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{{Short description|Tarot card of the Major Arcana}}
] '''Temperance (XIV)''' is a ] ] card.
]]]
'''Temperance (XIV)''' is one of the 22 ] cards in ] decks. It is usually numbered 14. It depicts a figure which represents the virtue ]. Along with ] and Strength, it is one of three ] which are given their own cards in traditional tarot.{{sfnp|Place|2005}} It is used in both ] and in ].

== Identity of the figure ==
Temperance almost invariably depicts a figure with pouring liquid from one cup to another. This figure is usually referred to as the virtue Temperance or as an angel, though several other interpretations also exist. In particular, ] suggests that the figure once represented ], who served as cup bearer to ].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Huson |first=Paul |title=Mystical origins of the tarot: From ancient roots to modern usage |date=2004 |publisher=Destiny Books |isbn=978-0-89281-190-8 |location=Rochester, Vt}}</ref> Though it is possible that the figure could also be the goddess ] or the archangel ].{{sfnp|Place|2005}} The former of these interpretations is supported by the rainbow which is often added above her head and the fact that the flowers pictured in the ] version of the card are ].<ref>{{Cite book |last=O'Neill |first=R.V. |title=Tarot Symbolism |publisher=Fairway Press |year=1986 |edition=1st}}</ref>


== Description == == Description ==
Temperance ({{langx|it|La Temperanza}}) appears in the oldest ] decks where it is numbered '''VI''' or '''VII'''. In the ] and in most contemporary decks the card is numbered '''XIV'''. In the ] and decks influenced by it, this card is called '''Art''' rather than Temperance.<ref>{{Cite web|title = TAROT - The Royal Road: 14 TEMPERANCE XIV|url = http://tarot-theroyalroad.blogspot.com/2011/06/14-temperance-xiv.html|website = TAROT - The Royal Road|access-date = 2015-09-16|first = Joanne Sacred|last = Scribes}}</ref>
Some frequent keywords are:
*''Temperance ----- Harmony ----- Balance ----- Health''


] of Temperance in European iconography. This statue is part of ]'s tomb.]]
*''Moderation ----- Joining forces ----- Well-being ----- Recovery''
Temperance is almost invariably depicted as a person pouring liquid from one receptacle into another. Historically, this was a standard symbol of the virtue ], one of the ], representing the ] of ] with water. In many decks, the person is a winged ], usually female or androgynous, and stands with one foot on water and one foot on land.


At the end of the path in the lower left part of the card, there is a crown to show the attainment of a goal, or mastery thereof.<ref>Gray, Eden. "Complete Guide to the Tarot." 1970. Crown Publishers, New York, NY.</ref>
*''Equilibrium ----- Transcendence ----- Unification ------ Healing''


In the Rider–Waite image by Pamela Coleman-Smith (shown on this page) the Hebrew ] is on the angel's chest above the square and triangle. In the derivative Tarot decks this is usually not included.
*''Synthesis ----- Bringing together opposites ---- Feeling secure''


According to ]'s 1910 book '']'', the Temperance card is associated with:
'''Temperance''' (]: ''La Temperanza'') is a ] ] card, numbered '''VI''' or '''VII''' in the oldest ] decks, but '''XIV''' in the ] and in most contemporary decks. In the ] and decks influenced by it, this card is called '''Art''' rather than Temperance.


<blockquote>14.TEMPERANCE.--Economy, moderation, frugality, management, accommodation. ''Reversed:'' Things connected with churches, religions, sects, the priesthood, sometimes even the priest who will marry Querent; also disunion, unfortunate combinations, competing interests.{{sfnp|Waite|1979}}</blockquote>
Temperance is almost invariably depicted as a person pouring liquid from one receptacle into another. Historically, this was a standard symbol of the virtue ], representing the ] of ] with water. In many decks, the person is a winged ], usually female or androgynous, and stands with one foot on water and one foot on land.


In ], the Temperance card is associated with the masculine, mutable-fire ] of ] and its ruling planet, ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Taste of Tarot: Temperance & Sagittarius |url=https://www.tarot.com/tarot/temperance-tarot-card-sagittarius-zodiac-sign |access-date=2023-07-14 |website=Tarot.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
In addition to its literal meaning of temperance or moderation, the Temperance card is often interpreted as symbolizing the blending or synthesis of opposites. An influential tradition originating with the ] associates Temperance with the ] ]. It is also commonly associated with the letter ] in the ].


