Animals Divine - XI Justice - Maat

Ivy Rhiannon

Picture: http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd443/TrinityQueen/11-Justice-Maat.jpg

First Impression: She is a beautiful strong goddess! Holding a holy ankh and smiling proudly. I am very interested in Egyptian culture and symbolism.


Description: Maat stands here proudly raising a golden ankh in the air and cradling an ostrich. She is looking beyond the veil to see clearly the truth.

Gender: Feminine

Colors: Soft Browns, Reddish Orange, Gold, Blues, White, and Black.

Senses: I smell fresh paper and ink. There is a cleanliness here and an air of quiet. I see Maat as she is smiling, approachable but very firm and strong.

Symbols: Maat, Ankh, Ostrich, Hieroglyphs, spirals, stars, feather.


Story [Intuitive]: I walk forward towards a lovely scribe who sits writing at an intricate ebony desk. My head is bowed as if my face is weighed by shame to look upon the Goddess. The scratching song of the quill stops and I can feel her dark eyes outlined in the sacred kohl upon me. If it were possible I would shrink down to the size of a tiny insect to escape her intense stare. A long moment passes as she watches me. I feel hot and weak in the knees but finally find my voice to speak. "G-great G-goddess Maat, I am but your humble servant!" I yelp dropping in a deep bow my sweating forehead on the warm marble tile. I feel tears threatening to pour out of my stinging eyes. "Rise." she says coolly. I do as she says obediently wringing my hands nervously. "Now continue." she commands. I begin my story, telling her everything as she sits proudly and calmly listening to my words. I explain how I came to be in debt to the kingdom, and how I now stand before her merciful judgement. She looks at me as if she were peering through a shear curtain blowing in a sunny breeze. There is no shadow in this room to bend the light of the truth, so I tell her my story honestly and fully as my mind can recall. She reaches up to place her hand upon a golden ankh. "You swear by your soul that you speak your tale with words true and complete to our great mother of Egypt?" I nod, swallowing my tears and the fear that poisons them. She closes her eyes then chanting lightly and almost inaudibly. A moment later looks at me with the slightest smile. "Your service in this life is not over yet, servant of Isis. Go forth and work as your word binds you to clear your name and restore your honor." I sigh and it feels as if I have shed an ethereal chains that bound me. I bow praising Maat, for her kindness and mercy. It would seem that I have not so deeply offended the gods as I had originally thought, and for this I am eternally grateful. I swear then as my feet pad across the temple and out into the soft sand that I will repay my debt and redeem myself among them.

My Experience with The Justice: We judge others biased on many things, much of which matters little in this day and age. The best of us seek true justice with in the world and help those we dean worthy in this life. We are all the judges, prosecutors, and jury in this world at one time or another. I hope that we can always seek honesty in this, and not let our eyes be clouded by lies.


Astrological Reference: Zodiac - Libra, Cardinal

Cultural Reference: Maat is the Ancient Egyptian concept of truth, balance, order, law, morality, and justice. Maat was also personified as a goddess regulating the stars, seasons, and the actions of both mortals and the deities, who set the order of the universe from chaos at the moment of creation. She was represented as a young woman holding a scepter, the symbol of power, in one hand and an ankh, the symbol of eternal life, in the other. She is depicted with wings on each arm or as a woman with an ostrich feather on her head.

After her role in creation and continuously preventing the universe from returning to chaos, her primary role in Egyptian mythology dealt with the weighing of souls that took place in the underworld, Duat. The hearts of the dead were said to be weighed against the "Feather of Ma'at", in the Hall of Two Truths. A heart which was unworthy was devoured by the goddess Ammit and its owner condemned to remain in the Duat. The heart was considered the location of the soul by ancient Egyptians. Those people with good and pure hearts were sent on to Aaru.[source Wikipedia]

Elemental Reference: Air

Numerology Reference: (1+1=2) 2 - Duality, Harmony, Choices, Unity


Keywords: Judgement, Justice, Order, Morality, Truth

Possible Meanings: Following a morally sound code, Searching for or speaking the truth, Success with legal proceedings, Creating order among chaos.

Reversed: Judging yourself or others harshly, Creating chaos instead of order, Creating or living a lie, Have legal proceedings or justice done to you for a crime or wrong doing.

Quote: "The weakest arm is strong enough that strikes with the hand of justice." ~ John Webster
 

divinegoddess

First Impression: Such a beautiful card. I love the Egyptian theme. The starry night sky still continues..A new cycle is about to begin.

Symbols*: The consecutive circles filled with stars are a reminder that the cosmic order is in constant flux. The ostrich represents truth and justice, exemplified by the emblematic feather of Maat. The goddess holds the ankh in one hand. This is a symbol of life; the circular motif is echoed throughout the image. The goddess’s clothing transforms into spirals, indicative of the continuation of life and changing circumstance. The hieroglyphics in the background represent Maat and reinforce her divine presence with matters of truth and the judgement of the dead.

Description*: Maat was the Egyptian goddess of truth and justice. She was the daughter of the sun god Ra and the essence of cosmic balance. She assumed a position as judge of the dead in the Hall of Justice and weighed the souls of recently deceased mortals. To determine the virtuousness of a person, she weighed her feather against the dead individual’s heart. If the heart was heave with the burden of past sins, the individual was sent to Ammut, a monster that devoured the guilty. But if a person’s conscience was free of wrongdoing, the individual would transform into a spirit.

The concept of Maat embodied the idea of cosmic order and harmony. She was “the breath of life” and the motivating force behind one’s consciousness. It was the Egyptian people’s goal to live ethically by Maat’s rule.

Keywords: Judgement, balance, legalities, making decisions.

Possible Meanings: Maat is a reminder that we must take responsibility for our own actions. As we proceed on the journey to wholeness, it is important to build a healthy ego, one that is willing to accept responsibility and follow the intuitive beat of the heart. It is important to observe a situation from both sides and to try and see the other’s point of view. If we act in good consciecnce when we make decisions, we will live in a more harmonious manner and be part of the universal order symbolized by the star-laden web.

Senses: Map of Astrology comes to my mind when I see her. She is the carer of the Universe, she sees it all. She has the perfect understanding of the astrology and what goes behind. She is in perfect rhythm of life, she knows the cycles and constancy of life. Being the daughter of the great sun god Ra, she has a lot of responsibility. She’s respected. She knows and sees it all. She does intimidate me a little bit.

Thoughts/Points to Ponder: What is she looking at?