Tuesday, March 29th, 2016 8:22pm

Major Arcana

Temperance is a lovely card rich in the symbolism the Rider-Waite is so well-known for. In this card, an “angel,” which means messenger, symbolically stands in two worlds at once—one foot in the “energy” or “ethereal” world, symbolized by water, and the other foot in the “material” world, symbolized by solid ground.

Not just any messenger, this messenger is Iris, goddess of rainbows and messenger to the gods. Her heritage and station alone assures us that there is no question to the validity of any message she brings. Because she is who she is, her information is considered to be legitimate truth and can be trusted beyond a shadow of a doubt.

With this vital symbolism in mind, this messenger demonstrates personally (and with ease) that these two worlds (energy and material) coincide simultaneously, each affecting the other in a cyclical effect. And if done with Temperance, which means moderation and self-control, these two worlds blend harmoniously to our benefit and ultimate “enlightenment” (more symbolism that the Rider-Waite depicts often with “light at the end of a distant path”).

When Temperance appears in a reading, the readee is being reminded to have patience in whatever matter is at hand. Everything comes in good time. Circumstances / events / things in general are dependent upon other circumstances / events / things in general. Everything is intertwined, and there are times when one has done everything within one’s power and now, quite simply, nothing more can be done except to wait for the result. Herein lies the challenge: waiting can sometimes be extremely difficult for us because as humans we are hardwired to want instant results. Temperance reminds us that not all results are immediate. Some results take Time, which (not so ironically) was this card’s original name in older decks. Knowing this, new meaning can be derived from expressions such as “All in good time,” “Time will tell,” and “Time heals all wounds.”

Temperance tells us that all the action / anxiety / stress in the world will not change things or hurry things along; instead, having patience will “win the day,” as that’s “just the way things are,” and sometimes all you can do is nothing.