Justice, key XI and the Wheel of Fortune, key X sit at the balance point of the Major Arcana. Ten cards precede them and ten cards come after them. Together chance and karma create the fulcrum around which the hero’s journey turns. If we consider the Wheel of Fortune to be the mechanism of manifestation, then Justice is the force within the cosmos that brings balance to the wheel. The wisdom of the tarot matches the Egyptian concept that it is Justice that brings balance to the universe.
Libra, the scales, is the astrological sign attributed to Justice. It sits smack dab in the middle of the zodiacal year at Fall Equinox and
it’s all about balance, harmony, and beauty.
The Hebrew letter Lamed corresponds to Justice. As a verb it means “to teach or instruct” and as a noun it means an ox goad. The meaning of the letter Aleph is ox, and Aleph corresponds to The Fool who signifies pure cosmic energy. And so Justice is the instructor or shaper of cosmic energy. Because of its central position, Lamed is considered the heart of the Hebrew alphabet, and because it is the only letter that rises above the baseline it represents YHVH, or the King of Kings. It’s composed of the letters Vav (6) and Kaf (20), which add up to 26, which equals the numerical value of Yod Heh Vav Heh, the name of God. So the Jewish mystical system also agrees with the ancient Egyptians.
Ancient Egyptians, Hebrew Mystics, and creators of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck all agree that Justice is vital to creation, so why does it seem to be in such short supply? The innocent are victimized, crimes go unpunished, hard work often goes unrewarded, war and famine claim countless blameless lives, might usually triumphs over right; the litany of injustices resounds through human history. This question troubles both theologists and sociologists. Is humanity basically flawed? Is there a relentless power of evil at work in the world? Is creation itself flawed?
I can’t provide answers to these questions, but as a writer I can make an observation. If everyone lived happily ever after and everything was balanced and harmonious, there would be no more stories. There would be nothing left to fight for, no villains to overcome, and no wrongs to right. Our universe is ever changing and evolving, and this forward momentum is always triggered by imbalance. Justice is the mysterious force within the universe that strives to create balance out of imbalance. The fact that it is sometimes spectacularly triumphant is what makes life worth living and a story worth telling.
When Justice appears upright in a reading the reader can be sure that the events that happened or will happen to the seeker are a result of his karma, or his own actions. If Justice is reversed it could still be a result of karma; the seeker is reaping the rewards of a bad decision or unwise action. Or it could mean injustice, shit happened. As we saw earlier, the same is true of the Wheel of Fortune. It can mean both chance and karma. The other cards in the spread might tell the reader whether chance or karma is at work in the seeker’s life, but it often isn’t so cut and dry. All a reader can do is read the cards as they fall. The story that comes out is the reader’s truth; it is up to the seeker to decide if he is a victim or if he actually earned his fate. If the seeker is honest with himself, the answer is usually a little of both, but with emphasis on karma. But I will be the first to concede that sometimes shit just happens.
Justice in a tarot spread can mean a court decision, a determination that the seeker must make, restoration of balance in a situation, prudence, or foresight.
In the hero’s journey, real or perceived injustice is the inciting factor that creates conflict. Miss Gulch unfairly takes Toto away from Dorothy and Luke Skywalker’s aunt and uncle are killed by Empire storm troopers. The twin injustices of hate and prejudice drive the plot in To Kill and Mocking Bird.
Justice occurs in a story when a wrong is righted or avenged. In a murder mystery it occurs when the detective reveals the murderer and the murderer pays for his crime with either his life or a prison sentence.
It is that wonderful moment in the Indiana Jones movies when the trumpets blare DAH DUH DUT DAH! and Harrison Ford comes to the rescue.
In To Kill a Mocking Bird there are no Indiana Jones moments. Instead, Harper Lee includes many small instances of good prevailing over hate and injustice in her plot. These evils still exist in the world, but the events of the story give Scout the wisdom to deal with them.
The desire for Justice is what keeps the reader turning pages and moviegoers glued to their seats.
One thought on “The Major Arcana and the Hero’s Journey: Justice, Part III”
Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, was the daughter of an attorney, and helped both her father, and Truman Capote, with legal research. She was also a friend of Carson McCullers, the author of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. The writing of all three revolves around the theme of justice, and finding balance in an unfair world.
Interesting the quality of writing these three life-long friends created. I often wonder what was said in their childhood conversations.