== Interpretation == == References ==
{{reflist}}
{{unreferencedsect|date=June 2006}}
Some say that when Temperance appears in a reading it tells the ] that moderation is required in some aspect of life. The precise place in the Querant's life will be determined by other cards in the spread.


===Mythopoetic approach=== === Works cited ===
{{refbegin}}
In most modern tarot decks, Temperance stands between ] and ]. He or she (traditions vary) guides the souls of the dead to judgment.
* {{cite book |last=Place |first=Robert |author-link=Robert M. Place |year=2005 |title=The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination |location=New York |publisher=Penguin Publishing Group |isbn=978-1-4406-4975-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Waite |first=A. E. |author-link=A. E. Waite |year=1979 |orig-year=1910 |title=The Pictorial Key to the Tarot |place=New York |publisher=] |isbn=0-87728-218-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/pictorialkeytota00arth |url-access=registration}}
{{refend}}


== Further reading ==
In some traditions, Temperance does the judging. In those schools, the cups in Temperance’s hands are the functional equivalent of scales, and Temperance, like ], an Egyptian goddess of wisdom, judges the soul’s worth before passing it on to the beasts of the underworld. In some stories, Maat both judges the souls against a feather and protects the scale from being tipped by ]. If the soul is heavier than a feather, it will be fed to the eater of souls.
{{refbegin}}

* {{cite book |first=Hajo |last=Banzhaf |title=Tarot and the Journey of the Hero |year=2000 |publisher=Weiser Books |isbn=978-1-57863-117-9 |ref=none}}
]]]
* {{cite book |last=Butler |first=Bill |title=Dictionary of the Tarot |place=New York |publisher=Schocken Books |year=1975 |isbn=0-8052-0559-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryoftaro00bill |url-access=registration |ref=none}}

* {{cite book |last=Gray |first=Eden |author-link=Eden Gray |year=1988 |orig-year=1960 |title=The Tarot Revealed: A Modern Guide to Reading the Tarot Cards |publisher=Signet |isbn=978-0-451-15673-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/tarotrevealedmo00gray |url-access=registration |ref=none}}
In other traditions, Temperance is the remixing of life. Accepting the dead into the underworld, into the bosom of the carbon cycle, into the blessed lands, and deciding what to send back into the fray. Every atom in our bodies have passed through thousands of forms, and will pass through thousands more. Temperance reminds us of our connection to the greater forces.
* {{cite book |last=Knight |first=Gareth |author-link=Gareth Knight |year=1991 |title=The Magical World of the Tarot: Fourfold Mirror of the Universe |publisher=Aquarian |isbn=978-0-85030-940-9 |ref=none}}

* {{cite book |first=G. Ronald |last=Murphy |title=The Owl, The Raven, and The Dove: Religious Meaning of the Grimm's Magic Fairy Tales |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-803112-3 |ref=none}}
Others say that the vessels in the Angel’s hands represent the ] of Taoism; the vessel that contains eternal life. Others say it is representative of the head feeding the stomach; unification of the physical and spiritual needs.
* {{cite book |last=Pollack |first=Rachel |author-link=Rachel Pollack |year=1997 |orig-year=1980 |title=Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot |publisher=Thorsons |isbn=978-0-7225-3572-1 |ref=none}}

* {{cite journal |last=Wood |first=Juliette |author-link=Juliette Wood |journal=Folklore |volume=109 |date=1998 |pages=15–24 |title=The Celtic Tarot and the Secret Tradition: A Study in Modern Legend Making |issue=1–2 |doi=10.1080/0015587X.1998.9715957 |ref=none}}
Temperance is associated through its cross sum (the sum of the digits) with ]. The Hierophant (ideally) brings the lessons of the other world into this one in an understandable form; Temperance (among other things) judges how well we have mastered the wisdom the other worlds.
{{refend}}

Even though this card is well lit by a setting sun, it is an underworld card. Hark at the lilies in the background. Lilies grow in Hades, and the lily represents the goddess Iris, another messenger goddess who transcends the individual realms. The Easter Lily sometimes represents the death of Christ on the Cross, and the three days He spent in the underworld before the Resurrection.

The red wings of the Angel represents blood, represents life, represents that which transcends the death of the individual.

The ] figure ], the personification of the ] and described as as a young maiden with wings on her shoulders, has also been associated with this card.

It can also represent the moment where a person’s energies go from growing upwards, to growing inwards.

