Libra: Justice/Adjustment

AstrologyTree of Life / QabalahDecan WalkZodiac Signs

Sep 23

Three versions of XI. Justice from The Rider-Waite Tarot, Golden Dawn Tarot, and Thoth Tarot. — *IX. Justice and VIII. Adjustment from* *The Rider-Waite Tarot, Golden Dawn Tarot, and Thoth Tarot.*

Justice, whose esoteric title is “The Daughter of the Lord of Truth, The Holder of the Balances,” typically suggests an equilibrium, an act of balancing, or, in some cases, the enforcement of established rules. In the Thoth Tarot, Crowley updated the title from Justice to Adjustment to align more closely with the forces of the natural world, arguing that justice was a human concept rather than a fact of nature and noting that “Nature is not just. But nature is exact.”

In this article, we will examine the Justice card’s connection to astrology and the Tree of Life (Qabalah). This includes information about this card's zodiac, planetary, and elemental attributes, along with color and other magickal correspondences, and how these aspects shape the Justice card’s unique characteristics and aesthetics.

For those using The Great Work Book to log their tarot studies, this is an excellent opportunity to add details about Justice/Adjustment. Example pages featuring the Justice and Adjustment cards are included at the end of this article.

To read about my personal experience with Adjustment and Hurricane Helene, check out Nature is not Just on Substack.

The Astrology of Justice

The Great Work Book Tarot Journal showing pages for XI. Justice / VIII. Adjustment, the tarot card associated with Libra and pictured with Justice and Adjustment tarot cards from Rider-Waite, Thoth, and Golden Dawn tarot decks. — *The Great Work Book* *showing journal pages for XI. Justice / VIII. Adjustment, the tarot card associated with Libra.*

Zodiac Sign: The Justice Card’s Zodiac Sign is Libra.

Element: Libra’s element is Air.

Ruling Planet: Libra’s ruling planet is Venus.

Modality: Libra’s Modality is Cardinal.

Dates: September 23 - October 23

Justice is associated with the Zodiac sign Libra. Venus governs this Cardinal Air sign, which rules the heavens from September 23 to October 23. Libras express their Venusian traits by creating harmony within their social circle. They are often excellent mediators, capable of finding a balanced, fair-minded approach to conflict.

Each zodiac sign is categorized into three modes: Cardinal at the start, Fixed in the middle, and Mutable at the end of a season. Cardinal signs—Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn—appear at the beginning of the seasons, suggesting ambition, drive, and leadership in initiating action. Libra, as an Air sign ruled by Venus, is known for using negotiating skills for peacemaking or artistic talents as social commentary.

As a Cardinal sign, Libra is the most innovative among the Air signs, with the ability to create a harmonious and balanced atmosphere —traits symbolized by the figure on the Justice and Adjustment tarot cards.

The Minor Cards of Libra

Justice and Adjustment cards from the Thoth Tarot are pictured with their associated Minor Arcana cards, the two, three, and four of Swords. — *Justice and Adjustment cards from the* *Thoth Tarot* *are pictured with their associated Minor Arcana cards, the 2, 3, and 4 of Swords.*

Each Zodiac sign is split into three sections of about ten days, called Decans. Each Decan is ruled by a different planet, providing additional influence to each Zodiac sign. As a result, a person's Zodiac traits can be expressed in three distinct ways, based on the Decan of their birth.

Each Decan is associated with a Minor or Pip Tarot card, marking the distinct qualities of each ten-day period. Consequently, every Zodiac Trump card has three corresponding numbered cards representing the initial, middle, and final phases of the Sun’s journey through that sign. Libra, and therefore the Justice card, has the 2, 3, and 4 of Swords assigned as Minor cards.

Decan 1: Moon • 2 of Swords, Peace

The Two of Swords is assigned to the First Decan of Libra and is ruled by the Moon from September 23 to October 3.

Decan 2: Saturn • 3 of Swords, Sorrow

The Three of Swords is assigned to the Second Decan of Libra and is ruled by Saturn, October 4 - 13.

Decan 3: Jupiter • 4 of Swords, Truce

The Four of Swords is assigned to the Third Decan of Libra and is ruled by Jupiter, October 14 - 23.

Libra on the Tree of Life

The Great Work Book’s Qabalistic Journal featuring Lamed, the path associated with Libra. The Justice and Adjustment tarot cards from Rider-Waite, Thoth, and Golden Dawn decks are pictured. — The Great Work Book’s Qabalistic Journal featuring Lamed, the path associated with Libra.

Infographic of the Tree of Life (Qabalah) showing the path Lamed and its connecting Sephiroth Geburah and Tiphareth. Lamed is the path of Libra and the Justice/Adjustment tarot card. — Lamed, the path of Libra, and its connecting Sephiroth, Geburah and Tiphareth.

All tarot cards can be mapped to the Tree of Life (Qabalah). Exploring tarot on the Tree of Life offers students new ways to study the connections not only between the cards but also in life itself. The Qabalistic system is an excellent way to learn the underpinnings of divinatory meanings by making associations with astrology, color, and many other correspondences.

