Tarot Discussion Group, Card of the Week.

Little Story: I sat down last night to begin work on tonight's essay, and drew the TRXI Justice. Well I've done a fair number of trumps thus far, so I was in doubt about doing another. On the one hand I felt perhaps I should work on a minor. On the other with the U.S. on the brink of war, perhaps it was good time to reflect on this card. Well I wandered into the back room to fetch my pipe, and on my desktop computer monitor, the screensaver was displaying the Justice card. Hmmm, well I can take a hint. I found the card quite a challange to work with, and ultimately produced two distinctly differnt essays, so to view the alternate essay click here.

So lets consider the card, The primary figure is an Angel, she is very reminiscent of the Angel in the card Temperance but much less ethereal.(Mouse over the card to compare them.) Dominating the top of frame is a planet. Venus? which is a shrouded world like the planet shown, and Venus rules Libra, which is tied to this card. Or is it Jupiter, the world seems to have little moons, and Jupiter Rules Law and Enforcement. Yet Jupiter has a banded appearance. Above her head, and upon her bosom, is a Ying Yang symbol, that serves as the axis of a scale. One her shoulder sits a Falcon and a Dove, war and peace. At her feet, the Crow and the Heron. The crow a totem of divine law, and the heron, a totem of self will. Between them is a third bird, but I have not been able to determine what it is meant to depict. I expect it is important, as it appears in the temperance card as well.

I think the important concept examined in this is about dualities. Yin/Yang, War/Peace, Earth/Sea, and of course right and wrong. Where temperance was about a balance of the 4 Elements, Justice is about the world of dualities. We seem to live in a world of dualities, especially as Americans. Our Media tells us their are two sides to every story, which works here, mostly, but would not in Europe. Besides England, the Europeans enjoy Multiparty democracies, vs the 2 Party (Duality) System we and the British embrace. More parties means more voices and with them wider political horizons. A British observer, recently commented on how American's hate sports that end in a draw, a perfectly respectable result in most of the world. American's however need winners and losers. This model helps us organize our world, but it simplifies the world, and tends to lead us to the Us/ Them Duality that causes so much trouble in the world.

We may soon be at war, and we would like to believe it is a just war. Obviously we cannot sit quietly by while "Saddam" develops nuclear weapons, can we? North Korea has nuclear weapons and is rattling its sabers. While al Qaeda, lurks in the shadow's preparing it's own mischief. How much simpler to look at this complex world as Us/ Them just now. Yet this could lead us down a road to disaster, we don't know Saddam does not have Nukes, We know Pyongyang does have them. This war could end with Tel Aviv and Seoul both Nuked.

Perhaps we need to widen our options, before war breaks out. Take the economic sanctions and no fly zones in Iraq today. There is no doubt the economic sanctions have devastated the lives of millions of Iraqi's. While the no fly zones have protected the Kurdish peoples of Northern Iraq and they are experiencing a renaissance. Safe for the first time generations, they are embracing life with a passion while it is good, for they don't take for granted it will last forever. The results of our policies, are not written in black or white, any more than anything else in this complex world.

North Korea does not need a war it needs food. Sanctions, have not brought down Saddam, they have if anything convinced his people he is their protector against our evil empire. We need to seek to engage these powers and their people. Here's why, and its as hard nosed and selfish as any hawk could like. We need to give them "Something of Value." It's the Title of an old book about the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya, the bottom line of which is this, if you take everything from a man he has no reason not to go to war. To not break the Law. To not tear up the social contract. If you would ask a man to behave civilly, in the community of Nations, or a Nation, or your home town. He has to have a stake in the contract. Raise the Quality of life in these countries, and with it you will raise the resistance to war. Many Palestinians have nothing, and many have martyred themselves for the Tort money that comes from the PLO.

Divination:Totems: Great Eagle: Vision, Falcon: War, Dove: Peace, Crow: Natural Law, Heron: Self Will, Ying/Yang Balance of Dualities. Jupiter: Enforcement of Law. Venus: Material Concerns. The Sea: Intuition.

Objectivity, Concern with Facts and Intellectual Clarity. Careful Consideration or Choices. Fair Decision or Compromise. To be Judged. Submission to the Intent.

Reversed:Bias, Injustice, Abuse of Power. Victim/ Perpetrator, the cycle of blame. Intolerance. False Judgment. Cruelty. Stagnation through Indecision.