Temperance: What This Card Actually Means
Temperance is not bland moderation. It is the art of blending two things into a third that works. Here is what the card shows, and why patience is its real subject.
Temperance sounds boring, like a card about eating less and going to bed early. It is not. It is one of the most interesting cards in the deck, because its subject is the art of blending two things into a third that works.
What the image shows
An angel with one foot in water and one on land, pouring liquid between two cups, a path leading to a crown in the distance, irises growing. The picture is balance found, not forced. The water moves between the cups without spilling.
Upright: the middle way, found
Upright, Temperance describes a situation where the right answer is neither extreme. It is the patient blend of two things you thought were opposites. It often appears when you are choosing between all and nothing, and the reading is saying: there is a third option, and it takes patience to find.
Reversed: the mixture out of balance
Reversed, it points at excess or impatience. Too much of one thing and not enough of another. Or a situation where you are rushing a blend that needs time. It can also mean you have lost the thread of what you were trying to balance in the first place.
How to use it
Temperance asks for patience more than for action. When it lands, look at what you are trying to combine, and whether you have been pouring too fast. See the full card meaning, or ask the cards where the balance is in your situation.