What Makes a good life? How does the Tarot card, Justice, help to define this? Mysterious card eleven, is giving us a teaching about life and what we must do to make it a valuable one. Her wisdom, symbolised by the sword, comes from love that is firm and fair. Justice, can be compared to the Egyptian Goddess, Maat, the weigher of souls.
This teaching is about imbalance, and how this can cause us to waste our lives. Justice’s scales assess our outlook, our attitudes and our hearts. She tells us with her sword of seeing, that in order to make a good life, these three things need to be in balance. This is an important message to listen to, in order to have fulfilling lives, for ourselves and for those around us.
Outlook
How are we viewing the world? How are we viewing ourselves? Is there an understanding that life is built on what we believe and then perceive about it? If we have a heavy and negative outlook, we will always be unhappy and dissatisfied. If we believe the world owes us, we will only be bitter. Where do the scales balance here? Justice tells us that it is important to understand that whatever we sew, we will reap. Know that life is something we build. Whatever works out is a gift, and whatever does not, gives us an opportunity to try again. This outlook is healthy and not defeatist or entitled.
Attitude
Justice does not like time wasters. Those who de-value their lives by not making any effort, or using precious time wastefully, will be judged harshly. Having a respectful attitude to the time we have been given on Earth, makes a balanced attitude for making a good life. This Tarot card asks you, what are you doing with your time and your life? Are you making the most of it? Do you wake up each day and ever say thank you? This is the kind of behaviour that stops us wasting out time.
Heart
Having a good heart can only lead to having a good life. The sword and scales, symbolise fairness. Be true and honest, do not take from others and do not give yourself what you know is not deserved above others. A good heart in Justice’s point of view, is being fair. This is a quality for sure. It makes us consider others and behave in a way that keeps things balanced and equal. If you live your life with this kind of emotional perspective, Justice says, you will be happy and you people will respect you. Good people are needed in this world. When we pull this Major Arcana card, she asks you straight up, ‘so who are you, and are you a fair person?’
‘Maat, represents the ethical and moral principle that every Egyptian citizen was expected to follow throughout their daily lives. They were expected to act with honour and truth in matters that involve family, the community, the nation, the environment, and the gods’. I found this on a Wiki page about this Goddess. I think it sums up what Justice is about, on a more day to day level.