Major Arcana · XIV
Temperance tarot card meaning
Temperance is the card of balance, patience and the right mix. Keep a steady pace, and blend your priorities instead of giving one up for another.
| Group | Major Arcana |
|---|---|
| Number | XIV (14) |
| Astrology | Sagittarius |
| Numerology | Number 5 |
| Yes or no | Yes |
Keywords
Upright: Balance, Moderation, Patience, Blending
Reversed: Imbalance, Excess, Impatience
What the card shows
A winged angel in white, with a triangle on its chest, stands with one foot on land and one in a pool. It pours water between two cups without spilling. Irises grow at the water’s edge, and a path leads to mountains where a crown of light shines.
Temperance upright
Temperance is the card of balance, patience and the right mix. The angel pours water from one cup into the other, slowly and without spilling: two things blended until they work as one. It often comes up when life needs a better proportion of work and rest, ambition and family, saving and enjoying. Think of someone recovering from burnout who rebuilds the week around sleep, a daily walk and fixed working hours. Its Golden Dawn sign is Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, and the card shares that sign’s long aim: a far goal reached at a steady pace. Small, regular actions do more here than grand efforts. Patience, moderation and meeting in the middle bring the best result.
Temperance reversed
Reversed, Temperance shows life out of balance: too much work, food, spending, screen time or worry, and too little of what restores you. You may swing between extremes, very strict one week and careless the next. It can also show two plans or two people that do not mix well. Step back and look for the proportion that feels steady. A little less of one thing and a little more of another is often enough.
In love and relationships
In love, Temperance favours a calm, steady pace and a relationship with give and take. Singles should neither rush in nor hold back forever. Couples do well with a balance of closeness and personal space, and with compromise on small things. As a feelings card, it shows sincere, balanced feelings that grow slowly. Harmony here is built, not found.
In career and study
At work, Temperance favours steady routines over bursts of effort, and teamwork between very different people. It suits healthcare, counselling, mediation, cooking, teaching and any role that blends skills. Keep a pace you can sustain, and let good ideas mature before you test them in full.
In money matters
With money, Temperance asks for balance between needs and wants, and between saving for later and enjoying now. Avoid extremes in either direction. A steady monthly habit works better than a sudden burst of saving.
The card’s advice
Keep a steady pace, and blend your priorities instead of giving one up for another.
Yes or no
Temperance is commonly read as a “Yes”. Patience and balance tend to bring a good result, so the card reads as a yes, in time.
Temperance is the card of Sagittarius in the Western tarot tradition. Tarot for Sagittarius
These meanings follow the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith deck. A card is always read with its position in the spread and the cards around it, so treat them as starting points, not fixed answers.
Questions about Temperance
Is Temperance a yes or no card?
Temperance is commonly read as a “Yes”. Patience and balance tend to bring a good result, so the card reads as a yes, in time.
What does Temperance mean in love?
In love, Temperance favours a calm, steady pace and a relationship with give and take. Singles should neither rush in nor hold back forever. Couples do well with a balance of closeness and personal space, and with compromise on small things. As a feelings card, it shows sincere, balanced feelings that grow slowly. Harmony here is built, not found.
What does Temperance reversed mean?
Reversed, Temperance shows life out of balance: too much work, food, spending, screen time or worry, and too little of what restores you. You may swing between extremes, very strict one week and careless the next. It can also show two plans or two people that do not mix well. Step back and look for the proportion that feels steady. A little less of one thing and a little more of another is often enough.
Which planet or sign is linked with Temperance?
In the Golden Dawn system, which most modern decks follow, Temperance is linked with Sagittarius.