I’ve written interpretations for every card in the Wild Unknown Tarot. As the box of the deck states, there are no rights or wrongs. These are simply my perspectives on the tarot card meanings. I hope you find them useful!
Click here for a directory of all posts in my Wild Unknown series.

 Temperance :: Wild Unknown Tarot
Deck Creator’s Keywords: healing, renewal, balance
Carrie’s Keywords: blending, moderation, balance

Forces that seem to be opposites can be brought together with a blend of skill, patience and magic. This is the energy we see at work in the Temperance card. If left unchecked, fire and water will destroy each other. But in this image they get along beautifully.

I get a sense that the heron is moderating the flames and droplets. Through her influence, both are able to thrive in measured proportions. In this way, Temperance reminds you of your ability to moderate the energies at work around you. Through methods both mundane and magical, you can be an active force, you can influence the direction of the life force around you.

The Heron here knows that equilibrium is the key to well being. The background lines slant inwards to meet at the card’s center, adding to the sense of calm and balance in this card.

This card also hints at transformation. By bringing together different energies in just the right proportions, something wonderful can emerge. You can apply these lessons in the external world, but most importantly in your inner world. As a human being, you are naturally a mix of contradictions: love and anger, light and dark, pessimism and optimism.

Instead of gravitating towards extremes, Temperance represents your ability to work with ALL of your inner contradictions. You can create your own magic when you skillfully blend those contradicting elements of your psyche.

Traditional depictions of this card show an angel standing with one foot in water, one foot on land. With a serene expression, the angel pours water between two cups. These are visual cues that represent themes of balance and moderation.

Temperance means making sure you do not have too much or too little of any one thing: creating balance is a common aim of various spiritual practices. We tapped into this notion with The Spacious Tarot Temperance card, showing that water and ice can come together to form smoke. Temperance also reminds us that balance does not have to mean everything is “equal.” Sometimes you need more fire than water or vice versa. Balance simply means that things are working together in harmony, not that they are rigidly divided into proportions. In this regard, Temperance shows that in a spiritual sense, balance is not a science but an art.

This card is sometimes associated with healing. In many alternative healing modalities, illness is considered to be a result of some type of imbalance in the body. Temperance shows the well-being we can experience when our bodies – and our minds – are “balanced.”

In a reading

It is essential to cultivate your awareness of what energies are at work around you. In a reading, Temperance may ask you to become aware of these energies. Is there too much or too little of one energy or another in your life? It may be time to consider how you can return to a sense of equilibrium.

Temperance also shows the power you gain when you embrace your contradictions. Instead of expecting yourself to fall into only one extreme way of being, let yourself be all that you are – even when those things seem to clash. You have the ability to temper all of your inner energies so that they work together to form a unique, powerful blend.

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