Animal Tarot Time: JUSTICE

For this series, I am exploring the choices of animals made by various deck creators to correspond to traditional Tarot cards. My initial goal is to get through the Major Arcana using cards from eight different decks (yes, I’ve added a new deck to the mix: Tarot of the Woodland Wardens by Jessica Roux from Amber/Lotus).

• Animal Tarot Cards (Virtue, Valentine, Hay House)
• The Animal Totem Tarot (Robertson, Smith, Llewellyn)
• The Animal Wisdom Tarot (Brunke, Liola, CICO)
• The Animal-Wise Tarot (Andrews, Dragonhawk)
• The Animals Divine Tarot (Hunt, Llewellyn)
• The Animism Tarot (Cheung)
• Tarot of the Animal Lords (Giannini, Lo Scarabeo)
• Tarot of the Woodland Wardens (Jessica Roux, Amber/Lotus) – Added 12/2025    

To read my previous posts in this series, enter “Animal Tarot Time” in the search field on the main page of the blog or scroll down and click on Animal Tarot Time under CATEGORIES. 

Today I’m exploring JUSTICE in my animal-themed decks. As many of you know, the numbering of the Justice and Strength cards in the Tarot varies, depending on which deck you are using. For this post, I will be viewing Justice as Trump 11. Let’s look at how JUSTICE is portrayed in eight different animal decks.

Animal Tarot Cards by Doreen Virtue and Radleigh Valentine (Hay House)

JUSTICE / ELEPHANT 

“Fair decisions will be made after all the evidence is reviewed impartially. 
Have compassion for others and try to see all sides of a disagreement.”

The Elephant appears on the Justice card (Key 8 in this deck) because of its intelligence, majesty, and power. Stories abound of elephants caring for their families and community, even risking their own lives in order to save one of their own. If this card appears in a reading, the seeker has every reason to believe that justice will be done in their situation and all will be well.

The Animal Totem Tarot by Leeza Robertson; illustrated by Eugene Smith (Llewellyn Publications)

JUSTICE / CRANE

“Do you have any pressing legal issues that need to be dealt with? 
Where are you needing resolution in your life right now? 
How do you bring yourself back to center once your emotions have run high?"

The Crane shown on this card is described by the deck’s creators as being “in a defensive pose… standing his ground, wanting others to know that he cannot be swayed from his own mind.” The fact is, there will always be more than one story or perspective to take into account when trying to settle a disagreement. On this card, the Crane’s beak points “towards the sky,” symbolizing “the higher power at play when it comes to finding the middle ground.” Note that the Justice card (when given the number 11) sits in the center/middle point of the Major Arcana. As a totem, we can see the Crane as one who helps ground emotions and take the sting out of them. This in turn will help find a solution “for the good of all and harm to none.”

The Animal Wisdom Tarot by Dawn Brunke; illustrated by Ola Liola (CICO Books)

JUSTICE / ELEPHANT / Bearer of Justice

“Play fair, love true, live in harmony.”

The creators of this deck state that the Elephant “represents balance, stability, sincerity, and justice.” In addition to removing obstacles that “keep us from seeing our true selves,” the Elephant supports bringing to light anything that is imbalanced. The Elephant calls us to do what is right and a true reflection of ourselves, to achieve “greater balance with ourselves and with the cosmos.”

The Animal-Wise Tarot by Ted Andrews (Dragonhawk Publishing)

JUSTICE / ELEPHANT

Ancient Powers of Justice at Work 

For this deck, Ted Andrews chose the Elephant to represent Justice. He points out that this card is meant to remind us that “spiritual laws of justice are at play within life,” whether we recognize them or not! Elephants display great strength and community. They often rely on their acute sense of smell to discern whether something is “right” or not. Instead of automatically trusting what we see, we might do better to think about what “smells right” when making an important decision. When reversed, this card might indicate an injustice at hand, yet a reassurance that the situation will play itself out in “the time, manner, and means best for all concerned.” Meanwhile, it may help to ask ourselves if we are judging everything on appearance alone or ignoring lessons of the past.

The Animals Divine Tarot by Lisa Hunt (Llewellyn Worldwide)

JUSTICE

Maat: Egyptian / Ostrich

The Egyptian goddess of truth and justice, Maat, was a judge of the dead in the Hall of Justice, where she weighed the souls of recently deceased mortals. To do this, she balanced the deceased’s heart against an ostrich feather. Maat is always shown wearing an ostrich feather in her hair. (I have not been able to determine exactly why an ostrich feather was chosen to represent truth, justice, and divine connection). 

The Animism Tarot by Joanna Cheung (Self-Published)

JUSTICE / CHIMPANZEE

adaption, objectiveness, awareness, compassion, honour, understanding

On the Justice card in this deck, we see two Chimpanzees facing each other, hands touching palm to palm. Joanna Cheung writes: “Understanding is shared in a simple touch, and the realization that what we choose to do from here on out will be more important than we realize. This is the time to right wrongs, a time for change and balance. Things have become clear now.” I did a bit of research, and I discovered that studies and experiments have shown that chimpanzees may have a strong sense of fairness (“inequity aversion”) similar to humans.

Tarot of the Animal Lords with artwork by Angelo Giannini (Lo Scarabeo)

JUSTICE / BARN OWL

agreement, order / lack of freedom, prejudices and misconduct

As a common symbol of wisdom, the Owl can certainly be seen as representing an inclination towards justice, fairness, and balance. Barn Owls, because of their heart-shaped faces, are said to symbolize love as well as wisdom.

Tarot of the Woodland Wardens by Jessica Roux (Amber/Lotus)

JUSTICE / CAPUCHIN MONKEY

“How have my actions affected others, positively or negatively? 
How can I better achieve balance in my daily life?”

Like Joanna Cheung, Jessica Roux has chosen a primate for the Justice card in this deck. She writes, “These creatures have a complex societal structure, use tools, and may even recognize their own reflection.” Capuchin monkeys were named for their resemblance to an order of friars, further supporting the concept of fairness and justice. Roux also writes that determining justice requires honesty and rational thought above emotions.

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To summarize, we have:

Elephant – 3
Crane – 1
Ostrich (Maat) – 1
Chimpanzee – 1
Barn Owl – 1
Capuchin Monkey – 1

I’m going with the majority this time and voting for Elephant as my favorite animal representative for the Justice card. The reasons are expressed very well by the creators of the decks who chose the Elephant. However, I do understand the appeal of selecting a primate for this card!