Card XIV, Major ArcanaTemperance tarot card meaning
Upright and reversedTemperance in shortIn short
Temperance is the right measure. An angel pours water from cup to cup and spills nothing, one foot in the stream, one on the bank. Mix things slowly, find the middle, and don't rush to either edge.
- Balance
- Moderation
- Patience
Piece oneThe path
Behind the angel a path climbs the hills to the horizon. A great light rises over it with a crown inside. Waite reads it as a glimpse of eternal life, as much as you can reach while you're alive.
"A direct path goes up to certain heights on the verge of the horizon, and above there is a great light, through which a crown is seen vaguely."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe path shows where the mixing leads. The angel works at the bottom, by the water, and the road climbs from there toward the light. Each careful pour between the vessels is a step along it. The far light is the goal, and the angel's patience is the way there.
Piece twoOne foot in the water
One foot stands in the water, the other on dry land. Waite says this shows the nature of the poured essences. One foot in each world, the angel stands in feeling and in fact at once.
"It has one foot upon the earth and one upon waters, thus illustrating the nature of the essences."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe foot in the water and the foot on land repeat the pour. The angel mixes two things in the vessels and stands in two places at once: feeling and fact, wet and dry, held by one calm figure. The path behind starts from this same bank.
Piece threeThe angel
A winged angel stands in the middle, eyes closed. Waite puts the sign of the sun on the forehead; our deck gives it a small star of light. Waite says the angel is neither man nor woman.
"I speak of him in the masculine sense, but the figure is neither male nor female."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe angel is the calm that makes the mixing work. With eyes closed, the angel pours by feel and loses nothing. The wings bring help from above, and the bare foot in the stream ties that help to the ground. The path behind shows where this patience goes.
Piece fourThe two cups
The angel pours water from a gold jug into a gold cup. Waite calls it the essences of life. Not a drop gets lost; the water only moves and mixes.
"It is held to be pouring the essences of life from chalice to chalice."Waite, 1911
Why it is hereThe vessels carry the action of the card. Water moves from one to the other and nothing spills, so the measure is right. The angel's closed eyes and the foot in the stream gather around this one gesture. Mixing, blending and adjusting are what Temperance means.
Colour, and where else it appearsEchoes
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The path
A sand-coloured path and a gold sunrise, warm against the blue water and the purple irises. The Moon has a path too, winding from the pool between two towers into the hills, under a cold night sky. Death puts a rising sun on its far horizon. Temperance gives you the road that leads up to one.
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One foot in the water
Cool blue water against warm orange earth, with the angel's foot on the line between them. The Star kneels by a pool, pouring water into the stream. The Ace of Cups overflows into a pond of water lilies. Temperance walks into the water and keeps the other foot on the bank.
Also in -
The angel
Cream wings, gold hair and a saffron sky: the whole card glows. The angel of The Lovers spreads red wings over a couple from the sky. Judgement's angel, red-winged too, blows a trumpet over open tombs. The angel of Temperance stands on the ground, in the water, and works with its hands.
Also in -
The two cups
Gold vessels and a blue stream: the solid world and the world of feeling, poured together. The Star pours from two jugs at once, both spilling into the pool below. The Ace of Cups overflows on every side. Temperance keeps every drop between the two vessels and lets none of it run away.
Also in
Colour notes are ours, read from the picture; Waite does not explain the colours.
TemperanceUpright
You need balance and patience now. Waite's words are practical: economy, moderation, frugality, management, accommodation. Use what you have with care, combine what seems to pull apart, and meet people halfway.
The card is quiet, and it heals. Things get better step by step, the way water finds its level. If you've been swinging between extremes, find the middle and stay there a while.
TemperanceReversed
The mix goes wrong. Waite lists disunion, unfortunate combinations, competing interests. Two things you're holding together keep clashing, or you're overdoing something and paying for it.
Waite also ties the reversed card to churches, religions and priests, even the priest who'll marry you. Read it as belief, rules or ceremony entering the picture. Slow down and find your measure again.
Yes or noYes, slowly.
Yes, given time. Keep things in balance and it works out. Push too hard and you could spoil it.
Temperance in your lifeIn your life
Love
Steady love that grows with time. Give as much as you take, and don't rush the next step.
Work
Good for teamwork, planning and compromise. Steady effort beats a sprint.
Money
Keep a budget. Waite's word is economy, so save small amounts often.
Health
Moderation: rest, food and movement in balance. A card can't diagnose you; if something's wrong, see a doctor.
Spirituality
A small daily practice suits you more than big experiences. A few calm minutes a day is enough.
Advice
Find the middle. Mix, adjust, wait. Don't force it.
As a person
Patient, calm, fair. The one who gets people talking again.
Past, present, future
Past: you learned patience. Present: keep your balance. Future: slow progress and a calmer life.
Written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
Symbols and correspondencesAt a glance
- Number
- XIV
- Hebrew letter
- Samekh
- Astrology
- Sagittarius
- Element
- Fire
- Upright
- Economy
- Reversed
- Disunion
QuestionsCommon questions
Yes. It's gentle and it heals. Results come steadily, not fast.
Both of you give and both take. Single? A calm connection that grows slowly.
Yes, slowly. Be patient and keep your balance.
Waite says it shows the nature of what the angel pours. One foot on earth, one in water: the angel stands in two worlds at once.
Sagittarius, a fire sign, in the Golden Dawn system. Its Hebrew letter is Samekh.
Waite says the card tempers and joins soul and body when it rules in you. Under it you grasp a little of where you came from and where you're going.
The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911Card meanings and quotes: A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911. Hebrew letter, sign and element: the Golden Dawn's Book T. Colours, life situations, yes or no and questions: written by us, from Waite's meanings and the picture.
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