Today's Goddess Card
Ma'at (Justice)
Today's Goddess Oracle card is the Egyptian Goddess or truth, justice, and balance; the Goddess Ma'at. Her name is pronounced maht and is also sometimes spelled Maat. There are not many tales of Ma'at but her duties among the Egyptians and her place in among the Gods of Egypt is a very important one.
Ma'at is said to be the daughter of the Sun God Ra, and that until Isis and Ra come together it was Ma'at that helped Ra to steer his boat across the sky each day. She is the companion of the God Thoth and she gave birth to eight children with him who would go on to become the Chief Gods and Goddesses of Hermopolis.
Ma'at has a job that is simple yet considered by many to be of the most importance among the Gods. She is the one who weights the hearts of the dead in order to determine where they will go in the next life. She holds a set of scales in her hands; on one end is her white feather of truth which she weighs against the hearts of the dead before they move on. If the heart and the feather come into balance then the soul is allowed to reside with the Gods and dine in paradise with the spirits. Should the heart be heavier than the feather she declares that the person has committed wrongs in their life that have not been corrected and they have died with a "heavy heart". Those with a heavy heart are then sent to the Underworld where they are met by the crocodile headed God Ammut who then devours them.
Like the justice that Ma'at hands down, she is unwavering. No amount of pleading or explanation will make her spare the life of someone who has failed the test of her scales. This is one of the challenges that Ma'at faces, what some might see as a lack of compassion. Sometimes when we are very into the idea of passing on justice in a situation we may become blind to compassion in those situations which could possibly make the situation even harder to deal with. Ma'at had been described at times as a "Shadow Judge" in an archetypal sense for this very reason. She can misuse her power at times because she is blind to the "human side" of the story at times.
The message with this card is about justice. Ma'at comes through to let you know that when you're feeling like things aren't working out the way they should, in a just way, or when you're feeling like you have been treated unfairly, she is willing and able to help you if you will be open to her brand of justice. When you work with her there are no grey areas, things are either right or wrong. Sometimes this is what we need; sometimes we have been too kind and too considerate of the feelings of others that we have allowed ourselves to be taken advantage of. In cases like this the cold judgement that Ma'at can sometimes give out is just what we need.
Be sure before you invite her to help you lay down and justice that you are not guilty yourself. In the legal system there is a term used called "unclean hands" which is used to describe the fact that the accuser has been involved in deeds similar to those of the person being accused, possibly even in the same circumstance or situation. For example, if you were to take your roommate to court for not paying their share of the rent for three months but during one of those months you didn't pay rent either, you don't have as much of a right to try and bring them to justice and you would likely find things don't go as you would have liked. In other words thing of the phrase "the pot calling the kettle black". Be sure that your hands are clean of all misdeeds before you try and bring someone else to justice. When you know you've righted any of your own wrongs it will be time for you to call in Ma'at to set things right.
Where do you need justice? Are there wrongs that have been done to you lately that need to be set right? Have you found yourself being to forgiving? Or how about too rigid? Call in Ma'at to not only bring the justice that you deserve and to help you see the truth in a situation but also ask her to come and help you find the balance in these situations.
