Justice

I’m not the only one who is grieving the loss of this titan of Justice. When I heard the news Friday, my stomach and my hope sunk. I could feel Trump and his cronies laughing and rubbing their hands together, and I felt like we were doomed.

RBG fought for marginalized peoples, especially women, workers, unions, the disabled, queer people, people of color. Her dissents could be devastating shade. Her victories meant victories against oppression. I don’t what we would have done without her fighting on that court for so long. How many times did her argument help sway other judges? How many times was she able to pull centrist judges to the left?

Everyone thought of her when Trump became President. As if he was aiming for her…. a duel. A showdown.

For a long time, many of us have been thinking of Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the last line of defense—the warrior that is holding back the floor, the army, the horror. As a people we tend to think that there are a few people stopping chaos from happening… and RBG had become iconic as the Final Warrior.

And when she died, we felt lost. Alone. As if she was the last true fighter.

She was not. There are many warriors fighting for us! I can name so many people in legislature and on the Supreme Court that are fighting for us! We can be those warriors too. But her loss does represent a battle and a fight for Justice that goes beyond the Court. It may go into the streets.

WHAT WENT INTO THE DESIGN: For me, as I was devastated Friday night, I drew this picture of RBG as my Justice card. Now, I know, I saw yesterday someone had done one in the Rider Waite style completely—-maybe a while back, maybe that night—-very skillfully, same kind of image, but looking as if done by the artist for that tarot deck. What I take from this is that she was many people’s idea of Justice, of fairness, of equity. She is Justice for many who have long felt justice denied. We will have more like her, no doubt.

When the Justice card appears in your reading, it is about Justice—about fairness, about equity, about getting the right ruling, a fair ruling from an impartial and honorable judge. Justice is never a bad card unless you have done something unfair yourself and then, it is a bit karmic.

Reversed the card can mean that you are receiving injustice, something unfair is happening to you. It can also mean that someone is doing illegal activities, or that you are making some poorly-thought out decisions and need to wait.

Right now, find the part of you that is Justice—and wants Justice in this world. Which part of you is RBG? Who are YOU fighting for? Who have you served in the public sphere, fighting for their rights? When you see Justice are you excited!? Do you say, YEAH!? Then Justice is a good card to see. If you are not excited to see Justice, real fair justice done, then ask yourself why? How can you be more just to others?

Cornel West said, “Never forget that Justice is what Love looks like in public.”