You carry all the ingredients to turn your existence into joy. Mix them, mix them!- Hafiz
Indeed, the Tarot cards can give interesting messages to those who are ready to hear and see. Today I was talking to my friend, who is currently on an emotional roller coaster. She’s flooded by impulse. She’s a true fire, unstoppable and powerful. As a result, she says and does things that she regrets about later on – but the damage is done. While she was talking, I decided to pose a question to my cards: “What advice can I give her?” I drew Temperance.
First thing you notice about card number 14 is the figure of an angel with his wings spread out wide. Why an angel? - I asked myself. And my first impulse was to look at the preceding card, which is Death (number 13 ;))). Death in the Tarot represents ending, transition, and elimination. It’s closing one door to open another. An angel is an immortal soul that was liberated by death. It was purified on stage 13, cut out what isn’t necessary.
When I started to look deeper, I saw duality of the card. Two wings, two cups, two irises, two mountains far away, two sun beams (one over the mountains, another – over the angel’s head). Then I noticed symbolic opposites. One of the angel’s feet is in water, representing emotional force, intuition, subconscious. Another is on soil – the embodiment of material force, prosperity, practicality, conscious. His wings are red (like fire: passion, physical energy, strength), while his robe is white (like snow: purity, clarity, focus, spiritual guidance).
Now, I looked back at the bigger picture and marveled at how peaceful and balanced it is, despite all of its opposites! That’s what temperance is about. The balance of opposites.
It’s also about composure and concentration. Just look at the angel when he, holding two cups, tries to pour water between them, without spilling it. Look at how his hands holding the cups are parallel to his feet.
There are two geometric figures on the angel. One is a circle on the forehead (right where the crown chakra is). Another is the triangle at the heart chakra. I feel like this triangle serves as an arrow that point to the head, as though saying – Take your heart’s desires and bring them to your mind! And the golden circle is literarily a Golden Middle. So the whole message is – “Mix and match the opposites, until you reach the golden middle!” Truly a wise message.
And then the flowers… Why of all the flowers possible, this card pictures two irises? I googled the meaning of the flower, and boy was I surprised! “The Greek word ~Iris~ means ~rainbow.~ The flower got its name from the Greek goddess Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, who was a messenger on Mount Olympus. Iris would take messages from ~the eye of Heaven~ to earth by the arc of the rainbow.”
So the angel, with the rainbow over his head, is the Greek goddess Iris who was believed to be the liaison between two worlds! And we can see the road leading to the Olympus, crowned by the sun. Iris walked down to bring us the message of balance and unity of opposites. Her head is also shining, meaning that she came from the Higher world.
Another aspect worth noticing is that the angel stands on the way to the mountain’s path. In order to reach the top of self-realization and enlightenment, you need to master the lesson of Temperance. Especially taking into consideration that the following card is the Devil, who brings carnal excess, self-indulgence, greed, destruction, and materialism.
The word temperance comes from the Greek word “temperare” (modern “temper”) meaning “mix” or “combine properly.” So here’s another message in this card. There is no need in choosing one over another (as the Justice card calls), black over white, bad over good, spiritual over mundane, heart over mind. Everything has its meaning and purpose, and should be mixed in right proportion, so that the new harmonized substance could be produced. Just like the rainbow… So many different colors, none of which is domineering. Actually, the rainbow itself is the mix of water and sun light!
As for my friend’s situation, the card number 14 is to the point. She needs to recognize her emotions and impulses, not run away from them, admit that they can be destructive to her and others, if not diluted with some thoughtfulness. Temperance calls for finding the middle ground, reaching a compromise, offsetting an extreme, experiencing harmony, bringing together opposite, recognizing all sides, feeling centered and secure. It’s a hard job, and it requires conscious effort. How? You are a Hermit, you know where to search - within yourself! But it will prove worthwhile when you meet the Devil and discover that he is not as scary as portrayed by many ;)))
First thing you notice about card number 14 is the figure of an angel with his wings spread out wide. Why an angel? - I asked myself. And my first impulse was to look at the preceding card, which is Death (number 13 ;))). Death in the Tarot represents ending, transition, and elimination. It’s closing one door to open another. An angel is an immortal soul that was liberated by death. It was purified on stage 13, cut out what isn’t necessary.
When I started to look deeper, I saw duality of the card. Two wings, two cups, two irises, two mountains far away, two sun beams (one over the mountains, another – over the angel’s head). Then I noticed symbolic opposites. One of the angel’s feet is in water, representing emotional force, intuition, subconscious. Another is on soil – the embodiment of material force, prosperity, practicality, conscious. His wings are red (like fire: passion, physical energy, strength), while his robe is white (like snow: purity, clarity, focus, spiritual guidance).
Now, I looked back at the bigger picture and marveled at how peaceful and balanced it is, despite all of its opposites! That’s what temperance is about. The balance of opposites.
It’s also about composure and concentration. Just look at the angel when he, holding two cups, tries to pour water between them, without spilling it. Look at how his hands holding the cups are parallel to his feet.
There are two geometric figures on the angel. One is a circle on the forehead (right where the crown chakra is). Another is the triangle at the heart chakra. I feel like this triangle serves as an arrow that point to the head, as though saying – Take your heart’s desires and bring them to your mind! And the golden circle is literarily a Golden Middle. So the whole message is – “Mix and match the opposites, until you reach the golden middle!” Truly a wise message.
And then the flowers… Why of all the flowers possible, this card pictures two irises? I googled the meaning of the flower, and boy was I surprised! “The Greek word ~Iris~ means ~rainbow.~ The flower got its name from the Greek goddess Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, who was a messenger on Mount Olympus. Iris would take messages from ~the eye of Heaven~ to earth by the arc of the rainbow.”
So the angel, with the rainbow over his head, is the Greek goddess Iris who was believed to be the liaison between two worlds! And we can see the road leading to the Olympus, crowned by the sun. Iris walked down to bring us the message of balance and unity of opposites. Her head is also shining, meaning that she came from the Higher world.
Another aspect worth noticing is that the angel stands on the way to the mountain’s path. In order to reach the top of self-realization and enlightenment, you need to master the lesson of Temperance. Especially taking into consideration that the following card is the Devil, who brings carnal excess, self-indulgence, greed, destruction, and materialism.
The word temperance comes from the Greek word “temperare” (modern “temper”) meaning “mix” or “combine properly.” So here’s another message in this card. There is no need in choosing one over another (as the Justice card calls), black over white, bad over good, spiritual over mundane, heart over mind. Everything has its meaning and purpose, and should be mixed in right proportion, so that the new harmonized substance could be produced. Just like the rainbow… So many different colors, none of which is domineering. Actually, the rainbow itself is the mix of water and sun light!
As for my friend’s situation, the card number 14 is to the point. She needs to recognize her emotions and impulses, not run away from them, admit that they can be destructive to her and others, if not diluted with some thoughtfulness. Temperance calls for finding the middle ground, reaching a compromise, offsetting an extreme, experiencing harmony, bringing together opposite, recognizing all sides, feeling centered and secure. It’s a hard job, and it requires conscious effort. How? You are a Hermit, you know where to search - within yourself! But it will prove worthwhile when you meet the Devil and discover that he is not as scary as portrayed by many ;)))