In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the Sun in the background conceals a crown. That crown is the ego, who has died and is at the cusp of the adventures of the night.

Some Jungians say that Temperance represents the unconscious, which can guide us, they contend, to a deeper understanding of ourselves, and maybe even a meaningful life. The one foot on the land, the other in the water, represents the unification of the external and internal, conscious and unconscious, realms.

Under these approaches, when Temperance appears, it is a warning or invitation to be prepared for a confrontation with the deepest questions. Who we are. Who we apparently are. Who we think we are. Who we will become.

== Trivia ==

* Temperance, boss character in ].
* In the X/1999 Tarot version made by CLAMP, The Temperance is Arashi Kishuu

== References ==
* ]'s 1910 '']''
* Hajo Banzhaf, Tarot and the Journey of the Hero (2000)
* Most works by ]
* G. Ronald Murphy, S.J., The Owl, The Raven, and The Dove: Religious Meaning of the Grimm's Magic Fairy Tales (2000)


== External links == == External links ==
{{commons category inline|Temperance (Major Arcana)}}
*
* from The Hermitage.
* from The Pythagorean Tarot


{{Major Arcana}} {{Major Arcana}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Temperance (Tarot Card)}}
] ]

]
]
]

Latest revision as of 02:39, 13 December 2024

Tarot card of the Major Arcana
Temperance (XIV) from the Rider–Waite tarot deck

Temperance (XIV) is one of the 22 Major Arcana cards in Tarot decks. It is usually numbered 14. It depicts a figure which represents the virtue Temperance. Along with Justice and Strength, it is one of three Virtues which are given their own cards in traditional tarot. It is used in both game playing and in divination.

Identity of the figure

Temperance almost invariably depicts a figure with pouring liquid from one cup to another. This figure is usually referred to as the virtue Temperance or as an angel, though several other interpretations also exist. In particular, Paul Huson suggests that the figure once represented Ganymede, who served as cup bearer to Zeus. Though it is possible that the figure could also be the goddess Iris or the archangel Michael. The former of these interpretations is supported by the rainbow which is often added above her head and the fact that the flowers pictured in the Rider–Waite Tarot version of the card are Irises.

Description

Temperance (Italian: La Temperanza) appears in the oldest Italian decks where it is numbered VI or VII. In the Tarot de Marseille and in most contemporary decks the card is numbered XIV. In the Thoth Tarot and decks influenced by it, this card is called Art rather than Temperance.

A woman mixing water into wine was a standard allegory of Temperance in European iconography. This statue is part of Peter of Verona's tomb.

Temperance is almost invariably depicted as a person pouring liquid from one receptacle into another. Historically, this was a standard symbol of the virtue temperance, one of the cardinal virtues, representing the dilution of wine with water. In many decks, the person is a winged angel, usually female or androgynous, and stands with one foot on water and one foot on land.

At the end of the path in the lower left part of the card, there is a crown to show the attainment of a goal, or mastery thereof.

In the Rider–Waite image by Pamela Coleman-Smith (shown on this page) the Hebrew Tetragrammaton is on the angel's chest above the square and triangle. In the derivative Tarot decks this is usually not included.

According to A.E. Waite's 1910 book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, the Temperance card is associated with:

14.TEMPERANCE.--Economy, moderation, frugality, management, accommodation. Reversed: Things connected with churches, religions, sects, the priesthood, sometimes even the priest who will marry Querent; also disunion, unfortunate combinations, competing interests.

In astrology, the Temperance card is associated with the masculine, mutable-fire sign of Sagittarius and its ruling planet, Jupiter.

References

  1. ^ Place (2005).
  2. Huson, Paul (2004). Mystical origins of the tarot: From ancient roots to modern usage. Rochester, Vt: Destiny Books. ISBN 978-0-89281-190-8.
  3. O'Neill, R.V. (1986). Tarot Symbolism (1st ed.). Fairway Press.
  4. Scribes, Joanne Sacred. "TAROT - The Royal Road: 14 TEMPERANCE XIV". TAROT - The Royal Road. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  5. Gray, Eden. "Complete Guide to the Tarot." 1970. Crown Publishers, New York, NY.
  6. Waite (1979).
  7. "A Taste of Tarot: Temperance & Sagittarius". Tarot.com. Retrieved 2023-07-14.

Works cited

Further reading

External links

Media related to Temperance (Major Arcana) at Wikimedia Commons

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