Maat is The Egyptian goddess that represented judgement, truth, balance, order, harmony, law and morality. She kept the stars and the seasons in order. She is said to have brought order to the chaos that was everywhere when creation begin.
The Egyptian Hall Of Ma’at is where the dead went before a counsel of gods and goddesses to have the deads heart weighed to see if it was pure and unladen from sin. The heart was placed on the scale of justice and weighed against the weight of a sacred ostrich feather. If the heart weighed less than the feather, the dead was allowed to enter into the after-life.
This can be about a literal legal situation in which one has to go before a court and be officially judged by a counsel. Past behaviors and deeds that violate legal and moral boundaries are broken down to determine the intent of the one being tried before, during and after the violation happened.
Goddess Maat is often seen with the ostrich feathers in her headdress as a symbol of her status. In this card, her feather is not in her headdress showing her importance. It is in her hand where it acts as the double-edged sword of justice. It has the power to rule for or against a situation depending on the facts presented.
As long as all parties involved are honest about their part in the situation a fair decision is passed and the violator will be given a fair ruling.
The Justice card asked that we know our true self whether it be good or bad. It asks us to look in the mirror and clearly see who we truly are, not just the illusion of self that we generally have on when we are out in society. Work to know your heart better than anyone else’s. We are each only responsible for our own actions and reactions.
In this we are also asked to make sure we know the laws and the rules that govern our communities. We are each responsible for knowing the laws for ourselves to make sure we are living upright and honoring our truest self. We are asked to weigh and balance our thoughts and actions before we decide what we will do in any situation. The judgements here are to be based on facts not rumor.
If we live upright, honor your truest self, and live to do things right, we will see and know ourselves; we have nothing to hide behind the illusions and masks that we put on to keep others from seeing who we really are. We will have no need to be ashamed of putting the real you out for the world to see.
Justice is to be considered for everyday situations in which our abilities are measured and compared to make sure we are doing what is expected of us by others within the community. We are graded in schools and on jobs based on how well we follow the rules and do the projects as assigned.
Sometimes we struggle in situations in which there is confusion and an inability to achieve what others consider our highest potential. Sometimes we work hard and we excell in our expectations. Other times we work hard but still struggle with meeting the standard expectation. These situations get further considerations in how hard we tried to understand and reach our potential even though we still could not achieve what others feel we are capable of. The consequences in this case can hold a less severe ruling for the one that tried really hard and a more severe judgement for those that put little to no effort into their studies.
There are many ways in which justice, balance, order and truth can be used in trying to live to our highest potential.
If there is deceipt, imbalance, bias, and inequality in the choices we choose to make in our growth, the judgements can rule against us and the penalties can be harsh depending on the severity of the situation.
If we, stay on the right path, make it our business to know the laws and rules of our community, work hard and put the best of ourselves into all that we do, we will be rewarded with a good solid foundation for our lives. We will have harmony and balance in our lives. In the end, we each decide for ourselves how this card plays out by the choices we decide to make.
The Mary-El Tarot; Landscapes Of The Abyss