TEMPERANCE
Symbolism
An Angelic figure sometimes said to be Michael or Gabriel stands with one foot on the earth, one foot in the water of a pool. Her stance signifies her connection to the inner subconscious and the outer conscious world equally. She is a messenger of God. With her white tunic of purity and her large red wings that stretch beyond the picture, she shows her communication to the infinite.
She has a yellow triangle in a white square on her chest. This is the fire trinity and creation within the confines of the square and the material world. She has the symbol of the Sun on her forehead showing her spiritual perspective toward all things, and her aura shines brightly around her head.
She pours water from a cup in one hand to another cup in her other hand. The water flows and nothing is spilt. She passes her awareness between worlds and communicates the outer with the inner.
There is a path in the background leading to a higher peak of awareness in the mountains and to the sun, which is shaped like a golden crown. This is the highest awareness towards which Temperance guides the way.
Keywords
Upright: Intuition, communication, channelling, guidance, inner truth, integrity, peace, awareness, patience, moderation, self-control, conscience, the middle path, clairvoyance, clairaudience.
Reversed: Rejecting guidance, over-thinking, going it alone, know-it-all, confusion, doubt, impatience, closed-mind/ ears, lack of maturity, self-indulgence, lack of control, clashes with others.
Upright meaning
Temperance speaks about a very important initiation. Here, we have already learned to listen to the inner guidance coming from spirit, so much so, that it has become part of who we are. It is second nature now to always check within, and so we are no longer swayed by extreme experiences. Awareness of our goals and purpose is clear, and this allows us to prepare for another round of the hero’s journey, where we encounter deeper challenges.
We have more maturity, and our reactive nature of the past has been replaced by discernment and clarity. Our ego doesn’t rule the show, and guidance from spirit is heard instead of ignored. We can naturally awaken our more subtle senses, which allows us to receive a clear vision of our future path.
Temperance speaks of the ‘middle path’ where the pulls and pushes of the outer world want to take us to extremes, but we stay constant, as the observer. This witness perspective allows us to avoid reactivity and to see how those outer manifestations are valuable mirrors for our self-awareness. We are able to own life’s lessons on a deeper level, which, in turn, allows us to unveil and see deeper subconscious programs.
The card calls for some honest inner heart dialogue. This may mean questioning ourselves more than usual, and reminding ourselves that we can tap into higher guidance when the mind is open to listen to the heart. This can be everyday nudges, as well as more long-term personal guidance. Expect both, when this card comes up, and remember any practices we have learned to bring our focus back to our hearts.
Reversed meaning
The Shadow of Temperance speaks about an imbalance of communication. We may have a habit of always asking others for answers, or we may only listen to our subconscious programs. A heart connection is lacking when this reversal comes up, and so we will find clarity and higher knowledge is difficult to tap into. There is a strong call for honesty.
Shadow Temperance is also seen when we are stuck with the idea that we need to find all the answers on our own. We deny any outer guidance as being valid and convince ourselves that we need to always know. This is often due to arrogance and unseen unworthiness, but will manifest in us being closed to external red flags and signs.
Our communication may be overly intellectual, as we look for answers with our rational mind, but deny our heart or emotional intelligence. This extreme airy nature leads to overthinking, confusion, and often desperate actions.
One story that will be consistent with this shadow card, is disharmony. It will naturally come up in our relationships, with conflict or miscommunication with other people. This mirrors our lack of self-awareness and honesty. We could find our relationships swing to opposite extremes with all sorts of ups and downs. Honest journaling and some introspection is important to reconnect with what we know is our truth.