Justice, or rather justesse, the act of adjustment, suspension of all action pending decision; in material matters, may refer to law suits or prosecutions. Socially, marriage or marriage agreements; politically, treaties.
ל
ATU VIII
ATU VIII Adjustment
The Daughter of the Lords of Truth.
The Ruler of the Balance.
Adjustment
The Daughter of the Lords of Truth.
The Ruler of the Balance.
This card in the old pack was called Justice. This word has none but a purely human and therefore relative sense; so it is not to be considered as one of the facts of Nature. Nature is not just, according to any theological or ethical idea; but Nature is exact.
This card represents the sign of Libra, ruled by Venus; in it Saturn is exalted. The equilibrium of all things is hereby symbolized. It is the final adjustment in the formula of Tetragrammaton, when the daughter, redeemed by her marriage with the Son, is thereby set up on the throne of the mother; thus, finally, she "awakens the Eld of the All-Father."
In the greatest symbolism of all, however, the symbolism beyond all planetary and Zodiacal considerations, this card is the feminine complement of the Fool, for the letters Aleph Lamed constitute the secret key of the Book of the Law, and this is the basis of a complete qabalistic system of greater depth and sublimity than any other. The details of this system have not yet been revealed. It has been thought right, nevertheless, to hint at its existence by equating the designs of these two cards. Not only therefore, because Libra is a sign of Venus, but because she is the partner of the Fool, is the Goddess represented as dancing, with the suggestion of Harlequin.
The figure is that of a young and slender woman poised exactly upon toetip. She is crowned with the ostrich plumes of Maat, the Egyptian goddess of Justice, and on her forehead is the Uraeus serpent, Lord of Life and Death. She is masked, and her expression shows her secret intimate satisfaction in her domination of every element of dis-equilibrium in the Universe. This condition is symbolized by the Magic Sword which she holds in both hands, and the balances or spheres in which she weighs the Universe, Alpha the First balanced exactly against Omega the Last. These are the Judex and Testes of Final Judgment; the Testes, in particular, are symbolic of the secret course of judgment whereby all current experience is absorbed, transmuted, and ultimately passed on, by virtue of the operation of the Sword, to further manifestation. This all takes place within the diamond formed by the figure which is the concealed Vesica Piscis through which this sublimated and adjusted experience passes to its next manifestation.
She poises herself before a throne composed of spheres and pyramids (four in number, signifying Law and Limitation) which themselves maintain the same equity that she herself manifests, though on a completely impersonal plane, in the framework within which all operations take place. Outside this again, at the corner of the card, are indicated balanced spheres of light and darkness, and constantly equilibrated rays from these spheres form a curtain, the interplay of all those forces which she sums up and adjudicates.
One must go more deeply into philosophy; the Trump represents The Woman Satisfied. Equilibrium stands apart from any individual prejudices; therefore the title, in France, should rather be Justesse. In this sense, Nature is scrupulously just. It is impossible to drop a pin without exciting a corresponding reaction in every Star. The action has disturbed the balance of the Universe.
This woman-goddess is Harlequin; she is the partner and fulfilment of The Fool. She is the ultimate illusion which is manifestation; she is the dance, many-coloured, many-wiled, of Life itself. Constantly whirling, all possibilities are enjoyed, under the phantom show of Space and Time: all things are real, the soul is the surface, precisely because they are instantly compensated by this Adjustment. All things are harmony and beauty; all things are Truth: because they cancel out.
She is the goddess Maat; she bears upon her nemyss the ostrich feathers of the Twofold Truth.
From this Crown, so delicate that the most faintest breath of thought must stir it, depend, by chains of Cause, the Scales wherein Alpha, the first, is poised in perfect equilibrium with Omega, the last. The scales of the balance are the Two Witnesses in whom shall every word be established. She is therefore to be understood as assessing the virtue of every act and demanding exact and precise satisfaction.
More than this, she is the complete formula of the Dyad; the word AL is the title of the Book of the Law, whose number is 31, the most secret of the numerical keys of that Book. She represents Manifestation, which may always be cancelled out by equilibration of opposites.
She is wrapped in a cloak of mystery, the more mysterious because diaphanous; she is the sphinx without a secret, because she is purely a matter of calculation. In Eastern philosophy she is Karma.
Her attributions develop this thesis. Venus rules the sign of the Balance; and that is to show the formula: "Love is the law, love under will". But Saturn represents above all the element of Time, without which adjustment cannot take place, for all action and re action take place in time, and therefore, time being itself merely a condition of phenomena, all phenomena are invalid because uncompensated.
The Woman Satisfied. From the cloak of the vivid wantonness of her dancing wings issue her hands; they hold the hilt of the Phallic sword of the magician. She holds the blade between her thighs.
This is again a hieroglyph of "Love is the law, love under will". Every form of energy must be directed, must be applied with integrity, to the full satisfaction of its destiny.
This card represents the sign of Libra, ruled by Venus; in it Saturn is exalted. The equilibrium of all things is hereby symbolized. It is the final adjustment in the formula of Tetragrammaton, when the daughter, redeemed by her marriage with the Son, is thereby set up on the throne of the mother; thus, finally, she "awakens the Eld of the All-Father."
