Everything You Need to Know About the Temperance Tarot Card

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Understanding the Upright and Reversed meanings of Temperance

Co-authored by Glenn Carreau Reviewed by Stina Garbis

Last Updated: October 2, 2023 Fact Checked

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• Upright & Reversed Meanings
|
• Love
|
• Careers
|
• Finance
|
• Health
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• Spirituality
|
• Yes/No Meaning
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• Appearance & Symbolism

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Is it a positive or negative sign when you see the Temperance card in a tarot spread? We’ve got the answer! Traditionally, Temperance is the 14th card of the Major Arcana tarot deck, and it’s associated with themes of balance, patience, and tranquility. This card is a symbol of encouragement, reassuring you that everything will work out if you keep practicing moderation and addressing imbalances in your life. Read on for a detailed breakdown of the Temperance tarot card, including all Upright and Reversed meanings for your career, love life, and more.

Things You Should Know

• The Upright Temperance card symbolizes moderation, patience, balance, finding your inner peace, harmony, and purpose.
• The Reversed Temperance card represents imbalance, lack of moderation, excess, extremes, conflict, discord, recklessness, and lack of perspective.
• Temperance depicts a winged angel with one foot on land and one in the water, symbolizing connection and balance between the spiritual and physical worlds.

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Section 1 of 8:

Temperance Tarot Card Upright & Reversed Meanings

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   Upright Temperance represents balance, peace, and moderation. In a tarot spread, Temperance signifies that you can remain calm in times of stress and exercise patience as you explore and grow in life. Temperance embodies moderation and balance; thus, it encourages you to avoid extremes in any situation and focus on finding your own inner balance and peace—which, in turn, will help you find purpose in life. It can also signify that everything in life will unfold as it was meant to. Socially, it indicates that you have a calming presence that puts others at ease and helps you work in harmony with them.

   • Common keywords: Balance, patience, moderation, tranquility, inner calm, harmony, serenity, and purpose
   • Element: Fire
   • Planet: Jupiter
   • Star sign: Sagittarius
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   2
   Reversed Temperance symbolizes imbalance, extremes, and discord. This card signifies that some aspect of your life is out of balance—whether it has to do with love, your career, your health, or something else. Temperance can also be a warning, indicating that taking a certain path in life will lead to discord and excess. Finally, it represents the absence of a long-term plan, meaning you may lack purpose and feel imbalanced or unsettled as a result. Therefore, Reversed Temperance encourages you to find purpose by reflecting on the changes you want to make in your life.

   • Common keywords: Imbalance, self-indulgence, extremes, excess, turbulence, recklessness, discord, hastiness, and re-alignment
   • Typically, it’s believed that you can use the other cards in your tarot spread to determine what is out of balance in your life if you see Reversed Temperance.
   • Reversed Temperance is also a reminder that most things are only good in moderation, which means it’s important to avoid overindulging or going to extremes.
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Section 2 of 8:

Temperance in Love

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   Upright Upright Temperance is a sign that patience, understanding, and moderation are critical to a healthy, happy romance. It encourages you to be more mindful of your actions regarding love and focus on bringing your behavior into balance. Consider whether any of your attitudes or beliefs toward love can be excessive—for example, you may find that you’re overly reserved, in which case the solution might be to work on expressing your feelings to your partner more often.

   • If you’re single: Temperance is a sign that balancing every other area of your life will help you make room for a loving partner (and romantic relationship) as well.
   • If you’re in a relationship: Temperance signifies total balance, love, and respect between you and your partner! Even if you’ve been having relationship issues, Temperance is a positive sign that you have the ability to resolve those issues.
   • This card also indicates that you may need to be patient right now (whether you’re in a relationship or exploring a potential relationship) and work on compromising to create harmony.
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   2
   Reversed When you do a tarot love spread and see Reversed Temperance, it’s a sign that there’s an imbalance (or discord) in your love life. Temperance is a reminder that you can’t force love or a relationship; rather, patience and inner balance are the keys to developing a fulfilling romance. It signifies that you may need to be more patient and mindful of your emotions to ensure they don’t become too extreme as you navigate dating and relationships.

   • If you’re single: Temperance indicates that you may be investing too much too soon into the people you like and hastily diving into new relationships. It encourages you to relax, be patient, and let new relationships develop at their own pace.
   • If you’re in a relationship: Temperance may signify conflict (including arguments or lack of communication) as a result of imbalances in the relationship. It encourages you to find your inner balance so that you’re in a better place to listen to your partner, communicate clearly, and resolve your relationship issues.
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Section 3 of 8:

Temperance in Careers

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   Upright Upright Temperance means you’re likely to find success in your work and career path, but that success may take time to manifest! Temperance is the card of patience and moderation, signifying that you’ll need both to achieve your career goals. Remain steady and motivated; your dedication and calm focus will help you be noticed by your coworkers and superiors, no matter what you choose to do.

   • Tip: Be patient, even if it feels like you should have your dream job by now. You’re on your way, but good things take time. Temperance implies that, so long as you don’t give up, you’ll get where you want to go.
   • Temperance is also a sign that you’re doing a great job balancing your career with other aspects of your life (like romance, hobbies, family, and so on). Keep it up!
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   2
   Reversed When Reversed Temperance comes up in a work or career tarot spread, it means something in your work life may be out of balance. For example, you might be working longer hours than you’re supposed to and sleeping less (which lets you get more done but impacts the quality of your work). Temperance may also signify that you’re rushing through your work or making reckless career choices without really thinking them through—and, as a result, your work life may be negatively affected.

