Temperance, like Justice, indicates the need for balance and tranquillity to achieve and experience fulfillment in our lives. The angel in the image has one foot on a stone and the other in the river. In this stance she represents the need to "test the waters" before jumping headlong into unknown circumstances. Here she tempers the whimsical flight of the Fool who jumps without giving a second thought. In her hands are two cups which she uses to mix water. One cup can be thought of as holding hot water and the other cold water. The temperate individual mixes the opposites and finds a balance in life by avoiding extremes. Behind her is the Royal Road of Wisdom which, if followed in the spirit of Temperance, will lead us to the golden crown of self-knowledge and self-mastery in the distant horizon. How does the image of Temperance speak to you? Does it indicate a need to find more balance in your life? Or does it teach you that compromise is not only necessary but healthy in your choices?
