XIV. Temperance

 

Temperance’s territory is the scorching desert, vast and empty since few travelers are willing to negotiate its uncomfortable extremes.  Temperance avoids excesses, exercising moderation and self-restraint.  The Fool now faces the difficult challenge of satisfying two extremes: attaining distant goals as opposed to preserving what is.  On the Temperance card we find two centaurs, half-human and half-animal, considered the wisest of all for their perfect integration of the animal body with the human mind and spirit.  Our Fool meets both the male centaur, whose arrow is the Root of Fire and Chokmah, as well as the female, who preserves the cup of Chesed, the sphere of Water and Regeneration.  Temperance offers the Fool the secret to balancing Creation with Preservation: each in its appointed time, and not a moment longer.

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Index of Major Arcana

 

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