UPRIGHT KEY

Justice

REVERSE KEY

Corruption

TREE OF LIFE ENGLISH

Lamed

TREE OF LIFE HEBREW

ל‎‎

ASTRAL SIGNATURE

Libra

KEYWORDS

Balance, Equilibrium, Justice, Adjustment, Refinement, Fairness, Truth, Law

The card Balance embodies a patchman suspended inside of a prism. Her arms extended outward as she supports two spheres bursting with light, which in turn each support their own scales marked by the Alpha and the Omega. These scales are about to weigh the soul against the feather in the fashion of the Ancient Egyptian ceremony. A long sword is seen running parallel to her body behind and through her, depicting the power of The Ace of Swords: the clarity of the Singular Mind. She is justice, adjustment, and equilibrium. 

When Balance is drawn in a card reading, it indicates that things are balancing out and justice will be served, no matter which side of the scales you are on. Your behavior has had an effect upon the dictation of your life, for better or for worse, and the law of karma works continuously. The presence of Balance calls for the stabilizing and harmonizing of all aspects of your life, thus indicating that if a particular situation requires an adjustment, make that change swiftly before the decision is made for you. Speak the truth, for, in the end, the truth will be spoken no matter what.

Known as Justice or Adjustment in other Tarot decks, Balance can be seen as pretty self-explanatory; the astrological symbol of this card is Libra, which represents balance, justice, equilibrium, and fairness. 

Balance appears as a patchman character who embodies the very scales which she holds. She exists directly in the middle of the spectrum of the Major Arcana, serving as a balancing of energies between the entire wheel of the Tarot. By her great sword, she cuts through illusion to reveal what is at the heart of any matter. She is free of bias, simply embodying the spirit of truth and equilibrium. 

As it relates to you, this card asks us to observe balance in many ways. The first is to be aware of the wheel of Karma, and knowing that by the nature of this card is a message that "justice will be served", whether you seek to participate in your life or not. With that in mind, balance is more than a passive affair, and thus we must be righteous and truthful in all of our actions. If we are acting deceitful or attempting to hide the truth, this card is a reminder that we cannot hide from the truth, and that karma has its way of balancing all things out; we must make sure we are balanced in all aspects of our life, which can imply balance of mind, emotions, physicality, and spiritual focus. 

Take a moment to look at the bigger picture of your life. What aspects would you consider to be out of balance? You might find that you have spent quite a bit of time doing something in particular, and a balancing act on the opposite end of the spectrum may be in order. If it's excess work, go and play. If it's excess play, go and work. As this card relates to all four elements (symbolized by the four spheres in each corner), this can represent something much deeper within you such as an emotional imbalance, or a way of thinking that is out of date. 

Balance is all about coming back to your heart center to fully be able to see both sides of any particular equation - the dark and the light. The only way you can truly see imbalances in your life is through a lens of honesty and accountability. If you deny the imbalances in your life, you will not be able to properly shift and create vital changes, until it is too late - and you will suffer the consequences.

Again, observe the yins and yangs of your life! What do you like? What do you dislike? What do you struggle with the most, and what are you the best at? Take a step back and go deep within yourself to truly feel where you need to create balance. Remember that at the end of the day, all dualistic perspectives are simply one thing observed from different angles, and all creations reflect the same source.

As Above, So Below!

REVERSED DESCRIPTION

The reversed form of Balance is the deceit which balance strives to correct; pure corruption. In fact, if it is relating to a legal issue or something which you have already acted poorly in the past, you might have a correction coming your way. This is caused by acting out of a place of ignorance, misunderstanding, or complete denial and refusal to change and correct our mistakes. It also embodies unfairness and a lack of accountability, both of which will result in a more hard-hitting "correction" by the cosmos at large, and will most certainly feel like a punishment. Dishonesty plays a big role in the reversal of Balance because lies have the capacity to bring us way off balance. Finally, this reversal can help you identify if you are having trouble connecting with your path - your genuine inner calling, by inviting you to look at where you have strayed within, and making adjustments where necessary.

To turn this reversed card upright, you must truly face yourself and the imbalances that you have brought to the fold. You have the power to actively create your life, and so by becoming aware of the imbalances, you simply resolve the internal corruption to correct the problem that you caused. If you popped a child's balloon, instead of laughing at them, get them a new one! In fact, you probably ought to get them a popsicle too while you're at it, wouldn't you think? However, be mindful that outwardly acts of virtue mean nothing if they don't come from a pure heart. And so, in this previous example, giving back to the child whose balloon you popped is only half of the equation; even more so we must go within and understand why we would do such a thing, to begin with, and resolve the inner trauma. This inner rebalancing can range from emotional, mental, spiritual, or physical behavior. By fine-tuning ourselves and making continuous improvements to our personalities and who we are - we bring ourselves back into alignment and connect to our inner Source once again. 

As a final note, for those who have really gone terribly far into unbalanced and malicious behavior and wish to realign themselves fully, one of the greatest ways to do this is through the combination of fasting, prayer, and meditation. In this way, by asking for forgiveness from Spirit, we have opportunities to dramatically grow through the discomforts we have caused, and come out significantly lighter than we had been before. There may still be consequences physically, but that doesn't mean the spiritual, mental, and emotional consequences should be ignored. Balance requires both spiritual forgiveness and the physical action required to bring karma back into balance, so be ready to find balance and act in alignment.

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