Major arcana · XIV
Temperance
Upright
balance · blending · patience · the middle way
Temperance is an angel with one foot on land and one in the water, pouring between two cups in a stream that seems to flow uphill. The card means balance as a practice: mixing opposites until they make something new, patience, moderation, the alchemy of taking the middle way without becoming lukewarm. Upright, it advises calm, steadiness and the long view. Not everything needs to be decided today.
She poured between the two cups until neither was full and both were right.
What are you doing in excess that a little less would fix?
Reversed
imbalance · excess · the clashing halves
Reversed, Temperance has spilled. Excess in one direction, elements that will not blend, a life out of proportion - too much work, too much feeling, too much of anything. It can mean impatience, or the kind of imbalance that comes from trying to fix one thing by breaking another. The card asks where the pour went wrong.
He mixed fire and water and was surprised by the steam.
Which part of your life is taking all the water?