In the last Tarot Trump we saw the natural cycles of life and the
ups and downs of fate symbolised by the Wheel of Fortune; in this card we look more closely in to the manner by which these
cyclical patterns are regulated.
In many ways Crowley's title of adjustment is more accurate than the traditional title of Justice,
as it is more universally relevant. One is prompted to think of the cyclic feedback loops of cybernetics in devices such as
the thermostat, whereby a dynamic balance is maintained through the oscillation around a mean. Here is the true reason for
injustice: life is movement and stagnation is death, therefore the living manifestation of justice can never be static, but
must instead be maintained through the cybernetic workings of adjustment.
Considering this card by the name of adjustment is helpful in moving past te petty concerns
of human morality usually associated with the word justice, to think about the deeper nature of this card, which is the ruler
of all the cycles of life. One of the esoteric titles of this card is 'Daughter of the Lord of Truth', and this is instructive.
The Egyptian deity seen as manifesting the actions of justice was the Goddess Maat, who represents the natural order. She
represents the underlying order and organisation of the universe, and is in many ways equivalent to the oriental concept of
Tao.