   • Tip: Consider which areas of your work may be imbalanced at the moment, whether it’s working longer hours, overextending on projects, or, on the other hand, not working enough and letting coworkers pick up your slack.
     • Once you can recognize where your work life may be suffering, it’s easier to devise a plan to correct those imbalances!
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Section 4 of 8:

Temperance in Finance

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   Upright Upright Temperance is a reminder that your approach to managing finances requires moderation and balance—and it serves as reassurance that you’re on the right track. You’re allowed to indulge yourself sometimes, so long as you continue to be proactive about saving up your money. Temperance advocates building resources (and financial stability) over time with careful, patient saving.

   • Tip: Start keeping track of your income and spending if you don’t already. Keep a monthly budget to know exactly what you can afford to spend and what you need to save; this will help you save money in the long run!
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   2
   Reversed Where Upright Temperance suggests you manage your finances in a balanced way, Reversed Temperance is a sign that there may be an imbalance—whether you spend money a little too freely and have trouble saving it or you’re so frugal that you never spend any extra money as a treat, even to reward yourself for all the hard work you do. Both are imbalances, and Temperance encourages you to correct them.

   • Tip: Reflect on your financial goals. What do you need to do to achieve them? Make a plan to achieve those long-term goals, taking your present and future well-being into consideration as well.
     • For example, if you overspend without considering your future well-being, you may find yourself in a tight spot financially later on.
     • Conversely, if you never splurge (even when you have enough money to do so comfortably), you may miss out on some fun in the present!
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Section 5 of 8:

Temperance in Health

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   1
   Upright When it comes to health, Upright Temperance is a sign that moderation is vital to your well-being. Do you have any unhealthy or unhelpful habits that you’ve been meaning to change? Seeing Upright Temperance in a tarot spread indicates that now is the time to make those changes. Temperance may also be a sign that any health issues you’re experiencing may stem from a lack of balance in life.

   • Tip: Reflect on your life, particularly on areas where you may be overextending yourself (and, consequently, neglecting other areas). According to Temperance, bringing balance to your life may give you the healing you need.
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   2
   Reversed Reversed Temperance is very similar to its Upright counterpart. However, where Upright Temperance indicates that now is the time to change any unhealthy habits you may have, Reversed Temperance is a more insistent warning that some areas of your life are out of balance (and affecting your health). Therefore, seeing Temperance means it’s time to connect to your feelings, figure out what issues in your life are causing unhealthy habits, and work on resolving them to restore balance.

   • Tip: Temperance Reversed can also be a sign of unhealthy excesses, so try to be especially mindful of what you eat, drink, and put in your body. Focus on maintaining a balanced, healthy diet!
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Section 6 of 8:

Temperance in Spirituality

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   Upright Spiritually, Upright Temperance is a sign that your spirit guides are with you, and now is the time to listen to your inner guidance. Your inner guidance is your intuition; it’s a gut feeling, an unconscious nudge from within, or something you just feel in your heart without knowing exactly why. Therefore, Temperance advocates following your intuition. It also means that you’re finding the right balance in life between your mind, body, and spirit.

   • Tip: Temperance is also a gentle reminder to be patient as you find your spiritual path in life. Rather than getting impatient, remind yourself that everything happens at its own pace.
   • Spirit guides are believed to be beings that are connected to you in order to help you navigate life; they can be angels, ancestors, spirit animals, and more.
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   2
   Reversed Reversed Temperance is a sign that you may currently be spiritually imbalanced. This is thought to happen when you lose your connection to your inner guidance or your spirit guides—or when you have an imbalance between your mind, body, and soul. Reversed Temperance encourages you to find that balance within yourself again, either on your own or with the help of a spiritual guide.

   • Tip: Meditation may help bring you back into balance. Make time for it in your weekly schedule, and focus on mindful meditation techniques to find inner peace.
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Section 7 of 8:

Temperance Tarot Card Yes/No Meaning

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   In a Yes/No tarot reading, Temperance means “Yes, but use caution.” Temperance represents balance and moderation, but it can also be an encouraging sign when you wish to take action on something. If you see Temperance while doing a Yes/No tarot spread, it’s likely telling you that you should do whatever it is that you’re considering so long as you proceed with caution and ensure you’re ready first—because rushing and taking blind risks can easily backfire.

Section 8 of 8:

Temperance Tarot Card Appearance & Symbolism

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   Temperance depicts an angel with one foot in water and one on land. This is deliberate: the angel’s foot in the water represents the subconscious, while the foot on land represents the material world. The angel’s robe features a square with a triangle inside, which represents humanity (the triangle) being bound to the earth and natural law (the square). The angel is pouring water between two cups, symbolizing the flow of life.

   • The winged angel’s cups and the water flowing between them also represent the conscious and subconscious minds and their connection.
   • The angel’s feet also symbolize the need to stay grounded (with one foot on land) and the need to be in flow (with one foot in the water).
   • The angel’s gender appears somewhat ambiguous, capturing the idea of balance between sexes.
   • The card’s background depicts a winding path up into mountains, representing your journey through life. The golden crown hovering above the mountains reflects the importance of staying true to your life’s purpose.
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