14: Temperance

 Major Arcana 14 is Temperance. Such a truly perfect card to come after the death card! An angel blessing us with impartial waters of life, or something else? Let’s go!

There is an awful lot going on in this card but the first thing that catches our eye is this seemingly divine figure pouring water between two golden cups. Dressed in a white gown with beautiful red wings, we see a theme that repeats itself over and over in this card. White being heavenly/holy/pure and red being material/carnal/passion, we recognize this being as a balance between spiritual and material aspects of reality/existence. With one foot in the water and one on land we see the same theme, material and spiritual repeated, and we can assume from this theme the two cups passing water back and forth also have to do with the importance of existing in the material and spiritual realms. For each realm gives us different perspectives and values that must be used simultaneously for us to transcend the disconnection from balance. While some say this being is an angel, it is possible that the irises to the left of the being signify that this could very well be the Greek messenger Goddess of rainbows, Iris. Iris brought hope to humanity and perhaps that is what this card is telling us, that we must temper our fear with hope, for both exist in the world but it is up to us to choose our focus. On her forehead she wears a solar symbol and on her chest we see a triangle held within a square, which symbolizes a union of the Goddess and God. To the right of Iris we see a long path and at the end is a glowing golden crown floating in the sky, a reward befitting royalty for containing within oneself a balanced order, a nod to the ancient precept of “as above, so below”.  

Receiving this card in a reading is a call to balance in one’s own life. The need for balance is often overlooked in our western world where we are constantly eschewing the heart or emotion in favor of the mind or logic. It is impossible to be balanced while denying your heart or ignoring your mind. The greatest reward is found in the divine union of the two, which has for too long been shunned as frivolous or pointless, especially as we move into an era where it is clear that profits are chosen over people. This card is also a call or notice to look out for divine messages/messages from spirit as you may be so divided on controlling the outcome with logic that you are missing the key the the riddle found within the depths of your soul. Additionally, temperance is the Sagittarius card and a recognition of allowing optimism to motivate us into bringing into balance that which is not. Through searching the depths of knowledge with our desire to enlighten not only ourself but all those around us we can transcend the emptiness brought by exclusively worshipping logic over all else.