Libra in the court cards

I’m taking a break from the Minor Arcana today. Instead, I’m looking at Libra in the court cards. But which one – or ones?  Different traditions have different astrological correspondences when it comes to the Court Cards. For instance, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn chose to assign cardinal attributes (initiating things) to the Queens, fixed (maintaining order) to the Kings, and mutable (being able to adapt and transform) to the Knights.  Each court card is also linked to the elements, with Pages with Earth, Knights being associated with Fire, Queens with Water, and Kings with Air. 

Queen of Swords (trimmed):

© Secret Tarot

Following this system, we end up with Cardinal Air sign Libra being associated with the Queen of Swords (Water of Air). What qualities do we associate with this Queen? Extremely perceptive and observant, quick-witted, confident. She’s often seen as a figure who’s been touched by sorrow, who’s learned to accept and assimilate her experiences with grace and dignity – a fine balancing act, bring that Venusian ruling of Libra into play.  The peacemaker, perhaps?

Queen of Swords (trimmed):

© Shadowscapes Tarot

The Shadowscapes’ Queen of Swords holds two (duality and balance again) curved swords to cut through deception, to see the issue clearly.  The white chrysanthemums symbolize purity, clarity and honesty; the purple lilies inner strength (so says the deck’s creators in the accompanying book; details below).

Queen of Swords (trimmed):

© Thoth Tarot

The Thoth deck follows the Golden Dawn convention. Here we have the Queen, sword in hand, having cut away the mask to reveal the reality – or to see more clearly.  Her sword liberates, allowing us to move out of the clouds and into a clear, open sky.  There’s a sense of the balance of Libra, too, I think, in the way she sits on her throne – a bit like the figures seen in Justice cards in other decks, perhaps?

King of Swords (trimmed):

© Sharman-Burke/Caselli Tarot

If you work with a system that assigns cardinality to the Kings, you’re looking at the King of Swords.  In the image from Juliet Sharman-Burke’s Beginner's Guide to the Tarot, we see the King on his throne, wearing blue (Air) and purple (wisdom). Two birds fly above his head; the number ‘two’ reminds us of the Libran theme of balance and choice, as well as the Air-like quality of the mind being able to rise above things.  The King of Swords is sometimes associated with the legal profession, particularly in terms of truth and social justice.  As in the Adjustment card of the Thoth deck, we’re always having to make adjustments in order to keep things in balance.  This King appears calm and in charge of things – everything’s in balance, in order.  As Libra is an Air sign, that balance and order is likely to be maintained by words, rather than by physical force.  The pen may be mightier than the sword, but here I think the sword represents the pen!   I could certainly see him as a mediator.

If you’ve enjoyed this post, you might be interested in my e-book, Astrology in Tarot, now available from Amazon.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections

Secret Tarot created by Marco Nizzoli, published by Lo Scarabeo, 2004

Shadowscapes Tarot created by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara Moore, published by Llewellyn

Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Libra in the Major Arcana: Justice

Libra is one of the three Air signs, along with Gemini and Aquarius, as well as being one of the cardinal signs.   As such, its energy focuses on the outer world, rather than our inner world, and its main thrust is on social contact.  It seeks partnership – friendship, business, marriage.  It’s not about the passion of a personal relationship – Libra is not thought to be a passionate sign - but more about the ‘contract’, if you like – the need for equality and fairness within relationship.  Libra is the peacemaker, the negotiator, the mediator.  It’s ruled by Venus, providing a sense of refinement, and an awareness of beauty and harmony.

As usual, let’s start our exploration of Libra in the tarot with the Major Arcana.  In my previous post, I mentioned the idea of balance in various traditions – Egyptian and Greek mythology, Christianity – all of which use scales to symbolize the weighing up of whatever’s ‘in the balance’.  That, and the use of the blindfold in some of the imagery, leads us to the Justice card. 

Justice (trimmed):

© Sharman-Burke/Caselli Tarot

Depending on which deck you use, this is probably either the eighth or the eleventh card in the Major Arcana.  Most (but not all) Rider-Waite-Smith-based decks will have Justice as XI in the Major Arcana – the mid-point of the Fool’s Journey.  Personally, I like the idea of it being the 11^th card; having it as the fulcrum of the journey, half-way between the start and the end ‘embodies’ that sense of balance.

