divine justice, this is the one.
Meanings
Harmony
Balance
Equality
Righteousness
Virtue
Honor
Advice
A considerate person
Reversed Meanings
Bias
False accusations
Intolerance
Unfairness
Abuse
Guided Meditation: If you have the book Tarot Journeys by Yasmine Galenorn, read the meditation for Justice, beginning on page 135. This is an excellent book and is brimming over with insights. This meditation is especially useful when you feel the need to draw clarity and truth into your life.
Let’s Play a Game
Remove from your deck the first twelve Trump cards (0-11). Shuffle them thoroughly, then lay them out, face down, in a fan-style formation. Pick the two cards that “call” to you and turn them over. If either is inverted, turn it right-side up.
Now, we’re going to test both your powers of reasoning and intuition. Look at the two cards and see if you can make connections between them. Do they share any common symbols, images, or meanings? When taken together, do these two cards have something to say to you? Remember that when you do actual divination, you are reading all of the cards in relationship to one another, not as isolated units. Take any notes that you feel are appropriate. You’ll be asked to provide a brief response to this exercise when you send in your final answers to the Mystery School.
Another Point of View
We’re going to take a break here from Tarot in Ten Minutes to look at an article on the web briefly detailing the mysterious history of the deck, a fascinating subject in and of itself.
Please click on the following link to check out the article: http://www.innerself.com/Miscellaneous/history.htm
Once you have read the article, return to this page to continue the lesson. While you won’t be quizzed on the material, per se, it will behoove you as a Tarot Master/Mistress-in-the-making to know at least a little bit about the deck’s past. You’ll be surprised at how many people are interested in knowing where the cards came from, why they were created, and how old they are.
Questions
1. After reading the section “Justice” in The Tarot Trumps and the Holy Grail, please write a paragraph or so giving your “take” on the author’s ideas.
2. What were your key words? What do you feel/intuit that this card represents? Is there someone you know who might be represented by this card?
3. If you completed the guided meditation in Tarot Journeys, write a bit about your thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc. Why might this meditation be useful when you want to draw clarity and/or truth into your life?
4. For the section “Let’s Play a Game”, please describe which two cards you chose, the similarities and/or differences between them, and how they might be “read” in conjunction.
Email your answers to the Mystery School with “Tarot 12 Answers” in the subject line.
Finally, here is the latest new spread for you to try:
Naming the Problem
Here’s a quick and easy spread for examining any problems or difficult issues in your life. We all have problems from time to time. One of the great things about the Tarot is that it can help us come to terms with these problems and take active steps to work our way out of them.
Try this spread using only the cards of the Major Arcana. Shuffle them well while concentrating on an issue or subject that has been giving you a hard time lately. Then, lay them out in the following order:
1 2 5 3 4
Card 1 My problem/the subject
Card 2 This is what I can’t change.
Card 3 This is what I can change/do
Card 4 What other alternatives are open to me.
Card 5 How things will progress for now.
