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The Tarot of Eli, LLC-Major Arcana: Thoth Tarot-ATU 8-Adjustment & Santa Muerte Tarot- Key 11-Justice

Western hermetic Qabalah, alchemical, astrological, numerical, and Tantric Tarot Card Comparisons.

August 5, 2020

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Thoth ATU 8- Adjustment

Santa Muerte-Key 11-Justice

  • The Universal Key of balance: Justice and Realignment. This card is Adjustment in the Thoth Deck, Strength or Justice in others.

The Thoth Adjustment card represents the mediator, adjuster, and the arbitrator of the Universal Collective Unconscious. What you put out, you get back! Every thought, every action is returned to you as your life----this law is active for you as long as you exist. There can be no greater justice nor greater balance achieved in this world of action and reaction. This card points out that by thinking ill we become ill and by thinking well we become well. Therefore, it is smart “to do unto others what you would have done unto you” -----because it will be so done!

The Thoth card uses the symbol of Libra; the scales and within the scales are the Greek letters, Alpha, representing beginnings, and Omega, representing endings or completions. This is also known as Karma in Eastern teachings. We must finish what we begin or we will be doomed to repeat it! Since Wisdom, is 50% error and the other 50% correction by the error-doer, Karma insures that Wisdom is learned...no matter how many lifetimes it takes.

In the Thoth Adjustment Key 8 card, the diamond image around the being symbolizes the piercing of illusion and delusion and represents truth and negotiation

The Egyptian figure represents Maat, the Egyptian Goddess of Law, Truth, and Justice.

The circles represent formulated thoughts or ideas. Therefore this card also represents the integrating, balancing and synthesizing mind which is often expressed in writing, research, engineering and design.

The Ace of Swords is also depicted in the Thoth card, pointing downwards indicating the application of creative ideas in tangible ways.

When this card is drawn it often means we are experiencing karmic adjustments in life from past thoughts and actions which have led to the present circumstances of our life. We are reminded that we are not bodies. Rather we are a form of multiple conscious energy that uses bodies to work out thought equations to see if they expand and liberate life or if they stall and subvert life. In this Universe of 0=2, ideas are Understood by the Great Lady, and thereby become information/in-form-action. We must know ourselves as information of Self, in order to expand our self -awareness and that of the Universal Self, from which we all are formed! Adjustment/Justice is the Law of Action and Reaction that all mind and matter are subject to.

The Thoth- ATU 11- Adjustment Card's Path

  • Primary Path Color: Emerald Green
  • Related Sound: F#
  • Astrological sign: Libra (Cardinal Air)
  • Word Meaning: Ox Goad
  • Hebrew Letter-Simple Letter: Work

Esoteric Title: The Daughter of the Lords of Truth; the Ruler of Balance.

Dr.Paul Foster Case wrote about Adjustment in the: Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom: The Twenty-second Path is the Faithful Intelligence, and is so called because by it spiritual virtues are increased, and all dwellers on earth are nearly under its shadow.

Between Tiphareth (6-Beauty) and Geburah (5-Severity) lies the Emerald Green Path of Lamed. Lamed-The Ox Goad- is the spear like prod which keeps the ox moving down the path which points to the letter's special relationship with Aleph (0x) on the Path of the Fool. Although complex, their relationship can be stated: Adjustment maintains the balance of the Tree of Life, so that the outpouring energy of The Fool (often called the Holy Ghost/Spirit) will operate within the confines of a natural pattern. Adjustment is the administrator of the laws of Binah (Mother of Form), written by The Hierophant. Key/ATU -5 who is the "Ruler of Balance".

Adjustment-is the Intelligence Faithful to that symbolized by The Fool; the alignment of forces of the Twenty Second Path is an amalgam of all the Paths and is described as being within the essential life force symbolized by The Fool. This can be a Severe Path, as it is continual activity "in the above and the below" and will do whatever is necessary to bring the physical, mental and Soul into equilibrium; a process represented by the Sword---which is not always pleasant. The Sword of Geburah, cuts away all that which is unnecessary.

