Temperance
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Upright Meaning
The art being practiced here is integration. Not choosing between extremes but finding the place where two seemingly opposite things both belong. This takes patience and a willingness to hold complexity. The answer is a blend of both sides.
Reversed Meaning
Something is out of proportion right now. Too much of one thing, too little of another. Excess in any direction eventually becomes its own problem. What might you need to dial back so that other things can come into proper balance?
Temperance in love
Single? Temperance suggests a calm connection that develops slowly, and that's a good thing. Let someone earn your trust over several easy dates.
In a relationship, Temperance brings harmony and compromise. You're blending two lives well, a little at a time, like water poured carefully from one cup to the other.
Drew it reversed? See Temperance reversed in love below.
Temperance as feelings
As feelings, they feel peaceful and at ease with you. They want to take it slow and build something that lasts.
Temperance in career and money
CareerAt work, Temperance favors patience, cooperation and finding the middle ground. It suits mediating, teaching, healing and combining different skills into one role.
MoneyFinancially, keep things moderate and mix caution with a little optimism. Steady saving and balanced spending will serve you better than feast-or-famine habits.
Is Temperance a yes or no card?
Yes, though slowly, because Temperance mixes things patiently until they come out right.
Ask your own yes or no question →Temperance as advice
Look for the middle way and let things blend in their own time. Sagittarius rules this card, so keep the long view in sight while you wait.
Where in your life do you need less of something in order to have more of what actually matters?
What the Temperance card shows
A winged angel in a white robe stands with one foot on land and one in a pool, pouring liquid from one cup into another. A triangle inside a square is marked on the robe, irises grow at the water's edge, and a path leads up to mountains with a crown of light above them. The pouring is balance and blending, and the stance between water and land shows calm between feeling and practicality.
Astrology and symbolism
- Arcana
- Major, card 14
- Element
- Fire
- Astrology
- Sagittarius
Temperance corresponds to Sagittarius, so it carries that sign's fire energy. Read more about Sagittarius.
The 22 Major Arcana cards trace the Fool's journey, from the first step of The Fool (card 0) to the completion of The World (card 21). Temperance is card 14 of that journey, and when it appears it points to a significant life theme rather than a passing mood.
The Major Arcana
Temperance questions
Is Temperance a good card?
Mostly, yes. Temperance is one of the more welcome cards to draw, bringing balance, moderation, patience and integration. Reversed, that same energy can slip into imbalance, excess, lack of patience and discord, so the cards around it still matter.
What does Temperance reversed mean in love?
Reversed in love, Temperance points to excess or imbalance, like too many arguments, too much drinking or two people drifting to opposite extremes. Something needs moderating.
What zodiac sign is Temperance?
Sagittarius. In the Golden Dawn correspondences that most modern decks follow, Temperance is assigned to Sagittarius, which makes it a Fire card.
Is Temperance yes or no?
Yes. Drawn upright, Temperance answers yes. Reversed, it turns to no, usually because something has to change first.
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