LITERATAROT JULIE CUCCIA WATTS LA GIUSTIZIA VIII Justice
The Book of the Dead
The Tarot card symbol of the scales found on the Justice card can be
found in the zodiac sign of Libra as well as in the ancient Egyptian
stories of the judgment of souls in the Book of the Dead. In these
stories it is Maat the Goddess of Truth and Justice who weighs men's
souls against a feather before they can pass on into the next world
Typically, as shown in the image of papyrus, the deceased is led into
the Hall of Judgment by the god ibis-headed Thoth, the god of scribes
and writing (husband of Ma’at). The deceased is shown on the far right,
accompanied by Ma'at, she is wearing the white ostrich feather on her
head. In the papyrus image the deceased is able to witness the weighing
of his heart in the scale against the feather of Ma'at. Jackal-headed
Anubis who guides the souls of the dead and falcon-headed savior god
Horus assist in the process of weighing, while a baboon, an animal
sacred to Thoth, perches at the top of the scale. Ammit, the devouring
monster, waits atop a pedestal to consume the heart if it is found
wanting in the balance. Thoth makes a gesture of greeting to green
skinned Osiris- king of the other world. Osiris is accompanied by images
of the "Four Sons of Horus," who emerge from a lotus blossom, symbolic
of rebirth. The action is witnessed by forty-one or forty-two figures,
each holding, again, the ostrich feather of Ma'at. The cornice is a
decorative frieze of alternating cobras, flaming pots, and ostrich
feathers.
A poem from W.B. Yeats the first song of the "Two Songs from a Play"
overlays the image of a portrait of the now famous Afghan woman
portrayed in the National Geographic magazine cover. Yeat’s writes;
I saw a staring virgin stand
Where holy Dionysus* died,
And tear the heart out of his side,
And lay that heart upon her hand
And bear that beating heart away;
And then did all the Muses sing
Of Magnus Annus* at the spring,
As though God's death were but a play.
When I read this poem the Afghan woman’s face came into my mind with the
thought there will be no justice for anyone until there is justice for
everyone. The tragedy of current unnecessary wars brings imbalance and
great suffering to our world and it will take generations to heal the
effects. In the shadow of the reality of these atroscities theatrical
performances like passion plays and other trials of deity seem hollow. I
have placed a vessel representing the heart of the “God” in her hands
and she will be the judge. Ma’at’s feather has fallen to the ground and
the scales seem to look like they are hanging from a Cross. This is not
the laughing Justice of the MAAT Tarot but rather her somber
counterpart.
It is my opinion the Justice card represents the full moon cycle of
Libra March 21st-April 19th (the full moon of this month marks the holy
days of Easter, Passover and Ostara/Eostar, its planetary ruler is
Mars.)
*Annus Magnus (Latin) Great year; the precessional cycle of 25,920
years. Also, the interval between two successive ecliptic conjunctions
of all the planets, including sun and moon. The Hindus date the
beginning of the kali yuga from such a conjunction said to have taken
place in 3102 BC. It was a general belief in antiquity that cycles of
varying lengths marked the terminal or initial points of eras, the
occurrence or recurrence of cataclysms, and the consequent recurrence of
similar events.
* Dionysus or Dionysos (Ancient Greek: ?????s?? or ?????s??; also known
as Bacchus in both Greek and Roman mythology and associated with the
Italic Liber), the Thracian god of wine, represents not only the
intoxicating power of wine, but also its social and beneficent
influences. He is viewed as the promoter of civilization, a lawgiver,
and lover of peace — as well as the patron deity of both agriculture and
the theater. It is possible that Dionysian mythology would later find
its way into Christianity. There are many parallels between the legends
of Dionysus and Jesus; both were said to have been born from a mortal
woman but fathered by a god, to have returned from the dead, and to have
transformed water into wine.
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