In the greatest symbolism of all, however, the symbolism beyond all planetary and Zodiacal considerations, this card is the feminine complement of the Fool, for the letters Aleph Lamed constitute the secret key of the Book of the Law, and this is the basis of a complete qabalistic system of greater depth and sublimity than any other. The details of this system have not yet been revealed. It has been thought right, nevertheless, to hint at its existence by equating the designs of these two cards. Not only therefore, because Libra is a sign of Venus, but because she is the partner of the Fool, is the Goddess represented as dancing, with the suggestion of Harlequin.
The figure is that of a young and slender woman poised exactly upon toetip. She is crowned with the ostrich plumes of Maat, the Egyptian goddess of Justice, and on her forehead is the Uraeus serpent, Lord of Life and Death. She is masked, and her expression shows her secret intimate satisfaction in her domination of every element of dis-equilibrium in the Universe. This condition is symbolized by the Magic Sword which she holds in both hands, and the balances or spheres in which she weighs the Universe, Alpha the First balanced exactly against Omega the Last. These are the Judex and Testes of Final Judgment; the Testes, in particular, are symbolic of the secret course of judgment whereby all current experience is absorbed, transmuted, and ultimately passed on, by virtue of the operation of the Sword, to further manifestation. This all takes place within the diamond formed by the figure which is the concealed Vesica Piscis through which this sublimated and adjusted experience passes to its next manifestation.
She poises herself before a throne composed of spheres and pyramids (four in number, signifying Law and Limitation) which themselves maintain the same equity that she herself manifests, though on a completely impersonal plane, in the framework within which all operations take place. Outside this again, at the corner of the card, are indicated balanced spheres of light and darkness, and constantly equilibrated rays from these spheres form a curtain, the interplay of all those forces which she sums up and adjudicates.
One must go more deeply into philosophy; the Trump represents The Woman Satisfied. Equilibrium stands apart from any individual prejudices; therefore the title, in France, should rather be Justesse. In this sense, Nature is scrupulously just. It is impossible to drop a pin without exciting a corresponding reaction in every Star. The action has disturbed the balance of the Universe.
This woman-goddess is Harlequin; she is the partner and fulfilment of The Fool. She is the ultimate illusion which is manifestation; she is the dance, many-coloured, many-wiled, of Life itself. Constantly whirling, all possibilities are enjoyed, under the phantom show of Space and Time: all things are real, the soul is the surface, precisely because they are instantly compensated by this Adjustment. All things are harmony and beauty; all things are Truth: because they cancel out.
She is the goddess Maat; she bears upon her nemyss the ostrich feathers of the Twofold Truth.
From this Crown, so delicate that the most faintest breath of thought must stir it, depend, by chains of Cause, the Scales wherein Alpha, the first, is poised in perfect equilibrium with Omega, the last. The scales of the balance are the Two Witnesses in whom shall every word be established. She is therefore to be understood as assessing the virtue of every act and demanding exact and precise satisfaction.
More than this, she is the complete formula of the Dyad; the word AL is the title of the Book of the Law, whose number is 31, the most secret of the numerical keys of that Book. She represents Manifestation, which may always be cancelled out by equilibration of opposites.
She is wrapped in a cloak of mystery, the more mysterious because diaphanous; she is the sphinx without a secret, because she is purely a matter of calculation. In Eastern philosophy she is Karma.
Her attributions develop this thesis. Venus rules the sign of the Balance; and that is to show the formula: "Love is the law, love under will". But Saturn represents above all the element of Time, without which adjustment cannot take place, for all action and re action take place in time, and therefore, time being itself merely a condition of phenomena, all phenomena are invalid because uncompensated.
The Woman Satisfied. From the cloak of the vivid wantonness of her dancing wings issue her hands; they hold the hilt of the Phallic sword of the magician. She holds the blade between her thighs.
This is again a hieroglyph of "Love is the law, love under will". Every form of energy must be directed, must be applied with integrity, to the full satisfaction of its destiny.
