Temperance

Major Arcana, 14 — from The 1909 London Deck.

Upright

balance, patience, the right measure

This works if you take it steadily and get the proportions right. Temperance pours between two cups without spilling — no extremes, no rush, no dramatic gesture. Moderation is doing the work here.

In a yes or no reading, Temperance upright answers yes.

Reversed

excess, impatience, imbalance

Something has tipped too far one way, or is being rushed. The correction is not dramatic — it is simply doing less of one thing and more of the other, starting now.

In a yes or no reading, Temperance reversed answers no.

What this card does in a reading here

A reading draws one card and answers the question you asked with it. Temperance can come up either way up — reversals are on in this deck, because the 1909 original was drawn with them in mind — and the two readings above are the starting point, not the answer. The answer depends on what you asked.

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