Difference between Judgement, Justice and Temperance?

[Aguilita_tarot]

Hey everybody,

 

After a break from tarot, I've decided to come back full force by doing a daily read and posting it online as a sort of tarot diary to keep building on my skill as a tarot reader.

 

3 cards that have always stumped me though (apart from the court cards) are Judgement, Justice and Temperance. I can't draw a clear line between the three to differentiate them and explain them better. Judgement for me means finding out what the querent thinks is best for them; Justice is finding what is morally or ethically right for the querent; Temperance is like a combination of the two, what is right morally but also what the querent thinks would benefit them all with the intention of striking some sort of balance. They all sound very similar to me, how can I elaborate more on each one so I don't continue confusing myself in the future?

 

Any tips on telling these three apart? Thanks! I made this post in another thread without realizing that this might have been a better avenue to post in, I hope that's ok.

[fire cat pickles]

Justice and Temperance are two of the four Cardinal Virtues. For me they tell me there is a balance that needs to be met, with Justice more of an external conflict or challenge and Temperance being more internal and personal. Justice often doesn't give one a choice what is morally or ethically correct. It is what it is. Do the speed limit or get a ticket. Pay your electric bill or the lights get shut off. With Temperance you have a choice. Speed to work and get away with it or pay your bills late and pay a late charge... It's about personal choice: balance, give and take, robbing Peter to pay Paul. Justice doesn't allow any if this. Justice is blind. Temperance is eyes wide open. And they're your eyes.

 

22 hours ago, Aguilita_tarot said:

Judgement for me means finding out what the querent thinks is best for them; Justice is finding what is morally or ethically right for them.

 

I really like this! But in my opinion I think you should substitute Temperance for Judgement here and Judgement for Justice, simply because of the Justice-Temperance relationship. I don't think Justice has the leeway here. Just my two cents. 

 

22 hours ago, Aguilita_tarot said:

Temperance is like a combination of the two, what is right morally but also what the querent thinks would benefit them

I like this, too! Very astute... But I think Judgement is more of a combination of Justice-Temperance.  

[and_it_spoke]

At the most basic, I think of Judgment, Justice and Temperance as "Decision, Action and Restraint".

 

With Judgement, the card implies that either the querent or an outside party comes to a conclusion, definitive in nature. A choice has been made, and it's going to steer the energy from here on out.

 

Justice is about the right thing happening or being done. It may not FEEL just to the querent or to others involved, but ultimately it's a corrective energy that needs to be there. I'd say it's more about "balance", but that doesn't feel quite right - so I'm going to stick with "corrective energy".

 

Temperance may be more in line with the idea of "balance" but it's of a more personal nature, Using caution and consideration going forward.

[Aguilita_tarot]

Really appreciate the insight @fire cat pickles, especially the part about Justice being more of an external conflict or situation vs. Temperance being more internal and personal. 

@and_it_spoke I posted before I could read your message, very insightful as well, I'm starting to draw lines between the cards a little more clearly. I really like the one-worded definitions you gave judgement:decision, justice:action, temperance:restraint. 

 

I also think I get confused because of how phonetically similar Judgement and Justice sound, so I also have to take a few seconds to make sure I'm talking about the right card haha. Anyway, judgement and justice are pretty similar too like how a judge serves justice...now I'll need a little more help clarifying the difference between judgement and justice...

 

Help! 😅

Edited November 23, 2021 by Aguilita_tarot

[Guest]

№8 Justice says that every person has a system of values, his own moral code, thanks to which one can distinguish good from evil, draw conclusions and judge events and situations in his life. He himself also obeys the just principles that rule the world. Justice shows the essence of humanity, the rights that should become the highest value in human life, such as: honesty, equality and justice.

Justice is the opposite of instinct and intuition. This is the rational part of the human mind that allows it to avoid bias in judgment. He must remember that all justice must be impartial and used to maintain a balance between people.

 

The №20 Judgment says that for the final closure of the past, it is necessary to resurrect it and face it again. A person should judge what happened, recognizing his past as defeated. Only because of this can he talk about a real awakening.

The Judgment refers to redemption, repentance, forgiveness. It is also a symbol of awakening, awareness of the consequences of actions.

 

The lesson of №8 Justice is much more banal. Live honestly, be responsible for your actions, remember about reasonableness, do not do what you will regret.

 

№20 Judgment: needs to be understood and felt as the idea of cleansing from all accumulated ballast.

 

(I apologize for possible mistakes in the text, - English is not my first language)

[Aguilita_tarot]

@Raido thank you so much for numbering the cards, I'm reminded that the major arcana are indeed numbered and it might be easier for me to remember them by their number more than their names. Thank you for the explanation as well, very thorough.