Major Arcana · XIV
Temperance — tarot meaning
moderation, blending, slow becoming
Upright
Patient blending. Opposites mixed into a third thing; moderation, craft and the long slow work of becoming.
Reversed
Excess or impatience — elements that refuse to mix.
In the Papus Tarot, 1909
La Tempérance — Temperance · Hebrew letter נ Nun
Papus: the circulation of the vital fluid between the worlds. Martinists read it as the ordinary daily discipline that makes any inner work possible.
In the Oswald Wirth Tarot, 1889
La Tempérance — Temperance · Hebrew letter נ Nun
The angel of Wirth's XIV works in both directions: what descends must also rise. This is the arcanum of exchange between the higher and lower parts of a life.
Shown from the 1909 William Rider & Sons deck (public domain). A card is read in relation to the question and the cards around it; these meanings are a starting point, not a verdict.