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Justice - Eight

 La Justice: Tarot de Marseille
The eighth card of the Tarot is traditionally the Justice card, althoug modern decks swap Justice with the eleventh card, Strength. Personally I see the number eight clearly in the Justice card. Turned on its side, it resembles the scales with which the evidence is weighed. A figure of eight turned on its side is also known as an infinity symbol. The justice served is the after-effect of karma, called vipaka in Pāli. Vipaka means "the appropriate result" or in other words "justice". This card speaks of the natural consequences of your actions.

The number eight is associated with the cube, which has eight corners. Eight is associated with infinity because it was believed that beyond the seven planetary spheres, an infinite eighth realm existed. According to Babylonian mythology, the eighth realm is the starry home of the gods. Eight is therefore associated with heaven or paradise. Eight is also the number of superspace, the configuration space of general relativity, in which there are eight dimensions. The infinity symbol was introduced as a mathematical symbol by John Wallis in 1655. He may have chosen this symbol as a variant form of the Roman numeral for 1000, or the Greek letter omega. The Indian mathematical text Surya Prajnapti, writted in c. 3rd–4th century BCE, describes two types of infinite numbers. Asamkhyata means "countless, innumerable" whereas ananta means "endless, unlimited".

How does the concept of infinity relate to the concept of vipaka or "justice"? We can say that the Universe is an infinite being, and that there is nowhere in the Universe that the law of cause and effect does not operate. The reign of Lady Justice is boundless. Nobody can escape the inevitable results of their karma. Justice holds a sword in one hand, perhaps to remind us of the danger we must face, and our inevitable demise. The eight-legged spider weaves a web to catch its prey. The spider's web is a good allegory for cause and consequence, as every action is connected and influences other actions. When a fly is caught in a web, it's vibration travels across the web, sending waves of energy through the strands. Our actions likewise send out ripples of effect, influencing the actions of those around us. Everyone is connected to the web of karma, we all influence each other's actions. Every action is an after-effect or vipaka of a previous action. The web of cause and affect is infinite, it stretches from an unreachable past to a boundless future. There is no end to the chain of events, as cause and consequence ripples like the waves of the sea, into infinity.

In Buddhism, the dharmachakra is a wheel with eight spokes. It represents the eightfold path of dharma, meaning "law, sustainer, harmony" of the Universe. To follow the eightfold path means to live in harmony with Nature. Dharma is also taken to mean "duty, good conduct, virtue". The eight ways to live in harmony with Nature are to 1. understand the nature of reality, 2. understand the powerful consequences of our thoughts, 3. understand how our words effect others, 4. understand how our actions affect others, 5. understand how our livelihood affects others, 6. understand the effects of our efforts and desires, 7. understand how to be mindful of the present moment, 8. understand how to focus the mind and meditate.

The first few verses of the Dhammapada,  a collection of sayings of the Buddha, teach us about the law of cause and effect, or Justice. This is what the eighth Tarot card says to me.

"All experience is preceded by mind,
Led by mind, created by mind.
Speak or act with a corrupted mind,
And suffering follows,
As the wagon wheel follows the hoof of the ox.
All experience is preceded by mind,
 Led by mind, created by mind.
Speak or act with a peaceful mind,
And happiness follows,
Like a never-departing shadow."

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