14. TEMPERANCE
TEMPERANCE TAROT CARD MEANING
TAROT KEY MEANINGS
Light Seer (Upright): alchemy, blending energies, harmony, moderation, masculine and feminine balance, duality and amalgamation, the fluidity of time, meditation, the perpetual motion of life
Shadow Seer (Reversed): disharmony, clashing interests, oil and water, a need to practice moderation is some aspect of your life, severity, imbalance
TEMPERACE OVERVIEW
The angel of Temperance is a master alchemist. Processing the energies of life, she weaves them into potent experiences and lessons, which she will then turn into spiritual gold. She sits, quietly, after the teachings of Keys 12 (the Hanged Man) and 13 (Death.) The powerful pause and rebirth have put her in a place of perfect balance, with all of the elements at her feet. You will see the alchemist’s symbol for gold tattooed on her arm, a mark of her transcendental magic. She is able to effortlessly wield both the yin and yang, the masculine and the feminine, past and present, the heavens and the earth, and the material and the spiritual. When blending different parts of self, she always weaves something uniquely truthful. She holds the sun and moon in hand, and her stillness is deceiving. She doesn’t display the sheer strength it takes to harness, hold and fuse these opposites. Quite simply, she does the impossible with grace and certainty, and she reminds you that in the realm of the divine, everything is possible. With the magic of meaning and purpose, you can fuse the elements the way you desire.
MESSAGE FROM TEMPERANCE
Temperance ushers in harmony, alchemy and duality. It’s time to bring yourself to a beautiful equilibrium by seeking moderation and balance. Sometimes, this means that you must blend more than one idea together, or more than one solution into the perfect answer for your unique situation. You are being asked to evaluate where your precious energy is being sent, and the affect that this choice has on everything else in your life. Where are things out of whack? Maybe you’ve been over-doing it in your social life? Or binging on netflix, drinks, food or overspending? Is it a relationship that needs more mutual energy and support? Or something that’s overly materialistic? Go-go-go vs. couch potato coma? (You get the idea here: bring that fluctuating energy right down to a level calmness in your current situation.) We live in a world of extreme passion and heated hustle, so slowing down the desire for excess in any one area of your life may be harder than you think. Don’t do drastic this week. Don’t take sides. Stay away from ‘all or nothing’ choices, and walk the middle path. In shadow, Temperance warns against over-indulging on any one thing. It can indicate a need to find wholeness elsewhere. Temperance gently nudges you back on track and asks you to look inside to find more meaning and purpose. It’s time to align yourself with your perfect alchemical blend. Find your ever-elusive balance by being measured with your resources, incorporating all of your beauty and your flaws, and work the elements to achieve your most honest amalgamation of beautiful things.
QUESTIONS FOR THE SEER
• Are you over-doing it in one area of your life?
• Sacred Flow. What does that day look like for you? Or that week?
• Can you bring two different solutions together at this time?
• Money talk: are you over-spending or under-spending?
NOTES ON ARTWORK I wanted this angel to be a modern-day Hermaphrodites, the androgynous intersex beauty spawned by Aphrodite and Mercury. They know you were probably wondering, as many are taken aback by a person’s ability to hold two seemingly different energies with such grace and elegance. I was thinking of traditional magic teachings and the Kabbalistic tree of life when I created this card. I pulled in the white for AIR or kether, and the black-brown soil for EARTH energy or malkulth. Of course the sun and moon could be the water and the fire, and the angel would be the Spirit, to bring in all of the 5 elements.
@goodwitchmama I almost feel like I interrupted them! Their gaze is startling - I don’t know why but I expected
to see them in the middle of their creative experience, unaware of our viewing them. I am in love with the visual
exchange of energy and flow, the card colors and the androgyny.
@deersoul.lovehealing Balanced energy. Harnessing fluidity.
@darkhorsetarot They look like the integration of balance and divine intervention. A helper. Someone who
reminds you to be calm, to be peaceful, to find a quiet moment to recharge. They also say the world keeps turning
no matter what, so have heart and keep going.
@scarletmoondesignco I see a person who is not in a rush. They’ve mastered the art of patience. The angel
wings and balance of the moon and the sun remind us that everything happens in divine timing. Everything will
flow when it’s ready and that’s where the magic is.
@countingmagnolias Weave magic by using both the dark and light to guide the way. Also keep personal
energy in check as to not rush into things but approach them with calm thoughtfulness.
@heartcenterlove I read it as balance, sacred balance, energy of the angels and spirit. Energy that is centered
and moving.
