Arcanum 14: Temperance
A patient measure
You find your own measure little by little, like someone pouring water from one cup to another.
An angel stands between water and land, pouring a stream from one cup to another without spilling a drop. In the background a path leads towards mountains, and irises grow by the water. Mixing opposites like this creates a rhythm sustainable over a long journey.
Gifts and potential pitfalls
- Gift
- You reconcile different views and paces so they begin to work together. You can also maintain a steady rhythm for a long time, without bursts of effort or discouragement.
- Shadow
- When you guard the middle ground, it is easy to postpone decisive action because every move seems too extreme. Some matters require a clear “yes” or “no”.
- First step
- Take two matters pulling in opposite directions and give each a small, fixed portion of your week.
In a pair
When this arcanum is at the centre of a shared matrix:
You pour attention and responsibilities between you like water from cup to cup, so neither cup remains empty.
In the karmic tail
When this arcanum appears at one of the three points below the centre:
You seek a middle ground even when one option is clearly better, proposing a compromise nobody is fully happy with. Your own opinion comes last or not at all. Say which option you prefer before suggesting something in between.
Where this arcanum appears in the matrix
The centre and other points are sums, so this arcanum can appear for many different dates. Three points depend directly on the date:
- Point A (personality): birth day: 14.
- Point B cannot have this arcanum: there are only twelve months.
- Point C (sum of birth-year digits), 1900–2026: 1931 (1 + 9 + 3 + 1 = 14), 1940 (1 + 9 + 4 + 0 = 14). Number of such years: 5.