We see the Greek Goddess Iris blending water by pouring one cup into another in a manner that defies Physics!! Those cups are the key to this card. Balance is a practiced art. Temperance turns up to let you know that now is not a time to give into excesses. Life is all about balance and walking the middle path may sound easy, but it is a Herculean effort to create harmony. However Temperance is a choice, and one if practiced often can become a habit. This is a beautiful card more so if you realize that it contains within it all the elements. Water and Earth are aspected by the angel's feet, the third eye chakra is connected to the intellect and the element of Air, the triangle alludes to Fire and the square is a symbol for matter or earth. Together four elements along with the spirit or soul make up a human being according to esoteric, eastern and medieval medicine. This card then is a reminder that you need to slow down and pace yourself. You need to cater to all aspects of yourself- the intellectual, mental, spiritual, emotional and physical. It is the time to see what feeds your soul and how you can bring that practice into balance with your physical material life. There is never a stage in life when we can say we have achieved balance because balance is a constant ongoing process. The appearance of Iris the goddess of the rainbow, who joins heaven and earth, the living and the underworld, reminds you that now is a process of healing in your life. This is the time when you need to have a larger view of things and allow yourself growth, through forgiveness and healing yourself and others. ​The goddess is colossal and cannot be contained in the card. The wings of Iris, overshoot the frame and are not complete. The implication is that by pacing yourself and finding the right blend, not too fast and not too slow, not too yang and not too yin, you can live a life that is larger than life, be fulfilled and have extraordinary success in any area that you want.
Meditation on Temperance
Self-care is, fundamentally, about bringing balance back to a life that has grown imbalanced from too many commitments or responsibilities. Robyn L. Gobin, The self-care prescription
Which area of your life needs you to slow down?
Where are you taking stress?
How can you bring healing to this situation and take less stress?
Which aspect of your life begs balance?
How can you bring this about?
Images Used on The Site. Illustrations from the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck, known also as the Rider Tarot and the Waite Tarot, reproduced by permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902. c. 1971 by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. The Rider-Waite Tarot deck is a registered trademark of U.S. Games Systems, Inc