Keywords (Upright): balance, harmony, alchemy, healing, moderation Keywords (Reversed): imbalance, excess, conflict, disconnection, lack of flow
Card Description & Symbolism
In traditional tarot, Temperance shows an angelic figure gracefully pouring water between two cups, one foot on land, the other in water. This symbolizes the union of physical and spiritual realms. A winding path leads from the foreground to a glowing sunrise—suggesting the emergence of a higher purpose through steady integration. This is not just about patience—it’s about spiritual artistry.
In the Thoth Tarot, this card is named Art, emphasizing not compromise but transmutation. A mythic figure combines fire and water, lion and eagle, merging opposites into a unified creation. Ruled by Sagittarius and aligned with the Hebrew letter Samekh (ס)—meaning “support” or “prop”—it represents the inner foundation necessary for true alchemical transformation.
Temperance Tarot Card Meaning: Upright
When Temperance appears upright, it encourages harmony, moderation, and purposeful synthesis. It asks you to step back, blend, and create—not by force, but through awareness and grace.
Key Upright Interpretations:
Inner Balance: You are finding alignment between heart and mind, spirit and body.
Alchemy in Action: Opposing energies or experiences are becoming something new—more stable, more evolved.
Healing Energy: This is a time of soft repair and steady integration. Move slowly, but intentionally.
The Temperance tarot card meaning in its upright form is about creating not just peace—but purposeful wholeness.
Temperance Tarot Card Meaning: Reversed
When Temperance is reversed, it suggests that something is off-kilter. Extremes are clashing, and efforts to harmonize may feel blocked or rushed.
Key Reversed Interpretations:
Lack of Moderation: You may be swinging between emotional, mental, or behavioral extremes.
Resistance to Integration: Conflicting parts of your life or identity may be in a state of denial or tension.
Burnout or Overload: Too much of something—even something good—can throw off your center.
In reversal, the Temperance tarot card meaning is a call back to stillness. Re-alignment begins with acknowledgment, not urgency. What’s being asked isn’t to remove—but to recombine with care.
Summary: The Alchemy of Self
Temperance, or Art in the Thoth system, is the sacred act of transforming tension into harmony. Upright, it reflects conscious balance and creative fusion. Reversed, it signals discord or overstimulation that needs to be soothed and rebalanced.
This archetype offers a deep and vital question:
What can you refine—not discard—to create a more unified self?