However, more commonly, Adjustment is much like driving a car, Adjustment is constantly correcting direction through slight adjustments of the steering wheel, while traveling down the road of life (the "steering wheel" for driving an ox is an ox goad) , whether the vehicle likes the adjustment or not. This car simile continues, when one understands that the Sephira (Divine Beings) are aspects of the Spirit/soul itself (the Driver of the body-vehicle) and not external agencies. Hence, this "driving" process is to be considered psychologically as a condition of self-assessment.

The ADJUSTMENT card is also related to Karmic Justice, if one understands Karma to mean action, rather than the misunderstood term of punishment for not correcting error in past lives. The ADJUSTMENT card, represents a continuous action of adjustment, just as a modern person would do at the steering wheel while driving a motor vehicle.

The Path of Lamed is also a teaching process. Because the continuous process of maintenance is a learned process, just as one learns to adjust direction by observation and the hands-on movement of the steering wheel of a motor vehicle. Granted, this may be a painful and slow process (as many a parent of a teenager learning to drive a car will profess) but eventually one learns to analyze and re balance one’s self as necessary for different situations.

In this Card-ATU 11-Adjustment, many different decks show the soul weighing itself on the scales in the left hand and then makes necessary adjustments wielding the sword in the right hand. In the Thoth Tarot, she balances the Scales on Her head, symbolizing a psychological balancing.

By placing the Sephiroth on the body, it can be seen that Geburah (Severity) is on the left and Chesed (Mercy) is on the right. This card is said to represent Karma; an often misunderstood Sanskrit word. Instead of always meaning that a soul is reaping what is sown from past lives; Karma also means to me and Dr.Paul Foster Case, an action of continual adjustment. It is related to education rather than indoctrination ; Lamed means to teach, and as many of us lament the maintenance of balance of this dynamic natural function of the Unconscious Mind, it is definitely a beneficial learning process. Slowly and painfully, we learn how to analyze and re-balance ourselves as necessary for different situations. As *Benford's law has proven over and over, there is a definite structure to this Universe's function; nothing is random.

*Benford's Law

Benford's law, also called the Newcomb–Benford law, the law of anomalous numbers, or the first-digit law, is an observation about the frequency distribution of leading digits in many real-life sets of numerical data. The law states that in many naturally occurring collections of numbers, the leading significant digit is likely to be small. For example, in sets that obey the law, the number 1 appears as the leading significant digit about 30% of the time, while 9 appears as the leading significant digit less than 5% of the time. If the digits were distributed uniformly, they would each occur about 11.1% of the time. Benford's law also makes predictions about the distribution of second digits, third digits, digit combinations, and so on.

Benford's law - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benford's_law

See more about Benford's Law click on the above link.

In the Qabalah, it is understood that the principles of the Path of Adjustment maintain Tiphareth (Beauty), here Binah is represented on the Thoth Card is the figure of Maat who is The Egyptian Daughter of Ra; The Queen of Heaven. The Egyptian texts suggest that that it is through Maat the Sun subsists, fora Ra is said to "rest upon Maat," and to "live by Maat"---in other words, she maintains Tiphareth (The Sun/Son of Goddess/God/Horus). This is the Path that regulates Divine Life Force (Sex force) .

Aleister Crowley called Maat a Harlequin, “the partner and fulfillment of THE FOOL." (THE DIVINE LIFE-FORCE). Therefore, She stands in the Vesica Piscis (the diamond shape). Behind her is the throne of spheres and pyramids, in groups of four which means "Law and limitation”. This Law is interesting in that The Planet Venus, is the only planet whose symbol encompasses every single Sephiroth on the Tree of Life. This implies that Love is the ultimate power of the Universe and is the Law.

