Temperance Tarot Card Meaning: Upright, Reversed, Love & Yes/No

By The Mystica Editorial Team · Checked against our editorial standards · Updated 20 September 2026 · 6 min read

The middle path works best today. Blend opposites, take your time, and let things come together at their natural pace.

Arcana	Major Arcana
Number	14 (XIV)
Element	Fire
Astrology	Sagittarius
Hebrew letter	Samekh (Golden Dawn attribution)
Yes or no	Yes
Upright	balance, moderation, patience, healing
Reversed	excess, imbalance, rushing

Pamela Colman Smith · Rider–Waite–Smith (1909)

Temperance symbolism

A winged angel stands with one foot on land and one in a pool of water, pouring liquid between two cups in a continuous flow. A triangle within a square is marked on the chest, and a path leads toward a distant crown of light over the mountains. The angel mixes opposites patiently until they become something new.

The descriptions on this site refer to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (1909), illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith and designed with Arthur Edward Waite, which is the reference for most modern tarot. Other decks may show different imagery with a similar meaning.

Upright meaning

• balance
• moderation
• patience
• healing

Temperance is the card of balance, moderation and healing. It shows that the best result will come from blending different elements carefully, whether that means combining ideas, finding a middle path in a conflict or pacing yourself.

The card asks for patience. The angel does not rush the pouring, and the process of healing or finding balance also takes time. Temperance favours recovery, cooperation and a calm, steady approach. Its number is fourteen, reduced to five, the number of adjustment.

Reversed meaning

• excess
• imbalance
• rushing

Reversed, Temperance shows imbalance and excess: overworking, overspending, overreacting or swinging between extremes. It can also indicate impatience or a conflict where neither side is willing to compromise.

The remedy is to slow down and look for the middle ground. Small, consistent adjustments work better than dramatic swings.

New to reversals? Our guide to reading reversed tarot cards explains the different ways readers interpret an upside-down card.

Temperance in love and relationships

Temperance as feelings

As feelings, Temperance means someone feels calm and balanced around you. They see the connection as healthy and harmonious.

Career and work

At work, Temperance supports collaboration, mediation and projects that require patience and fine-tuning. Avoid burnout by pacing yourself.

Money and finances

With money, Temperance advises moderation and balanced budgets. Avoid extremes in both spending and saving.

Is Temperance a yes or no card?

Number, element and astrology

Temperance is card 14 (XIV) of the Major Arcana, the 22 trump cards that describe life's big lessons and turning points. In the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn's system, which shaped the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, it is attributed to the Hebrew letter Samekh and to Sagittarius, giving it the element of fire. In numerology, 14 reduces to 5, linking it with The Hierophant.

Advice from Temperance

Find the middle path and take your time. Balance is built through small, steady adjustments.

Example reading

This example is written by our editors to show how the card is read in context. It is not a real client's reading. See our tarot spreads for how positions change a card's meaning.

Temperance in question readings

What Temperance says when it lands in a specific position. These are the interpretations our free readings by question show for this card.

• As their feelings (Does my ex still love me?): Their feelings are calm and measured now. This person no longer burns hot or cold toward you; they feel a gentle, balanced warmth and may be open to a patient, respectful reconnection if things unfold slowly and without drama.
• As what they are not showing (Does he like me?): They are patiently testing the waters. This person prefers to blend slowly rather than jump in, and may be hiding just how much thought they put into finding the right pace. They want harmony, not a whirlwind.
• As the outcome in a reconciliation reading (Will he come back?): This leans toward healing and gradual reconciliation, or at least peace between you. If you come back together, it will be slowly, with more moderation and compromise than before. Rushing would undo the balance this card promises.
• As what is coming in love (Will I find love?): A harmonious, complementary partner is on the way. This card points to someone who balances your energy, blending well with your life rather than turning it upside down. The connection will likely grow slowly and feel deeply right.
• As the outcome for work (Will I get the job?): Expect steady, positive progress rather than a sudden breakthrough. This leans toward a good result achieved through patience, adjustment, and moderation. Things come together because you kept a sensible, sustainable pace.
• As advice (What should I do?): Find the middle path. Combine the best parts of your options, compromise where it is healthy, and move at a steady pace. A moderate, well-blended choice will serve you better than a dramatic one.
• Reversed in a love reading (Will we get back together?): Reversed, the balance is off. Impatience, overreaction, or old excesses keep flaring up. One of you may want everything now while the other needs time. Without moderation, attempts to reconnect are likely to end in the same clash.

Pulled Temperance next to another card? See what they mean together with the tarot card combinations tool.

Popular combinations with Temperance: Temperance + Two of Cups.

Temperance as a birth card or year card

In the birth card system of Mary K. Greer, Temperance belongs to constellation 5, together with The Hierophant. Find out whether it is one of your cards with the tarot birth card calculator, or whether it rules your year with the tarot year card calculator.

Related cards

Dream symbols linked to this card

Bridge. Our dream dictionary explains how the same symbolism appears in dreams.