Few cards carry a reputation like Temperance.
Temperance upright
Balance, moderation, patience, blending, healing.
Temperance reversed
Excess, imbalance, impatience, friction, overcorrection.
Keywords: balance, moderation, patience, blending, healing
The classic reading (Waite, 1911)
- Upright: Economy, moderation, frugality, management, accommodation.
- Reversed: Things connected with churches, religions, sects, the priesthood, sometimes even the priest who will marry the Querent; also disunion, unfortunate combinations, competing interests.
The Pictorial Key to the Tarot is the oldest layer of the card — modern readers soften and expand these meanings.
Golden Dawn correspondences
- title The Daughter of the Reconcilers; the Bringer-Forth of Life
- Zodiac Sagittarius
- zodiac Sagittarius
Fortune telling with Temperance
- Someone's using drugs or alcohol to excess
- It's time to get back on that diet
The light and the shadow
In its light, Temperance: Bringing opposites together Moderating your actions or emotions Finding middle ground Reaching compromises Synthesizing solutions that please everyone involved Using the old to make something new
The reversed trap of Temperance: Going to extremes Disrupting group efforts Ignoring healthy approaches to life Becoming an addict Practicing gluttony Tearing something or someone apart Breaking alliances
- Archetype: The Mediator
Questions to ask Temperance
- How can I avoid extremes?
- What does everyone involved have in common?
- How might combining familiar things help me create something new?
The extended portrait, upright
The Temperance card in the upright position represents moderation and balance. It suggests finding harmony in one's life, and the importance of patience and self-control. This card can also represent the power of healing, both physically and emotionally.
The extended portrait, reversed
When the Temperance card appears in the reversed position, it can indicate excess or an imbalance in one's life. It may also suggest a lack of control or impulsiveness. This card can also represent disruptions or unexpected events that throw off one's sense of stability.
Card details
- Arcana: Major Arcana
- Yes or no: a soft yes
- Published: July 4, 2026
Read Temperance in context
- Temperance — love meaning
- Temperance — career meaning
- Temperance — money meaning
- Temperance — yes-or-no verdict
- Temperance reversed, in full
Temperance in combinations
- Temperance and Two of Cups
- Temperance and King of Wands
- Temperance and Knight of Wands
- Temperance and Judgement
Old correspondences
| System | Correspondence |
|---|---|
| Zodiac | Sagittarius — card of the Sagittarius decan |