I WILL BE WORKING USING THE RIDER WAITE TAROT DECK AS A BASIS FOR THIS EXPLORATION.

Following Death and The Hanged Man, Temperance takes us to a new phase in the Fool’s journey. He is another stage of his transformation. He must become able to distinguish between what is within him and what is in his objective reality. He understands the need for wisdom from both his inner world and the outer world. Everything has a balance and there is a lot to find in the harmony of opposing ideals.

Firstly, I would like to mention that although I’m using the pronouns he/his, the gender identity of Temperance is not apparent (nor relevant). Many people see Temperance as female and either opinion is valid. There is a reason for the androgyny of this card and that is that it is about the intersection of dual ideas. Temperance is at once both male and female, and neither. This card represents a balance between the masculine and feminine aspects of oneself. This angel has previously been identified as both Michael and Raphael, but I prefer the interpretation I find when the identity of Temperance is anonymous.

Temperance wears white, as a sign of his purity. White is a combination of all of the colours in the spectrum, lending further weight to the idea that Temperance is about unity and balance. In the middle of his chest is an orange/yellow triangle. This is may be representative of ideas such as the Holy Trinity. Above this triangle are the Hebrew letters which form the Tetragrammaton (this is discussed in more depth in my Wheel of Fortune post). It is also interesting to note that this is placed on the heart chakra of Temperance. This coupled with the symbol over the third eye of Temperance suggests that there is a connection between the heart and mind, similar to what we have seen with Justice.

Behind Temperance is a rising sun which takes the shape of a crown, this is symbolic of a new and higher form of consciousness. Below this is a path that winds its way up through the mountains, suggesting a journey.

Of course, one of the main motifs of this card is the passing of water from one cup to another. This is symbolic of the coming together of the subconscious and the ego. There is imagery in this card which is heavily pointing towards ideas of alchemy. This specific alchemy is that of the union of soul, spirit and our physical form. Again, this points towards unity and balance. Furthermore, Temperance has one of his feet in the water (subconscious) and one on ground (physical world) further demonstrating this need for unity.

When we meet Temperance in a reading his message is that we should stabilise ourselves. As Temperance practises perfect balance and unity, we should too. We must make sure our energies are stable and equal, not letting one part of ourselves suppress another and not letting any parts of ourselves be suppressed. When times are stressful, we should not let anxiety or stress rule us, just as when life seems easy we should not allow ourselves to become lazy.

Temperance also suggests that we must raise our consciousness and our vibrations. Always seek higher knowledge and learning. This is a card strongly associated with alchemy, and as such we must keep trying and experimenting to reach a higher state of mind than we have now. Temperance is very clear in the need for balance and understanding. We should not suppress our intuition, but rely on it just as much as our physical senses.

When Temperance appears reversed, we do not have balance in our lives. It may be internal or external. There is a turbulence somewhere which means we are not able to express ourselves properly and confidently, in our truest form. You may be wilfully suppressing some aspect of yourself or doing so unwittingly, but it is time to take some time to discover exactly what is amiss and take efforts to balance your energies. A reversed Temperance is a prompt to practise self care and self love.