What does the Temperance card mean?
The temperance tarot card is the 14th card in major arcana. Temperance is one of the most profound cards, as it appears as a sign of encouragement from the universe or during a time when you can be embodying your full potential.
The card's imagery has many symbolic illustrations that touch on religious iconology, the elements, and esoterica.
Follow along for a deep dive into the Temperance card and what it means when it appears in a reading.
Lovers Tarot Card Description and Associations:
Element
Fire
Zodiac Sign
Sagittarius
Planet
Jupiter
Keywords
Balance, Composure, Inner Peace, Harmony, Imbalance, Self-indulgence, recklessness
Imagery
The Temperance card is one of the most beautiful cards in the major arcana.
The main symbol of the card is a winged angel who has elegant red wings, wearing a white gown.
Across the chest of the gown is a triangle enclosed inside of a square.
The angel holds two goblets in either hand and appears to be gracefully pouring water between the two without spilling any.
The angel is shoeless and stands with one foot in a pond of water, with the other resting on dry ground.
Behind the angle is a hillside and mountains, with a winding path leading up to their peaks. At the peak of the mountains, a shining golden crown appears to be rising into the sky.
There are also tall grasses and beautiful yellow flowers behind the angel.
Throughout the major arcana, the sky has a significant meaning, and here the sky appears to be a pale white or grey.
How the Temperance Card's Meaning is derived from its imagery
The angel in the temperance card depicts an elevated state of being and consciousness.
This represents the heightened state of peace, bliss, and contentment, as many angels have been depicted throughout various religions.
The red rings are associated with passion and desire, and the white gown represents purity.
Here, it's clear that you have developed your soul's desire and passion, which now stems from a place of integrity and wholeness rather than a place of lack and ego.
The angel's feet standing on two different materials or terrain symbolizes the balance found between emotions and the mind.
Temperance represents being grounded, and when one finds peace within their mind and emotions, they are able to ground themselves fully.
To achieve this, it takes patience, which can be seen as the water flows through both of the cups in their hands. The angel pours water into one cup and back into the other with ease and grace, not spilling any, representing their talents and abilities.
Water is also a representation of spirituality, and earth is a representation of the material world.
The temperance angel having a foot in both of these realms symbolizes the balance between their humanity and their soul.
In the distance, the floating crown over the mountain represents the power that has been gained after a long journey of self-discovery and mastery.
The journey is achieved through following one's spirituality.
The right side of the card depicts tall grasses and beautiful flowers, symbolizing the importance of mastering materialism by celebrating the natural world.
The triangle on the angel's gown symbolizes a balance between the three aspects of the self, the mind, body, and soul.
Lastly, the white/grey sky backdrop is the color of neutrality; temperance knows how to find peace and contentment.
Temperance Upright Meaning
The temperance tarot card appears in the upright position during a time of perfect balance and harmony.
You've likely been pulled in many directions in the past, being swayed by your emotions or lost in the thoughts of your mind.
Luckily, you've managed to listen to your inner voice, remain calm throughout the storms of your life, and walk the middle path.
If you're questioning whether you should move forward on a situation or try to manipulate it in some way, temperance asks you to remain patient.
You are entering a time of contentment, where you have mastered your mind and emotions and are able to reap the benefits of your efforts.
Anything you desire can be yours, as your life force is in full abundance, and you're in a state to direct your energy in a powerful manner.
Temperance Upright in Health
Temperance upright often symbolizes good health.
If you've struggled with your health recently, you're entering a time when you can experience unexpected healing.
Continue making beneficial choices for yourself, resist eating junk food, and have a clear vision of where you want your health to go.
The upright temperance tarot meaning is also a reminder to be patient; your healing will come soon enough.
Temperance Upright in Manifestation
When trying to manifest anything, finding patience is key to receiving your desires.
The universe provides for you in good timing, and only when you are energetically aligned with your desires.
Sometimes, the temperance card shows a lack of balance in your life that's stalling your manifestations from occurring.
Their may even be a niggling voice, telling you to make a certain decision or take a certain action, but you've continued to ignore its call.
In order to find your manifestation, focus on balance, harmony, and cultivating peace in your life.