As Maat, she wears ostrich feathers, with the serpent Uraeus, (Lord of Life and Death) on her forehead, she also holds the Sword (male phallic symbol in this context) which suggests a sexual union, and the "completion" of the female (Crowley). In 777, Crowley described this "completion" as "The Woman Justified. By equilibrium, and Self-sacrifice is the Gate." Her Scale, weighs the Alpha and Omega (The All) and as Crowley pointed out," She is the ultimate illusion which is manifestation; she is the dance, many-colored, man-wiled, of Life itself. Constantly whirling, all are possibilities are enjoyed, under the phantom show of Space and Time: all things are real. The soul is surface, precisely because they are instantly compensated by this Adjustment. All things harmony and beauty; all things are truth; because they cancel out." 

The readers of the Rider-Waite-Smith or Golden Dawn decks will know this card as JUSTICE; However, Crowley has shown an appropriate , if not deeper understanding of this card's Principle known as The Faithful intelligence.; Faithful, because it's ever faithful to that which is symbolized by the FOOL and/or Holy Spirit ("I Will Be"). By doing whatever is necessary to bring an organism into a state of equilibrium. . As the term OX GOAD, implies, we are often forced by our Higher Self to go in an emotional and physical direction that we do not wish to go. Though no punishment is implicit, the figure in this card holds the sword of Geburah that cuts away "the dead wood" or what is no longer needed, pruning our consciousness on its way to a better mental health.

This Sword of Geburah (Severity) has a double edge, one for enforcing peace and one for war. The errant dual thinking of "good or bad" or "right or wrong", are not the Principle here. Rather, all Forms are of the Soul (Psyche), and this is a physiological assessment of equilibrium necessary, as the Soul weighs itself on the left hand scales, and then making the necessary adjustments on the right. By placing the Sephiroth in the human body, the observer can see that the Sephira Geburah (Severity) is on the right hand and the Sephira Chesed (Mercy) is on the left. This placement not only reinforces the idea of cutting away the negative aspects of the soul and body as a return to purity but also note the attributes of Libra, the sign of the zodiac attributed to this card and the Kidneys, which cleanse waste from the body. Hence, the kidney shaped head dress worn on Lady Maat's head.

To those who study the Western Mysteries, and become more in -tuned to the Inner Self, the more subtle and difficult these adjustments become; Just as the more refined the consciousness gets, the less obvious are the unbalancing minutiae of slightly "off colored" thoughts. The Ancient Egyptians symbolized this subtlety as weighing the human soul against a feather. This concept of "right, truth, law and rectitude" was expressed in a single word, Maat which was symbolized as a feather by which the heart (considered the organ of the Soul) was weighed, upon death.

Maat represented moral law and truth, a straight edge to measure the psyche by and is a personification of the concept of Adjustment... Thus the Crowley card has Maat as the central figure on the ADJUSTMENT card, crowned with her attribute, the ostrich feather. To keep our psyche on the "straight and narrow" path of purity, requires a sharp sword indeed, as I for one, need constant pruning! That is why I skry this card often!

As stated, Adjustment, is at work continuously in the above, The Greater Universe, and the below, our individual soul/personality. In other decks this is Key 11 Justice . However, it is numbered, this powerful, natural, equilibrating function occurs in our bodies, as they balance nutrition continuously to maintain proper operation as power tools for Spirit. And Adjustment is also an equilibrating function that occurs in our personalities, making sure there are no constant extremes of behavior that keep us from operating effectively in our environments. In the Personality Adjustment is done by natural force and reason, while the Soul is measured when it "stands in” the Divine Light of the Solar Logos. The Solar Logos personified is, Tiphareth, the sixth Sephiroth on the Tree of Life, often called the "Christ Light". Only in this Light (bright and warm intelligence) does the dual- edged Sword of Geburah, do its work; pruning away the perspectives which are not worthy of Her Divine Child.

