Today we’ll cover the meaning of the Justice tarot card. This is a part of a deep dive series on the tarot.
The Justice tarot card: A compassionate and stoic figure sits with a sword and scale. She makes the decision about what is fair and she also executes the punishment if needed.
She wears a crown with a square on it. This symbolizes both logic and intuition.
The planet Venus is astrologically associated with The Justice card as well as the symbol Libra.
Let’s explore the various meanings and interpretations of The Justice tarot card.
Summary
| Category | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Upright Meaning | Justice, fairness, balance, truth, integrity, and legal matters |
| Reversed Meaning | Injustice, bias, dishonesty, legal issues, and imbalance |
| Astrology | Libra |
| Love | A need for fairness and balance in a relationship. It may suggest that you or your partner need to be honest and transparent with each other to ensure a fair and just partnership. |
| Career | A career in the fields of law, justice, and advocacy. It also suggests a need for fairness and balance in the workplace and a commitment to ethical behavior. |
| Finances | A need for financial balance and fairness. It suggests that you may need to review your financial situation and make adjustments to ensure fairness and ethical behavior. |
| Past | A time of fairness and balance that led to a just outcome. It may indicate a time of legal matters or a need for integrity in your past. |
| Present | A need for fairness and balance in your current situation. It may indicate a legal matter or a need for ethical behavior in your present. |
| Future | A just outcome that will be fair and balanced. It may indicate a need for legal matters or a need for ethical behavior in the future. |
Classical Justice Card Tarot Interpretation
The classical meaning of The Justice tarot card can be seen in the Rider-Waite deck.
There are several symbols of royalty on the card: a purple curtain and the crown. Her robes also suggest this.
Notice that the sword is double-edged. This represents the two sides to all stories. She will consider both sides and find the correct action.
The white shoe from under the robe represents the spiritual component of the card.
The Justice Tarot card has to do with legal issues, cause and effect, and karmic justice. Justice is demonstrating to you that all actions have repercussions in a broad sense. So, when you consider your current situation from that perspective, what role did your own activities play in putting you in this situation?
Upright Justice Card Meaning
The upright Justice card has a straightforward meaning:
The upright Justice tells you that justice, truth, and fairness are at work. The choices you make will have consequences. You will eventually be judged, it is inevitable. When the Justice tarot card appears in a reading, a fair and appropriate decision will be made.
This should be reassuring. Justice often appears when there is uncertainty (promotion at work, getting laid off, a relationship conflict, etc). The appearance of the upright Justice card means that you can trust whatever is to come as being fair and true.
The occurrence of this card may provide you with comfort after you’ve been wronged. On the other side, this card acts as a warning if your activities hurt other people.
Your opportunity to alter your behavior today for a better future is represented by her looks. It’s time to take responsibility for your acts when the image of justice appears in a tarot card reading.
The Justice card is a promising indication that justice will be served if you pursue it. You can be involved in a court case or awaiting the outcome of one from a governing body or other organization.
Soon, a decision will be made.
Once a judgment is reached, you must accept it and move on; the upright Justice card does not allow for retrials or second chances.
The meaning is easy to remember by just reading some of the upright card keywords off of the symbols:
- Scale = finding balance and fairness
- Square = thought, consideration, intuition
- Two edges of Sword = two sides at work
- Sword = executing the decision or punishment
By speaking with your intuition and asking for the response that is most in line with the highest good for everybody, you may make a deliberate decision. You will be held accountable for the decisions you make, so be prepared to stand by them.
Justice may suggest that an imbalance is soon to be redressed by the arrival of the devoted companion you so well deserve. It may also mean that people who have mistreated you will pay for it.
Reversed Justice Card Meaning
Reversed, the Justice card has the opposite meaning:
The Justice card reversed signals an injustice. A moral wrong will go unpunished or your own moral compass is out of balance. You may need to take matters into your own hands.
Justice Reversed may imply that you are aware inwardly that what you did was wrong ethically. You have two options: you may conceal it and hope no one finds out, or you can face up to your faults and take decisive action to fix the problem. Others may not have noticed it yet.
Being caught in a ruse or cheating can be strongly suggested by the Justice card being reversed. Therefore, if you have been lying or cheating on your relationship, be prepared for severe consequences.
Take responsibility for your actions rather than attempting to evade the consequences. Because of that, you’ll gain greater respect. Compared to the upright card, the Justice reversed can be a more potent sign of a lack of work-life balance.
Be careful to whom you disclose your financial information and make sure they are trustworthy before doing so.
The Justice card in reverse can also represent a failure to accept responsibility for your predicament if you’ve been having financial difficulties. Although it may sound harsh, accepting responsibility for a challenging circumstance may really be liberating.
Modern Interpretations
I always like to examine other, modern decks to see what can be read into their symbolism.
The reason for this is that every person will have different decks, and so it’s good to learn how to go with your gut on what you see. This is the best way to have a good interpretation for the moment.
Too many people stick to a learned reading instead of going with the flow. Remember, each reading, deck, person, position, and question is different. Reading the cards is an art, not a science.
We’ll use a different deck for every one of these. Today’s is Nathan Dixon’s fantastic artwork.
This Justice has a blindfold on, which is a great addition. True Justice should be blind to all external biases such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and so on.
Not only is she blindfolded, but it seems her eyes have been damaged. This Justice is completely committed to her job. She cannot even cheat and remove her blindfold to find out who she is judging.
It’s interesting to note that the scale and sword have reversed hands. I like this modern take better. Her right hand, the symbolically dominant one, is the one doing the evaluation.
First comes evaluation, then comes consequences. The left-hand sword is down, which indicates that she is not ready to punish anyone who crosses her. She must first make the judgment before raising the sword, if that is even necessary.
This seems like a more honest interpretation of how true justice should work.
The Justice Tarot in Context
Context matters a lot when reading the cards. Here are some particularly strong things to look out for when the Justice appears in these contexts.
- Past: An injustice has occurred. Trust that it will be righted.
- Present: Tread carefully around major decisions. You will feel the consequences for a long time.
- Future: Accept judgment and continue to incorporate it into your life.
For other types of readings:
- Hobbies: Seek balance in your hobby, work, and life balance.
- Love: Your current conflict will get resolved fairly soon.
- Work: Your boss will see your work for what it is: could be good or bad.
- Finance: Safe and fair ways of making money will give outsized returns.
Back to the Major Arcana list.
The previous card was the Wheel of Fortune tarot card and the next card is the Hanged Man card.
