Temperance
Finding the middle path.
Blend opposing needs with patience. Steady, measured steps work best.
- balance
- patience
- moderation
Traditional association: Sagittarius
What the card shows
An angel with large wings stands with one foot in water and one on land, pouring liquid between two cups. A path winds toward a glow between distant mountains, and irises grow nearby.
Fourteen follows the turning point of the Majors and brings blending and recovery. Pouring between cups is about combining opposites at a steady pace. Sagittarius, the usual sign, adds the long view.
▲Upright
Blending opposites patiently and keeping a steady pace.
What two things in my life need blending rather than choosing between?
▼Reversed
Things are out of balance, or pushed to extremes.
Where have I tipped too far to one side?
Temperance in a reading
In love
Patience and giving each other room to differ.
Reversed: Things are out of balance, or pushed to extremes.
At work
A sustainable pace, collaboration, combining skills.
Its shadow side: lukewarm avoidance of commitment.
As a Major Arcana card
Life's big themes and turning points. A Major Arcana card points to a bigger theme than the everyday cards around it.
Related cards
14 adds up to 5 (1 + 4), the number of the fives.
Five of Wands
Five of Cups
Five of Swords
Five of PentaclesRead it with other cards
Questions about Temperance
What does Temperance mean in tarot?
Blending opposites patiently and keeping a steady pace. Keywords: balance, patience, moderation.
What does Temperance mean reversed?
Things are out of balance, or pushed to extremes. Excess: overdoing it. Deficit: impatience, wanting results now. Blocked: cannot find a middle way.
What does Temperance mean in love?
Patience and giving each other room to differ.
What does Temperance mean for work?
A sustainable pace, collaboration, combining skills.
What question does Temperance ask?
Upright: What two things in my life need blending rather than choosing between? Reversed: Where have I tipped too far to one side?
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