 This image of Maat, as presented on the Thoth card, is a suggestion of the Maat legend as the "Daughter of Ra", relating her to the Sun God (Tiphareth-Solar Logos). Her Qabalistic name is "Daughter of the Lords of Truth" while the Egyptians also called her the "Queen of Heaven". All of these names pointing to the fact that this Severe Faithful Intelligence is the regulator of the Path of the Sun; as the Egyptian texts suggested. Through Maat the Sun subsists, for Ra is said to "rest upon Maat" and/or to “live by Maat". In Qabalistic terms, this means that the principles of the Path of Adjustment maintain Tiphareth---The Bright and Warm intelligence of the Solar Logos.

Since Ra is known to the Egyptians, as the source of all light, the Qabalists know Ra as the Fool or the Path of Aleph, who is the Source of All Light. This makes it possible to say, that Aleph rests upon Lamed and that Lamed is the regulator of the Path of the Divine Life Force. That is also why I teach that "The Solar Husband is invoked by the Great Womb'". This may startle some men who objectify women as an object of sexual desire, for it is well known to both Tantric and practicing Qabalists that the Life Force, and/or "Sex Energy" is invoked by the Great Female, to regulate and establish her Forms. The Form of Him came from the Womb of Her, i.e. "Ra is said to live by Maat." The Lord of Lightning servers the Great Magnetic-Ocean Mother of the Universal Collective Unconscious. To put this simply, The Great One (Kether) became Two (0=2), by the process of Adjusting idea/Wisdom (Chokma) and Understanding (Binah the Will to Form), thereby, realizing He/She....and thereby established the equilibrium that produces and maintains all things. Those who Skry this card will not be unhappy that they did so, even if Geburah wields her sword in quick bright strokes. The discomfort of emotional burdens, the burdens of perspectives, just fall away and the scryer feels all "Warm and bright".

There is also a large complement of Planets involved in this card.

  • First is Venus, which rules Libra.
  •  Mars is related because of the purging forces of Geburah.
  •  The Sun, as stated above, is involved not only because the Path of Lamed runs from the Sun to Mars, but also because Adjustment (Justice) must take place in the clear bright light of Truth.
  •  Saturn is exalted in Libra and finally;
  • Jupiter which is the planet of Chesed (Mercy), "the architect" . By acknowledging that Libra is ruled by Venus, is also to acknowledge that behind Adjustment stands the Empress, the primary path of Venus, which is the perfect equilibrium between the forces of Chokma and Binah. It is interesting to note that the planet Venus refers to all of the Sephiroth and encompasses every single Sephira on the Tree of Life. The implications being that Love is the Ultimate Power of the Universe. 

Santa muerte tarot- key 11-justice

The Advice of the Dead: Deal with the situation methodically, in a balanced way and with an organized spirit, without letting yourself become disrupted by desires or passions.

-From the Book of the Dead-by Fabio Listrani

The Santa Muerte-Key 11-Justice, carries the traditional tarot name and number for this card. Here Santa Muerte (Saint Death) shows herself in her traditional black, carrying the scythe rather than a sword and holding aloft the scales of Libra. Around her neck dangles the Greek letters of Alpha and Omega. Forming a arch around her are the red roses, the sacred flower of the Western Goddess, and the skulls of the dead in the background. Butterflies, the symbols for both the soul and regeneration, flit about the scales and the fertile and fecund earth, who "eats itself to stay alive". A perspicacious concept for needful death.

Since this card is depicting most of the symbols of the Thoth Tarot, the meanings are the same for both cards.

When the Adjustment or Justice card is thrown during a reading:

  • The querent is experiencing or will experience, the making of a final decision.
  • Judgment and sentencing by a determination of an issue without appeal on this plane.
  •  The querent is experiencing "What you put out, you get back".
  • The Law of action- reaction, where the natural forces of nature reach a balance within the individual, setting things right.
  • The balancing of opposites.
  • Balance.
  • Fairness.
  • Discernment.
  • Greatest possible objectivity.
  • Reasonable decisions. 

If ill defined by the surrounding cards:

  • Self-righteousness.
  • Hypocrisy
  • Feeling the consequences of one's own erroneous actions. 

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