Despite the challenges I think we all faced in 2019, I was fizzing with quietly excited optimism as I shuffled before drawing my card for 2020. I wasn’t disappointed when I turned over the Thoth Adjustment (Justice in Rider Waite decks).

This is a major arcana card, so immediately we know that the energy of this year offers a chance for great spiritual evolution and will continue to ripple out significantly into the decade ahead. The immediate message shouts loud and clear to me, think carefully and choose wisely over the next 12 months because the choices you make will shape the future. What you put out this year will determine what you experience for many years to come.

You and I, not just those who are nominally in power, are responsible for the state of the world. So how can you best engage with this potent energy?

First of all, by being able to hold a strong inner centredness and calm, whatever the circumstances. As the name and the delicate poise of the figure on the card suggests, you must continually make adjustments in your thoughts and feelings to maintain balance within yourself. This kind of regulation requires great self-awareness and knowledge. You have to be able to stand back and witness your thoughts and feelings so that you can respond wisely rather than be triggered into reaction by immediate circumstances. Any kind of meditation, focused breathing or body work like yoga will help with this, so if you’re not currently engaged in a regular practice then I highly recommend that you make it a top priority for this year. It will sustain you through the ups and downs and changes that lie ahead, ensuring resilience and flexibility.

Adjustment is all about natural balance and harmony, regulated by the first law of the universe which is love. Asking yourself “what would love do?” in every moment will automatically keep you aligned with the law of love. It will stop you gossiping unkindly about a colleague, forgetting to recycle that plastic container, or walking past a stranger in need. This card is ruled by Libra, the sign of relationship and the balancing of opposites on the scales, and you’re being urged to understand that nothing and no one exists in isolation. Whatever you think about or do in relation to anyone or anything else is what you think or do to yourself. All life on the planet is just another way of being YOU. When humanity can truly grasp this profound truth we’ll be well on the way to restoring the harmony we’re longing for.

As Goddess of Justice, Maat, our figure points to the continued rise and influence of divine feminine qualities on our planet, so sorely needed to restore the damage done by the patriarchy. Not by dominating or tipping the scales too far in the other direction as many fear, but by uniting men and women, varied cultures and religions in partnership and equilibrium. It’s a year for expanding community and working together, accepting our differences while celebrating our similarities, and understanding that there’s something greater and more valuable at stake than just our own selfish interests.

Love also has two sides and sometimes has to show its tough face, and the world will see this in action in 2020. The figure of Adjustment carries a weighty sword and she’s not afraid to use it. All that is not in harmony and balance, all that doesn’t uphold the law of divine love and truth will be judged and cut away this year, both individually and collectively. This necessary purging will be more uncomfortable if you’re resisting the need for change or stagnating personally in any way, which is another reason why sharp self-awareness and an honest daily check-in with where you’re at will be so helpful. Sadly, we’re seeing a perfect illustration of Adjustment in action through Mother Earth’s weather patterns at this time, as she dramatically attempts to restore the disturbed balance of the planet’s ecosystem.

In truth no one knows where 2020 and beyond will take you but know that the destination is not of prime concern right now. Rather, it’s that you stay on the middle path and hold the intention to align with love every day in every thought, word and deed. May each choice you make this year move you (and so all of us) closer to divine balance and harmony.