On the Tree of Life, Justice is mapped to Path 22 (Lamed). Lamed means “whip” and is located between Sephiroth (spheres) 5 Geburah and 6 Tiphareth, Strength and Beauty, respectively. Geburah is home to Mars and has a secondary title of Severity. Tiphareth, located at the center of the Tree, is home to The Sun and is considered the Christ center of the Tree. Their connecting path, according to Qabalistic teachings, is titled the “Faithful Intelligence” because “by it spiritual virtues are increased, and all dwellers on earth are nearly under its shadow.”

Looking closely at these three components of the Tree—namely, the path from Mars to the Sun—it becomes clear that Lamed is a path of action that uses the strength and energy of Mars to achieve not only balance between its two spheres but also the absolute balance of the entire Tree of Life. Of all the paths that connect to the center of the Tree, Lamed is the one with the most actionable force.

The Colors of Libra

The Hierophant tarot card from the Rider-Waite, Crowley Thoth, and Golden Dawn tarot decks pictured with their qalabistic color palette. — The Hierophant from the Rider-Waite, Thoth, and Golden Dawn Tarot decks, shown with the card's color palette for comparison.

Infographic showing the color palette of The Hierophant tarot card, along with planetary and elemental references. — The color palette of Justice/Adjustment.

Behind the Tree of Life lies an intricate system of color associations. Developed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, this system begins by assigning colors to the planets, elements, and zodiac signs and extends to 128 colors that correspond to the spheres and paths of the Tree of Life across its four elemental worlds: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth.

Known as the Color Scales, this system associates specific colors with locations on the Tree of Life and has been used by many tarot artists to create a color palette for each card. Below are the color associations of Justice/Adjustment.

Astrological Color of Libra

ELEMENT: The Element of Libra is Air, which is represented by Yellow.

ZODIAC: The Justice card's zodiac sign is Libra, which is represented by Green.

PLANET: The ruling planet of Libra is Venus, which is represented by Green.

The Tree of Life Colors of Libra

Unlike the Minor Arcana, which are categorized into only one of the elemental worlds based on their suit, the Major Arcana are seen as expressing all four elemental worlds simultaneously and therefore have colors from all four worlds assigned.

FIRE: In the King Scale of Color (Fire, Atziluth), the path of Libra is colored Emerald Green.

WATER: In the Queen Scale of Color (Water, Briah), the path of Libra is colored Blue.

AIR: In the Emperor Scale of Color (Air, Yetzirah), the path of Libra is colored Deep Blue Green.

EARTH: In the Empress Scale of Color (Earth, Assiah), the path of Libra is colored Pale Green.

Summary of Correspondences for Justice/Adjustment

Often described as a filing cabinet for the forces of nature, the Qabalah is a free-association system that encourages individuals to map their own connections to the image known as the Tree of Life. Mapping tarot to the Tree is only one way to use this system. In fact, learning to make other associations on the Tree can improve your tarot studies by forming links to ideas, events, behaviors, and various other concepts related to a card.

Below is a summary of the correspondences covered in this article, along with several notable associations with the Justice card’s path, Lamed. A full list of correspondences can be found in Crowley’s 777 or the Thelemapedia website.

XI. Justice	CORRESPONDENCE	COLOR
ASTROLOGY
Zodiac Sign	♎︎ Libra	● Green
Element	🜁 Air	● Yellow
Ruling Planet	♀︎ Venus	● Green
Modality	Cardinal	---
TREE OF LIFE
Tree of Life	Path 22: Lamed, Whip	● ● ● ● Emerald Green, Blue, Deep Blue Green, Pale Green
Esoteric Title	The Daughter of the Lord of Truth, The Holder of the Balances	---
Golden Dawn Number	Sixty-eight	---
Yetziratic Text	Faithful Intelligence	---
Plants	Aloe	---
Stones	Emerald	---
Perfumes	Galbanum	---
Gods	Vulcan, Themis, Minos, Aeacus, Rhadamanthus	---
Magical Weapons	The Cross of Equilibrium	---
OTHER ASSOCIATIONS
Sound	F Sharp	---
Alchemical	Cohobation	---
DIVINATORY MEANINGS
Equilibrium, an act of balancing, or, in some cases, the enforcement of established rules. Fair-mindedness, harmony, and peacemaking.

The Libra in The Great Work Book

Traditional tarot decks such as the Rider-Waite and the Crowley Thoth incorporate astrological and qabalistic symbols, often requiring detailed note-taking to interpret these connections. The Great Work Book helps tarot students track this info efficiently. It begins with exercises for logging a card’s astrology and progresses to activities on the Tree of Life. Additionally, the book includes journaling pages for each Zodiac sign, Tree of Life location, and all cards in a standard 78-card tarot deck. Together, these pages become a personalized, DIY encyclopedia for your tarot journey.

Below are a few examples of the activity and journaling pages in The Great Work Book, featuring those related to Justice/Adjustment.