Some RWS-based decks (for instance Juliet Sharman-Burke and Gionvanni Caselli’s, shown here) place Justice at VIII.   I haven’t found a clear reason for this in the case of the Sharman-Caselli deck, but my guess is that it’s because they wanted to have all four virtues appear in order: 8 – Justice, 9 – Temperance, 10 –Strength, and 11 - The Hermit, the card to which they attribute the virtue of Prudence.  Regardless of the card’s position in the Major Arcana, the image contains most of the ‘traditional’ (i.e. RWS-based) symbolism – the scales representing perfect balance in one hand, the sword of truth in the other.

Libra has a reputation (unfair, in my opinion!) for being indecisive. Following from Virgo’s need to analyze everything in great detail, Libra weighs it all carefully but is always having to take new factors into account, upsetting that delicate balance, hence appearing to be constantly changing its mind.  For this reason, my favourite version of the tarot card associated with Libra, Justice, comes from the Thoth deck (although Crowley has re-named the card ‘Adjustment’). 

Adjustment VIII (trimmed):

© Thoth Tarot

Like many versions of the Justice card, the image still shows a figure with a set of scales, although here the scales appear to be balanced on her head.  She holds the sword of truth in both hands, between her legs, while balancing on her toes. The entire image of one of balance and harmony – including the coloured spheres (blue for spirit and intellect, green for creativity) in their symmetrical placement. But how long can this balance be held?  All it takes is one distraction, one thought, one new factor, to be added to the scales, and the whole thing is no longer balanced.  So it’s not that Libra is indecisive per se – it’s more that that the picture isn’t static; there’s always something else that needs to be considered, something else to knock us off track. That’s why I like the name ‘Adjustment’ – we’re always having to make adjustments as new elements come into play, in order to maintain our (always precarious) balance!

As our ingress into Libra is also marked by the Autumn Equinox, let’s also look at cards that are associated with this festival.  One deck that uses the Wheel of the Year as its base, rather than astrological associations, is the Wildwood Tarot, created by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, and beautifully illustrated by Will Worthington.  Here we have two cards from the Major Arcana that sit at the Autumn Equinox – The Wheel (X) and The Mirror (XII). 

The Wheel (trimmed):

© Wildwood Tarot

The Wheel reminds us of the constantly changing seasons, and that what comes around, goes around.  The equinox is but a moment in time – one where the hours of day and night are balanced, before the hours of darkness increase at the expense of the light.  In many traditions, the autumnal equinox marks the start of a period of withdrawal - not just in terms of physical withdrawal or hibernation - but a time of introspection and inner journeying, contemplation and rest. 

The Mirror (trimmed):

© Wildwood Tarot

The Mirror shows us our reflection and allows us to see our inner selves, and by sitting on the Equinox represents the point at which our journey changes direction – from outer to inner; the point where we’re balanced between the two.  And although Mark Ryan and John Matthews aren’t making any astrological associations in their deck, the mirror is often used as to symbolize Libra. Both through Venus’ rulership and its affinity to the 7^th house, Libra is concerned with attraction and partnership.  Aries, the sign opposite Libra in the zodiac, is about ‘I’: -how we meet the world as individuals, how we’re seen. Libra is concerned with ‘the other’ - what we look for in our relationships with others.  The mirror allows us to see what others see in us. ‘Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?’ indeed!

If you’ve enjoyed this post, you might be interested in my new e-book, Astrology in Tarot, now available from Amazon.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections

Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by US Games Systems, Inc.

Wildwood Tarot created by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections.

Hanging in the balance - Margarete Petersen’s Justice

Decks vary as to where Justice is placed – sometimes at number 8, sometimes at 11, and sometimes somewhere else!  But Margarete Petersen has chosen to place her version of the card at 8.

Justice (trimmed): ©Margarete Petersen Tarot

 

Here we have Ma’at and her scales – balancing, adjusting...   No bolt-upright sword (as far as I can see), as often seen in depictions of Justice, but there does seem to be a mirroring of light and dark (although not 50-50!). Not at all black and white, or straight.  “The karmic law of cause and effect”, writes Margarete Petersen, and “A lively process, ensuring balance.”  I like the use of the word ‘lively’ here – rather than it being a static thing, it’s a reminder that we constantly have to make adjustments in order to keep our balance.

