advanced tarot interpretation

The Meaning of the "Temperance" Tarot Card

The Symbolism of the Tarot Card:

An angel pours the essences of life from chalice to chalice. The angel stands with one foot on earth and the other on water. He has the alchemical symbol for fire on his robe, and a golden disc on his brow. A road leads off into the distance, where the sun appears to be rising at the end of the road. The rest of the background view is obscured by water reeds and lilies.

The Meaning of the Tarot Card:

This card is about balance and the absolute rule of it in our lives. The ability to combine spontaneity with knowledge. Temperance is about moderation, but in the sense of this card it means more than just purely balance. Temperance combines all aspects of the personality simultaneously to ensure that the individual is experiencing a wholesome life.

Rather than experiencing life as a whole, most of us choose to create different personalities for different venues, all of which are incomplete and untrue to each other. Temperance teaches us to be the same no matter what the situation or venue, making us more honest with each other and ourselves.

Temperance can be regarded as a forge in which the essence of a new, more spiritually aware self is created after the "sweeping away" of the Death card. All aspects of the self are being rebuilt by the angel in the picture, who represents our own unifying spirit.

The angel has one foot in water and one foot on land, signifying the balance between the real world and the unconscious. The temperate person has stricken this balance and is able to walk in both worlds as the same personality. The road leading off into the distance is literally the road that will be taken back after this transformation has been completed.

A time for moderation and balance. Sometimes the best thing to do is to wait. Patience. The need to step back and let things happen.