Temperance Major Arcana XIV · tarot card meaning
- Sign
- Sagittarius
- Hebrew letter
- Samekh
- Yes or no
- Yes
Temperance upright
Temperance points to getting the mix right, slowly: moderation and patience with a slow process, two things brought into balance. Look at the angel's feet: one is in the water and one is on land. Look at the pouring. No liquid would survive that angle.
Yes or no: Yes, through balance kept over time. Temperance answers by blending rather than choosing one side.
Temperance reversed
Reversed, Temperance signals the balance is off — too much of one thing. Impatience with something slow, or two things combined that should have stayed apart. Tradition keeps the remedy the same: less, and longer.
Yes or no: Not yet. Upside down, the mix is off, with one side taking more than its share.
The card at a glance
- Attribution
- System
- First printed
- Themes
- balance, feeling, change
What is shown
A winged figure pours a bright stream between two cups. One foot rests on land and one touches water. A triangle inside a square marks the white robe. A solar sign appears on the forehead. Irises grow beside the pool. A path climbs toward distant peaks and a crown-shaped light.
- Number
- XIV
- Yes or no
- Yes
Temperance upright
Tempérance passes liquid between two vessels without spilling it. The card represents reconciliation, patient adjustment, and opposites learning to work together.
Yes or no: Yes, gradually. Tempérance supports progress through patience and careful adjustment.
Temperance reversed
Reversed, adjustment becomes restless back-and-forth movement. Impatience or self-absorption prevents the mixture from settling.
Yes or no: Not yet. Reversed, the balance keeps shifting before it can hold.
Tempérance is read in its Marseille title, image, and position; its RWS link is a structural cross-reference, not permission to replace the card's identity.
The card at a glance
- Printed title
- TEMPERANCE
- Printed number
- XIIII
- Pattern
- Edition
- Themes
- balance, feeling, change
- Deck
- Tarot de Marseille: Temperance (Tempérance)
What is shown
A winged figure stands in profile and holds two handled vessels. Three streams descend from the raised vessel into the lower one. A small flower rests in the figure's hair. Long robes conceal the feet.
- Attribution
- Bocho (14)
- Yes or no
- Not yet
Temperance upright
Bocho looks upward while carrying an enormous red tool or weapon behind a heraldic shield. The scene joins force with reassessment beyond the immediate contest.
Yes or no: Not yet. Bocho is reassessing a force beyond the immediate contest.
Temperance reversed
Reversed, alertness becomes threat-scanning or the unfamiliar is treated as hostile. The oversized force remains ready before the facts are understood.
Yes or no: No. Reversed, threat has been assumed before the facts are clear.
Bocho belongs to the independent Sola Busca trump sequence. The app does not equate it with an RWS major.
The card at a glance
- Attribution
- Bocho (14)
- Workshop
- First documented
- c. 1491
- Brera programme
- Themes
- balance, feeling, change
- Deck
- Sola Busca: Bocho (14)
What is shown
An armoured Bocho looks upward while carrying an enormous red implement with a broad head. A pointed shield decorated with heraldic compartments covers the lower body.
Questions
What does Temperance mean?
Balance made through adjustment. Temperance points to getting the mix right, slowly: moderation and patience with a slow process, two things brought into balance.
What does Temperance mean reversed?
Reversed, Temperance signals the balance is off — too much of one thing.
Is Temperance a yes or no card?
Yes upright, not yet reversed. Through balance kept over time.
What is shown on Temperance?
A winged figure pours a bright stream between two cups.