Look towards other cards in the reading to identify which area of your life may be unbalanced and blocking your manifestation.
Temperance Reversed Meaning
The reversed temperance appears during a time when you are lacking balance in some areas of your life.
Usually, when one area of your life is unbalanced, every other area is also.
It offers similar advice to the Hermit, which encourages you to introspect.
The reversed temperance tarot card meaning can signify self-indulgence.
If you're eating too much junk food, consuming too much social media, or have a bad spending habit, this card appears to encourage you to find some moderation in these areas of your life.
If you've felt off kilter lately, temperance reversed asks you to identify where your life is out of balance.
How can you resolve this issue if you're struggling with a relationship?
Temperance Reversed In Love
In a love tarot reading, temperance is reversed, meaning symbolizes a lack of balance.
You may be investing more energy into the relationship than your partner, or you both may be investing too much or too little.
If temperance reversal appears in your love reading, try to identify where you're either investing too much or too little and find a way to overcome this.
A relationship that is out of balance can drain the other aspects of your life.
Sometimes, relationships struggle due to emotional issues or fearful thoughts surrounding abandonment or jealousy.
Don't settle for instant gratification; work towards building a relationship that has a solid foundation.
Find Your Balance
When the temperance appears, regardless if it's in the upright or reversed position, try to assess your life and identify if you're living in balance.
Finding your balance means gaining control over your mind, emotions, and your urges and following your spiritual path.
Embody the temperance angel, find your wings, and walk the middle path toward your shining golden crown.
How the Temperance Tarot Card Meanings provide guidance
The Temperance Tarot card is profoundly insightful and should be respected when it emerges. It may not be quite as exciting as cards like the Tower, but it speaks to a vital aspect of success: patience.
The Temperance card advises you to stay steady on your path. When it appears in a Tarot reading, it is urging you to find peace in your daily life so you can keep marching forward as you currently are.
That may seem somewhat counterintuitive, as its natural to think that success or problem resolution requires some kind of drastic action. But the big actions aren't the hard parts, as even conflict can be rewarding.
Rather, the most challenging yet most fruitful aspect of a journey is remaining patient during the long haul. Doing the same needle-moving tasks every day even if they're unpleasent or you don't feel like doing them.
This is what creates greatness. Consistent effort on the right things over a long period of time. Not some sudden, sporadic movement. All the Temperance Tarot card meanings speak to exactly this, carrying the way forward even when it gets boring, grueling, or when you feel burned out.
Examples of the Temperance Tarot Card Meaning
Take a professional sports player for example. Everyone naturally hones in on the big, exciting moments where a player scores a game-winning goal or makes a big save.
Spectators will often comment that it was one, pivotal moment like that that brought a player into the limelight and propelled their career. People will often remember one or two major moments when the player did something spectacular and forget the other 99% of their efforts.
This makes sense from a spectator standpoint, but it leads to disillusionment about the journey to success.
Because we only remember the highlight reel, and we don't see the behind-the-scenes, we tend to think that it's one drastic action that makes or breaks you. But, that couldn't be further from the truth.
The athlete made the big play not because of some sudden gust of ability, but rather as the result of years and years of effort. The highlight reel is made possible by a decade or more of nose-to-the-grindstone work.
It's not the "money shot" moments that make greatness, rather its the early mornings, late nights, emotional meltdowns, rough defeats, and boring training sessions that do.
This is what the Temperance tarot card reminds us. It advises us not to fall into the trap of thinking there should be some major victory rushing toward us after two months of effort.
No. Rather, it encourages us to remain patient, balanced, and steady.
A wise man once said: "Patience is your ability to tolerate hard work for long periods of time without getting upset or changing course"
Final Thoughts on the Temperance Tarot Card
The Temperance Card is the 14th Tarot card in the Fool's Journey of the Major Arcana. It comes after Death, which speaks to a transition, and before The Devil, which speaks to giving way to vice.
This makes sense because it is before our greatest victories that we must endure long periods of patience. And it is during those hard periods that temptations will creep in.
The lesson to take away from the Temperance card is ultimately one of faith.
Have faith that your efforts will pay off, you just need to keep moving forward, standing strong against the tide, and you'll arrive at your desired destination.