 

The astrological link to Libra seems obvious!

 

Scales of justice, blind

Without bias, relentless,
 Maintaining balance. 


Margarete Petersen Tarot, AGM-URANIA, 2004. 

Fiscal matters and the Vernal equinox Tarot Blog Hop 2016

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Welcome to Alison’s Alembic!   You may have arrived here as a stop on the Tarot Blog Hop from either Siobhan's Mirror or Pure Blessed Tarot.  Or you may have found this through TABI’s Facebook page, or though one of the many wonderful tarot bloggers in the ether... It doesn’t matter – what does matter is that you’re here! 

At 04.30 GMT today the Sun moved, astrologically speaking, into Aries.  This has special significance as 0° Aries also marks one of the two equinoxes, the points at which the celestial equator and the elliptic (the path that the Sun appears to follow, when viewed from the earth) intersect. The word ‘equinox’ comes from the Latin, meaning ‘equal night’ – because at these two points of intersection, we experience approximately (depending on our latitude) equal hours of day and night.  The points of intersection are referred to as equinoctial points, with 0° marking the vernal point, and 180° the autumnal point.  So, 0° Aries corresponds to the point of the vernal equinox, and – in the northern hemisphere - this day has come to be celebrated as the first day of spring.

It’s also the end of the financial year, in the UK at least. Our wrangler for this Vernal Equinox Hop, Ania Marczyk has asked us to turn our attention to finance – more specifically, how we use the Tarot in relation to financial matters.

I often do readings around financial matters – in fact, I quite enjoy them, as long as it doesn’t cross the line into giving financial advice. Then it’s time to recommend talking to a financial advisor, or the bank – someone who’s qualified to deal with the specifics.  Usually it’s the cards themselves that emphasize the need for that; in the last reading I did around finances, both the King and Knight of Swords appeared, which I saw as indications to talk to a professional and to seek out more information.

For me, the end of the financial year conjures up an image of books being balanced, of adjustments being made.  And the system’s supposed to be fair, right? Immediately I see the Thoth’s Adjustment (Justice) card in my mind:

Adjustment (trimmed): Thoth Tarot

But, astrologically speaking, at least, Adjustment is associated with Libra and the autumnal equinox (northern hemisphere bias coming out here, sorry!), so what opposes it here, at the time of the vernal equinox?

The card most commonly associated with Aries is The Emperor. Traditionally, astrologers view Aries as the first sign in the zodiac. It’s also a cardinal sign, so it’s a ‘mover and shaker’. Aries is the initiator, the pioneer – the one who comes up with the ideas.  It’s the first of the three Fire signs encountered in the zodiac, bringing drive and passion to the creative process.  It’s also thought of as ‘masculine’, or ‘active’ – ‘yang’ energy... 

Emperor (trimmed): Thoth Tarot

But money? The fiscal year? Well, it’s the beginning of a new fiscal year, so the idea of new beginnings is obvious. Plus when I look at the Crowley Thoth's Emperor I think of the King “sitting in his counting house, counting all his money”!  I’d like to think that the fiscal systems we bow to were created with wisdom as well as compassion for taxpayers (ah, there's the Justice sneaking in again!) but these days it’s sometimes hard to see this! To quote the Beatles, "it's one for you, nineteen for me"...

Now, I’m one of those sad organized people who does their taxes well before the deadline – usually just before the autumnal equinox!  I like to get them out of the way so I don’t have to worry about missing the end of January deadline. No surprise, perhaps, that the Emperor is perhaps the one Major card that I struggle with most, while Justice represents many of the ideals that speak to me...

But, as I dealt with my taxes months ago, I can greet the equinox and the end of the financial year with a light heart – bring on the bunnies and chocolate!!

Two of Stones (trimmed): Wildwood Tarot

Thank you for stopping off here on your own journey through this Imbolc Tarot Blog Hop!  Please do come back and read some of my other posts.  

The next stops on the Tarot Blog Hop are - depending on whether you’re moving backwards or forwards through the list – Siobhan's Mirror or Pure Blessed Tarot. The Master List can be foundhere.

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Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by US Games Systems, Inc.

Wildwood Tarot created by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections