Temperance

Temperance: The card of integration and balance
Key Words: Combining, Creating, Compromising, Experimenting

Temperance is a subtle message.A message to pay attention. Now is the time for an adjustment. This is the combining of two situations that will burst forth and create a new situation. It is the melting and molding of one set of beliefs – deconstructing and being formed into a new outlook on something. No matter what you seem to be combining, your work life, home life, spiritual life…. this integration of opposites can help you to create a whole new overview….. if you allow it.

This card represents experimentation. You will never know if something works, unless you try it. Pay attention to the Universe. You are always given subtle clues as to how it “feels” or how it looks “aesthetically”.  Step back and observe.  Does it look right? Does it feel right?

Finding balance before moving forward is the equivalence to be grounded before your next move. Use practicality, as well as your emotions as a barometer in order to judge when your next step should happen.

Key Symbols

Angel (see above)… Angels guide us and care for us. Their message we receive will be for our highest good.

Bird: represents a messenger, as well as freedom. They represent speech and clear thinking. The are most often associated with the intellect.

Cup: is a receptive vessel associated with the feminine and the element of water.  What is in the cup? Is it standing upright or turned over?

Iris: is the flower of faith, hope, courage and wisdom. In Greek mythology, Iris was the messenger of the Gods. Therefore, the flower is seen to represent ideas and messages.

Mountains: as well as hills, represent challenges that will lead us to growth, once we over come that mountain (or mole hill). The steepness and size of the mountain indicates the challenge or degree of risk involved.

Path: Paths represent our journey through life. They are our voyage of self-discovery and spiritual progression.

Pools of water: are associated with the moon, feminine energy, our emotions, and cleansing.

Sun: is the symbol of growth, life, creativity, happiness and the masculine essence. It is a sign offered up as clarity and strength. Astrologically, it represents the self and the ego.

Triangle: represent the blend of two to make something new.  They are a symbol of love and the coming together of two to create more than the sum of its parts. It is a sign of the trinity, triad, and triple events. A triangle represents a pyramid and associated with the number 3. Pointing upwards, it symbolizes fire, male power, good luck; Pointing down, it symbolizes water, female sexuality, goddess, religions, and taking care. Triangle are also symbols of creation, creativity, or chaos. An upwards facing triangle can represent the negative aspects of creation. The downward facing triangle represents the positive aspects of creation. A Star of David is a symbol that uses both the upwards and downwards facing triangles to represent male and female and the battle between positive and negative creation in our lives.

Key Questions
When the Temperance Tarot comes up:

Do you go with the flow, or do you struggle with change?
What can you do to create more peace and balance in your life?
Are you on a life path that forks in the road? Are you torn between two paths?
What thoughts, beliefs or actions can you merge together to create harmony in your life?
What would it take for you to get just the right mix or find a happy-medium in your life?
Are you concerned about your health? If so, what steps can you take to strike a healthy balance?

Temperance:
Major Arcana
Chakra: Sacral Spleen Chakra, Heart Chakra
I Ching: Qian
Runes: Gebo, Ehwaz
Number 14 (see number 5)
Element: Fire
Planet: Jupiter
Rules: Sagittarius
Colors: Yellow, Green, Blue, Pink, White
Crystal: Rhodochrosite, Amethyst, Kunzite, Sardonyx

Characteristics: Passionate, secretive, intense, mysterious, sexual, brooding, paranoid. This is the combining and creating, compromising and experimenting that makes this card unique. Temperance is the card of integration and finding balance. Unexpected loss or change, new beginning, illness, death, bad luck. The Death card is often misunderstood. The number of the card itself, bad luck number 13 is accompanied by images on the card of gloom and doom, yet it’s real meaning suggests not physical death, but rather a change, an ending or the beginning of something new!

The skeletal harvester in the imagery is gathering sustenance and clearing the ground for new growth. As death is an essential part of life, this card truly symbolizes reincarnation, regrowth and renewal. The skeleton represents the part of us that is rarely seen, so therefore, it is sometimes necessary to reveal apart of our inner self in order to examine who we are more closely.