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3. The 22 Major Arcana
4. Temperance

By ModUpdated 1 Nov 2026

Upright meaning

Reversed meaning

Imagery and symbols

• Pouring water between two cupsBlending, balancing and energy flowing between two poles. The water flows at an impossible angle, showing this is a process of the mind.
• One foot on land, one in waterBalance between the material and emotional worlds, fact and feeling.
• A triangle in a square on the chestSpirit (triangle) within the body and the material world (square) — seven, the number of completeness.
• The solar sign on the foreheadAn awakened mind and inner light.
• A path to the mountains and a crown of lightThe long road of self-development ending in illumination, walked patiently step by step.
• Irises by the poolIris, goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods: a bridge between heaven and earth.

Details most readers miss

• The angel's wings fill almost the whole card, yet the feet still touch earth and water. Temperance is not escaping the world but bringing what is higher into real life.
• The card sits between Death (XIII) and the Devil (XV): after an ending, you must reassemble yourself in balance before facing desire and bondage.
• Sagittarius is the archer; an arrow hits the target only with stillness and exactly the right aim — neither too much nor too little.

History and origins

Temperance is one of the four cardinal virtues. Early decks show a woman pouring liquid from one jug to another — mixing wine with water in due measure, the original sense of the word.

Smith drew a winged angel (many identify the archangel Michael, ruler of Fire) with one foot on land and one in water. The Golden Dawn gave the card Sagittarius and Samekh (prop), what holds things steady. In alchemy the card is the stage of uniting opposites to make the gold of the spirit.

The story of the card

After Death, the Fool must rebuild himself from what remains. Temperance teaches him to blend his different sides into harmony, going to no extreme.

That balance is tested at once by the Devil, where he faces desire and what binds the heart.

Element and elemental dignities

This card belongs to Fire, the energy of drive, courage and action.

Under the Golden Dawn rules of elemental dignities, Fire is friendly with Air and opposed to Water. Beside cards of the same or a friendly element this card grows stronger; beside an opposing element it weakens or shows its harder side.

When Fire dominates a spread: heat, haste and acting before thinking — watch for conflict and burnout. When it is missing: Add Fire by taking one small action now, setting a challenging goal and moving your body.

Sign, planet and timing

This card rules Sagittarius ♐︎, a mutable Fire sign ruled by Jupiter. The Sun passes through Sagittarius (tropical zodiac) from 22 Nov – 21 Dec each year, and people born then often recognise this card's energy in themselves.

the energy of adapting — this matter is still in flux and asks for flexibility The ruling planet adds themes of expansion, luck, wisdom, opportunity.

Key of Life: number, birth cards and quintessence

The card's number 14 reduces to 5, so it belongs to constellation 5 together with The Hierophant. This group is the teacher and mediator who passes on values and finds the middle way. If your birth-date total is 14, this is your Personality card and card 5 is your Soul card.

To find your birth cards with Mary K. Greer's method, add your birth day, month and year, then add the digits until the result is 22 or less. Born 14 June 1990: 14 + 6 + 1990 = 2010 → 2 + 0 + 1 + 0 = 3, the Empress.

The same card can also be a "year card" when you use the current year instead of your birth year, and the "quintessence" of a reading when the numbers of all cards in the spread reduce to 14.

Path on the Tree of Life

The 22 Major Arcana are the 22 paths (numbered 11–32) linking the ten sephiroth of the Tree of Life. This card is path 25, joining Tiphareth · Beauty (harmony, the centre of the self) with Yesod · Foundation (the subconscious, dreams, inner images), and the Hebrew letter ס Samekh, meaning "prop".

Read as a journey of the mind, the path teaches how to bring the power of Tiphareth down into Yesod, or how to climb from below to above. It runs along the Middle Pillar of Balance: consciousness, balance, the union of opposites.

Uranian astrology connection

Uranian astrology (the Hamburg School) uses eight hypothetical points beyond Neptune alongside the real planets. This card resonates with Apollon and Cupido.

• Apollon (Apo)Apollon, the first of Friedrich Sieggrün's points, means multiplication and spread: knowledge, trade, reputation and success that reaches beyond oneself. Keywords: expansion, multiplicity, science, commerce, success, fame
• Cupido (Cup)Cupido, the first point proposed by Alfred Witte, describes people coming together: family, marriage, associations and society, and the art that grows out of shared feeling. Keywords: family, marriage, groups, community, art, belonging

Temperance is the art of blending: Apollon, linked with Sagittarius, and Cupido, the fusing of two into one.

This correspondence is TarotMod's own synthesis from the meanings of the Hamburg School factors; it is not part of traditional tarot. Cast your Uranian chart

Related cards

• The HierophantSame constellation
• Eight of WandsDecan of Sagittarius
• Nine of WandsDecan of Sagittarius
• Ten of WandsDecan of Sagittarius

Frequently asked questions

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