XIIII Temperance - Meaning and Symbols
The number 14 card in the Major Arcana, Temperance, represents a time of reset, grounding, and making connections with all the energies of emotions, wisdom (intellect), material, and spiritual. We are not sure of the gender of the angel that is depicted in the card so we draw on both the female (reflective) and male (active) energies. When we see this card in a reading there is a sense of calmness or a need to step back and think about where we are in our journey. What have we learned and what are the things that are coming? We begin to understand the karmic energy that comes along with our decisions and choice. Everything is a choice whether we act or not act. There has been a lot that has happened leading up to the Temperance card: We have had to take action because of a major shift - Temperance comes after the Death card in the major arcana. That shift occurred quickly and has woken us up to other views. Perhaps we need to take another look at the path we are on.
The name of the card is Temperance meaning self-control, restraint, and balance. The balance of one liquid and another by pouring one from one vessel or container into another. This is tempering. The art of tempering is finding the right balance and this is the secret we learn in the Temperance card. We learn to balance our long-held beliefs and values by finding a compromise with others that hold an opposing view.
The fourteenth card corresponds to the number four in Tarot. Four in Tarot represents the balance of the elements: earth, water, fire, and air. With Temperance being the fourteenth card, balance comes by slowing things down and finding the right mix of our wants and needs, as well as others' wants and needs. This balancing of elements doesn't just happen by force. It takes patience, to recognise that we have to deal with opposing elements. We agree to remove some of the things we don't need and find that middle ground.