| Also see ATU VIII: Adjustment according to: | ||||
| Tarot de Marseilles (Gebelin) | Eliphas Levi | Golden Dawn (Regardie) | Aleister Crowley | Frater Achad |
777 for key 19
I
Key Scale 19
II
Hebrew Names of Numbers and Letters Teth
III
English of Col. II. Serpent
VI
The Heavens of Assiah Ari
VII
English of Col. VI. Leo
VIII
Orders of Qliphoth Shalehbiron
X
Mystic Numbers of the Sephiroth 190
XI
Elements (with their Planetary Rulers) Sun Fire Jupiter
XII
The Tree of Life Pathjoins 4–5
XIII
The Paths of the Sepher Yetzirah I. of all the Activities of the Spiritual Being
XIV
General Attribution of Tarot Strength
XV
The King Scale of Colour (y) Yellow, greenish
XVI
The Queen Scale of Colour (h) Deep purple
XVII
The Emperor Scale of Colour (v) Grey
XVIII
The Empress Scale of Colour (#) Reddish amber
XIX
Selection of Egyptian Gods Ra-Hoor-Khuit, Pasht, Sekhet, Mau
XX
Complete Practical Attribution of Egyptian Gods Horus
XXI
The Perfected Man As 6
XXII
Small selection of Hindu Deities Vishnu (Nara-Singh Avatar)
XXIII
The Forty Buddhist Meditations White K
XXXIV
Some Greek Gods Demeter [borne by lions]
XXXV
Some Roman Gods Venus (repressing the Fire of
XXXVIII
Animals, Real and Imaginary. Lion (Cherub of B) [[Cat, Tiger, Serpent]]
XXXIX
Plants, Real and Imaginary Sunflower
XL
Precious Stones Cat’s Eye
XLI
Magical Weapons The Lamp and Wand (Virile Force
XLII
Perfumes Olibanum
XLIII
Vegetable Drugs All carminatives and tonics
XLV
Magical Powers [Western Mysticism] Power of Training Wild Beasts
XLIX
Lineal Figures of the Planets, &c., and Geomany Fortuna Major and Fortuna Minor
LI.II
Numeration of Col. LI. 9
LI.III
English equivalent of Col. LI. Th
LIII
The Greek Alphabet Θ θ
CXXXVII
Signs of the Zodiac ♌ Leo
CXXXVIII
Planets ruling Col. CXXXVII. Sun
CXXXIX
Angel Lords of the Triplicity in the Signs by Day Sanahem
CXL
Angel Lords of the Triplicity in the Signs by Night Zalberhith
CXLI
The Twelve Tribes Judah
CXLII
Angels ruling Houses Oel
CXLIII
Twelve Lesser Assistant Angels in the Signs Sharatiel
CXLVI
Angels of the Decantes (Ascendant). Losanahar
CXLVII
Angels of the Decantes (Succedent). Zachi
CXLVIII
Angels of the Decantes (Cadent). Sahiber
CXLIX
Magical Images of the Decans (Ascendant) A man in sordid raiment, with him a nobleman on horseback, accompanied by bears and dogs
CL
Magical Images of the Decans (Succedent) A man crowned with a white myrtle wreath, holding a bow
CLI
Magical Images of the Decans (Cadent) A swarthy hairy man, with a drawn sword and shield
CLII
Perfumes (Ascendant) Olibanum
CLIII
Perfumes (Succedent) Lyn Balsami
CLIV
Perfumes (Cadent) Muces Muscator
CLV
Goetic Demons of Decans by Day (Ascendant) Beleth
CLVI
Magical Images of Col. CLV. Rider on pale horse, with many musicians. [Flaming and poisonous breath]
CLVII
Goetic Demons of Decans by Day (Succedent) Leraikha
CLVIII
Magical Images of Col. CLVII. An archer in green
CLIX
Goetic Demons of Decans by Day (Cadent) Eligos
CLX
Magical Images of Col. CLIX. A knight with a lance and banner, with a serpent.
CLXI
Goetic Demons &c. by Night (Ascendant) Crocell
CLXII
Magical Images of Col. CLXI. Angel.
CLXIII
Goetic Demons &c. by Night (Succedent) Furcas
CLXIV
Magical Images of Col. CLXIII. (1) Thrush. (2) Man with sharp sword seemeth to answer in burning ashes or coals of fire.
CLXV
Goetic Demons &c. by Night (Cadent) Balam
CLXVI
Magical Images of Col. CLXV. 3 heads (bull, man, ram), snake’s tail, flaming eyes. Rides bear,
CLXVII
Egyptian Gods of Zodiac (Asc. Decans) Typhon
CLXVIII
Egyptian Names of Asc. Decans Aphruimis
CLXIX
As Col. CLXVII (Succedent) Perseus
CLXX
As Col. CXVIII (Succendent) Sitlacer
CLXXI
As Col. CXLVII (Cadent) Nephthe
CLXXII
As Col. CXLVIII (Cadent) Phuonidie
CLXXIII
Genii of the Twelve Hours (Levi) Zeirna, Tablibik, Tacritau, Suphlatus, Sair, Barcus, Camaysar
CLXXV
Hebrew Letters ט
CLXXVI
Numerical Value of Col. CLXXV. 9
CLXXVII
Geomantic Intelligences Verachiel
CLXXIX
Numbers printed on Tarot Trumps 11
CLXXX
Title of Tarot Trumps The Daughter of the Flaming Sword.
CLXXXI
Correct Design of Tarot Trumps A smiling woman holds the open jaws of a fierce and powerful lion
CLXXXII
The Human Body Heart
CLXXXIII
Legendary Orders of Being Horror, Dragons
CLXXXIV
Numeration of Arabic Alphabet 9
CLXXXV
Numeration of Greek Alphabet 9
CLXXXVI
Diseases (Typical) Syncope, etc. Heart
CLXXXVII
Magical Formulæ (see Col. XLI) TO MEGA QHRION