Adjustment is card VIII of the Major Arcana in the Thoth Tarot. In a reading it speaks of balance, justice, compensation and truth. In the Golden Dawn system it corresponds to the Hebrew letter Lamed, path 22 of the Tree of Life between Geburah and Tiphareth, the element Air and Libra in astrology.
balance · justice · compensation · truth · karma
What does Adjustment mean?
The situation tends toward rebalancing: honesty and measure lead to the right result. Official decisions or contracts are possible.
Everyday meaning
Justice, balance, legal matters and contracts. It shows that every action receives an exact, proportionate answer.
Psychological meaning
The ability to evaluate with clarity, recognising the consequences of your choices without guilt and without self-indulgence.
Initiatic meaning
Path 22 from Geburah to Tiphareth, the letter Lamed (the ox-goad, 30) and Libra, the sign of Venus in which Saturn is exalted: the continuous adjustment that keeps the universe in balance. Every imbalance generates its own correction.
The shadow side
Ill-dignified, it signals cold judgement, legalism, partiality, or paralysis from over-deliberation.
Adjustment reversed
The Thoth Tarot is traditionally read without reversed cards: the reader judges from the cards around it whether a card is well or ill dignified. This is its ill-dignified or blocked reading:
An unrecognised imbalance, harsh judgements of yourself or others, delayed outcomes; face reality squarely.
Adjustment in love, work and spirit
In love
A relationship seeking reciprocity; an exchange to be rebalanced with sincerity.
At work and career
Contracts, negotiations, legal matters; the outcome will be proportionate to what was sown.
In spiritual practice
Accepting the law of cause and effect as a teacher, not as a punishment.
Kabbalah, astrology and the Hebrew letter of Adjustment
Lamed ל (30) · path 22: Geburah – Tiphareth · Air · Libra
Crowley on Adjustment
Crowley renames Justice 'Adjustment' and swaps it with Lust, making it number VIII; he paints it as Maat, a masked dancer perfectly balanced on tiptoe, with the sword and the scales hanging from her headdress.
Frequently asked questions
What does Adjustment mean in the Thoth Tarot?
The situation tends toward rebalancing: honesty and measure lead to the right result. Official decisions or contracts are possible.
What does Adjustment mean in love?
A relationship seeking reciprocity; an exchange to be rebalanced with sincerity.
What does Adjustment mean for work and career?
Contracts, negotiations, legal matters; the outcome will be proportionate to what was sown.
What does Adjustment mean reversed?
The Thoth Tarot is traditionally read without reversed cards: the reader judges from the cards around it whether a card is well or ill dignified. This is its ill-dignified or blocked reading: An unrecognised imbalance, harsh judgements of yourself or others, delayed outcomes; face reality squarely.
What are the Kabbalah and astrology correspondences of Adjustment?
In the Golden Dawn system Adjustment corresponds to the Hebrew letter Lamed, path 22 of the Tree of Life between Geburah and Tiphareth, the element Air and Libra in astrology.
