Justice
Major Arcana · number 11 · La Giustizia
Upright
Justice tells you something simple: whoever is right gets their due. If you have a pending case, a dispute at work, an open account with someone, this card promises that the deserving side wins. It is also a call to fairness: in love, do not weigh the other person with two different measures; with money, keep the accounts clear down to the last cent. If these days you feel judged, it is no accident: the scales are at work, and they work well. The practical advice: put agreements in writing, even between friends, and be the first to honour what you ask of others.
Source: Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910) · read the original passage
Reversed
Reversed, Justice gets complicated: the law in all its folds, technicalities, paperwork that drags on, and around you a climate of prejudice and excessive severity. Perhaps someone judges you without knowing you, or perhaps you are becoming too hard on a person who made one mistake. Watch out for legal shortcuts and contracts read in a hurry. It is not a sentence: it is an invitation to return to common sense. The practical advice: if there is a case in progress, get serious professional advice; if there is a grudge, grant a second chance.