“Equality is not a concept. It’s not something we should be striving for. It’s a necessity. Equality is like gravity.”
– Gillian Flynn 

Equality, truth, accountability, balance, decisiveness, ethics, cause and effect

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Overview

A decision that will alter your path

There is major decision to be made, and Justice is overseeing this decision. The general theme of Justice is arbitration. The verdict will end up having dire implications on the outcome of your future. It can also be symbolic of Karma and raw justice; through the legal system, institution, or the universes dictation.

Symbolism

Justice is a woman who sits between two grey pillars with a red drape framing her. She is adorned in red robes with a golden cloak and a red fastener. One of her hands holds a sword facing the sky, and the other one holds a scale over the ground; balanced. She wears a gold crown with a white gem in the center.

Meaning

Karmic comeuppance

If Karma is one of your principles, this will be one of your most relished cards. It symbolizes laws; Above, below, social, political and judicial. Reminding you that there are consequences to your misdeeds whether or not you’re caught. Karma will hold you liable for your betrayal in a way the law couldn’t uphold. It is a positive and negative influence, giving back to the abused and taking from the abuser.

Karmic Burden

Karma gets tricky when we align our souls with others. When we get in a relationship with someone, we take some of their burden and they take some of ours. Though his may seem unfair, in the eyes of ever judge you are guilty by association. Once Karma delegates her decision, there’s little you can do to weasel your way out of punishment.

Legal trials / Tribulation

In a literally sense this card can signify law enforcement, jury duty, the court system, government structures, marriage, a past with the law or it is catching up to you.  It denotes any legal proceedings you are involved in will be fair and positive. Alternatively, it denotes a situation which you need to judge hard prior to deciding on what to do. The implications of this decision are essential to your outcome.

Tax Refund

On the most mundane level, this can symbolize a tax refund, or tax season for US readers.

Influence on Suits

During a reading, pay attention to the majority of the cards that are present. Depending on the number of Tarot cards of each suite, the meaning of the card can take a different shape.

Justice surrounded by a lot of the suit of cups can indicate that your decision in a love relationship is essential to the course of your life.

With a lot of wands, the Business or creative decision has an impact on your career for years to come.

Pentacles dominating a spread with Justice indicates financial, career, material decisions are in the balance. You may need to tighten your budget. There may be some legal financial gain, including Tax returns for US readers.

If swords are prevalent in the reading: the final decision you make has to be announced to those who it affects, as they may already be feeling unsettled about the situation. An important conversation is pending.

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Justice reversed

“”Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”   
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dishonesty, imbalance, lack of accountability, unfairness, avoidance

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In the Reversed position, you can turn the meaning of Justice upside down and inside out, or it can be perceived as something else. Reversed cards can be read a few different ways. If you want to know the source of the concept of why this card is defined the way it is, check out the article “Reading Reversals” in Chapter 6 of this knowledge base.

If you simply want to know the reason and not the method of deciphering, here are some possible ways to read the card in reversed.

Deciphering Justice reversed

unwilling to see the truth

The Sword that Justice holds can cut through disillusionment and see the truth. At this point in time you are unwilling to see it for yourself. This could be to avoid taking responsibility for your downfall or a dissolving relationship. Ultimately, you need to look at the big picture and how everything is impacting everyone’s lives. Either you can make it right now, or take what you learned into your next relationships to avoid the same issues in the future.

Sure your partner cheated on you, that is certainly a stab in the back. But what if they do truly love you? Consider that maybe you’ve been neglecting your partner for a long time in the growing complacency, and determine if this sword didn’t have a blade on both sides.

Lifes not fair

Life is not easy, and what you’re about to traverse is not fair. Things won’t always come in your favor. This holds especially true if you’ve just come out one of the worst periods of your life. There is nothing you can do but grin and bare it. This could be karma balancing itself out, or the culmination of the decisions you made during that hard period of your life. You will see the other side.

Taken advantage of — scapegoated

This piggybacks on the life’s not fair narrative, in the sense of “bad people do bad things.” If someone sees your distraught, it may become apparent to them that you have so much only your plate that you won’t notice them taking advantage of you. This could be for any number of reasons, there is not always a clear cut answer as to why people are the way they are.

Trim the Fat

Caution yourself with your finances, it is not a good time time to be splurging on the latest and greatest tech or spending lavishly and irresponsibly. Tighten your belt, and start working a little bit harder. Something may come up in the near future that will eliminate your rainy day fund, and then your next several pay checks.

Let go of past Judgements

Did you put a mark on the world that it’s an unsafe place based on everything in the past? Are you fairly jaded towards existence in general? Justice in the reversed is asking you to put down your defensive behaviors and to stop reflecting your experiences onto new opportunities. The time is now, things could be going well for you; instead you are remaining in a mindset that no longer serves you. This is a time of peace, put down your arms.

Authority letting you down

Perhaps you were fired from your job because the whole team did not produce the desired result. Perhaps someone completely threw you under the bus about their own short comings. Regardless of the reason, you are being speculated as the problem and will reap the consequences of it. This can be at work, within your family or under the eyes of the law.