The Temperance Tarot

How is the Temperance in the Tarot Card Depicted

An angel bearing 2 large feathered wings stands with her left foot on dry land and right foot in the shallow water of a landscaped pond. Golden lilies appear blossoming out of the greenery on one of her sides, while on the other, a path emanating from the pool, meanders through a lush landscape to finally disappear amidst the glowing sun rays peeping from far off mountains. In the middle of her white robe, is a golden triangle inside a red square, and above her crowned head is a halo. In each of her hands is a golden chalice and she is seen pouring water from one to the other.

What Does the Temperance Mean in the Tarot Card

Associated with the astrological sign of Sagittarius, the Temperance emphasizes balance, moderation, and patience in one’s life and urges you to adopt the middle road to achieve harmony. The winged angel, being a hermaphrodite (the child of Hermes and Aphrodite), symbolizes the balance of masculine and feminine energies, perceived as essential for the spiritual enlightenment of both the society and its individuals.

Moderation is also stressed in the way she puts one of her foot in the water and the other on land. Land stands for the material world, and water indicates the spiritual realm, thereby signally how she is grounded.

The upward facing triangle, embodying the alchemical symbol for Fire defines human passions and emotions, while the square around it signifies the laws governing them. The lower cup indicates subconsciousness while the higher cup, superconsciousness, and the water that is poured actually moves from the lower to the higher, thereby implying an advance from austerity to spirituality. The halo over her head stands for her awakened self.

The Temperance as a Person (Signifier)

The card defines someone who knows how to compromise, is endowed with psychic abilities and can derive the best from others with effective communication and management.

The Temperance Tarot Card Meaning: Upright

Symbolism: Balance, harmony, moderation, patience, searching for divine intervention, and meaning

Interpretation: In a tarot reading, it indicates that being endowed with a clear vision, you avoid extremes and try to be moderate in life.

You may also experience a clash between your old and new ideas and consequently feel confused about what to do.

The card advises you to evaluate your current situation with patience and thereafter adjust to whatever new conditions you face.

In Love Reading

Symbolism: Affection, compatibility, and finding inner satisfaction

Interpretation: If you are single and looking for love, then first attain inner peace by rectifying the mistakes you have made in the past and then go for an emotional attachment.

For couples, the card affirms the importance of compassion and compromise needed in a relationship to turn it happy and secure.

Temperance Tarot Card Readings in Other Conditions

Education and Work: The card influences you to combine hard work with patience, so as to gain success. You may have high ambitions but they should not be such that you cannot achieve.

Business and Finance: You are likely to gain financially, provided that you avoid risks related to money and be cautious before taking any decision.

Friendship: You are either spending too much time with your friends or neglecting them. Impose a balance in your attitude to maintain a steady bond.

Health: The card initiates you to look for any imbalances in your life that are causing health problems and then effectuate a change in the form of sleeping well or doing exercise so as to remain fit.

Reversed Temperance Tarot Meaning

Symbolism: Disharmony, lack of patience, passivity, an onset of illness, and excess

Interpretation: In an upside down position, it may indicate a phase of tension or conflict in your life.

Maybe being hasty, you are refusing to tread on a gentle path. You may also feel people uncooperative towards you.

Use the energy around you positively to address your conflicts and henceforth gain peace.

In Love Reading

Symbolism: Domination, stagnation, disagreements, and discontent

Interpretation: In pursuing your goals, you have been self-indulgent, thereby allowing distance to creep in.

Take out time for your partner, seek reconciliation and put in efforts to enjoy the rewards of being together.

The Temperance in Different Positions in a Tarot Spread

Past: The card depicts that your early life has been peaceful. It may also be that you have acted with a certain degree of integrity in the recent past.

Present: In the present position, you feel confident being able to replace the stubbornness in you with tolerance.

Future: By practicing moderation, you would be able to solve all conflicts and progress triumphantly.

Temperance Tarot Meaning in Combination with Other Cards

The Fool	Highlights your independent thoughts
The Magician	Stresses your inability to adapt to changing situations
The High Priestess	Indicates that you are a successful game player
The Empress	Implies your overreaction to social pressures
The Emperor	Stands for your ability to do things cautiously
The Hierophant	Symbolizes a shift from spiritual matters to material settings
The Lovers	Stands for your ability to balance situations
The Chariot	Highlights your tendency to help others
The Strength	Upholds your practical bent of mind
The Hermit	Suggests that you are not good at taking practical decisions in material matters
The Wheel of Fortune	Stresses your enjoyment in making things and then selling them
The Justice	Implies that you have considerable social intuition
The Hanged Man	Symbolizes your lack of spiritual vigor
The Death	Urges you to check lifestyle or business
The Devil	Stands for your awareness of routine
The Tower	Symbolizes a change you would perceive in life
The Star	Uphold the difficulty you are facing in being self-aware
The Moon	Suggests that you may achieve great heights in limited time
The Sun	Refers to your disinclination to join gatherings
The Judgement	Highlights a phase when you are overloaded with emotions
The World	Implies that a work has been completed successfully