Rosetta Tarot - Art XIV

[DaisyDragonfly]

This is a card that confuses me in most decks. Temperance? What's that? And now it's Art?

Oh, but this depiction helps. The rainbow - a symbol of that which appears to be one thing but is in fact seven others - provides us with the word reconciliation.

And there's reconciliation throughout. The rainbow itself; the lunar/solar sun; the lion/eagle gryphon; the yin/yang cauldron; fire/water lava; Artemis/Apollo.

And it's in this last, I think, I finally see what it is that temperance and art and reconciliation are asking us to do.

Artemis: the wild Goddess of the hunt. She's many things, but she's mostly instinct. She's the girl with twigs in her hair and mud on her face. She's the archer, all fire and will and acting on impulse. You don't mess with Artemis; she's the human-as-animal, the creature that looked at its place in the food chain and did whatever it could to move up. She provides the fire in this equation of reconciliation (though, for all that she is earth and fiery willpower, she is also lunar: changeable, illusionary, quicksilver, shadowy. She's contradiction. It's another thing that makes her dangerous. She's intuition and the shadow side and those things that we keep hidden and find only in our sleep.)

Apollo: the shining silver tongue of communication. He's many things, but he's mostly intellect. He's the man with his hair combed back and dressed in the expensive sharp suit. He's the scientist, all analysis and observation and careful consideration. You don't intimidate Apollo; he's the human-as-intelligence, the creature that looked at its place in the food chain and understood why things were as they were and that, therefore, something more permanent could be done about it. Not fighting, not weaponry - but farming and preservation and (above all else) forward planning. He provides the water in this equation of reconciliation (though, for all that he is thought and care, he is also solar: bright, uncompromising, dependable. He's contradiction, too. It's the thing that makes him dangerous. He can give but he can also take away, the god of healing but also of illness. He creates himself and the need for himself. He's that powerful; he reminds us that we are that powerful, too).

Instinct versus intellect; nature versus nurture. What other people tell us we are; what we think we are; what we want to be.

Reconciliation.

Humans are strange creatures. We are animals, complete with the endocrine system of that which can both hunt and be hunted. As such we are instinct, at our happiest when our basic needs are met, at our weakest when they are not. We need food, warmth, security and comfort before we can move on and do anything else.

But we're more than animals. There's more to us than that. We can talk and empathize and sympathize. We can be compassionate. We can cure and heal and understand to a level far beyond that of any other animal. We can watch the world around us and see its patterns and know why things happen. We can change things. We're not at the mercy of the wild, not in the way we once were.

And yet... threaten our security, and we are animals once again. That endocrine system kicks in, our hindbrain attacks and before we know it we're growling and primal, there's blood on our teeth and our nails are claws.

Sometimes it's a battle between our Artemis self and our Apollo self. Sometimes one has to win out and the other lose.

And sometimes, says this card, we need both and we need them in equal amount. Our instincts married to our intellect. The fire and grit of our animal selves working in harmony with the compassion and intelligence of our human selves. When we reconcile these elements of who we are, we become greater than the sum our parts.

But first you've got to know where the one element of yourself ends and the other begins. Apollo is the oracular god; he demands deeper wisdom, self-examination. Artemis is the lunar goddess; she demands you face your illusions, look past what you think is there to what is really there. Both of them, despite their opposing qualities, demand self-knowledge. For if an element is unknown, it cannot be reconciled.

So this card could be an invitation to know yourself better. And, once knowing, reconcile.

Oh, but I've missed out the most important element! Because of course it is reconciliation: not removal. It's not the prioritizing of one over the other. It's not about erasing one aspect of yourself in order to focus on the other. It's about taking these two contradictory things and honouring them both, keeping them both alive and empowered. Just because water can extinguish fire doesn't mean it always should; use both in the right amount and you've got the ability to cook. And when you do, you're taking a step towards being able to plan your food supply. You're no longer as susceptible to bacterial illness. You're not a helpless animal any more, at the mercy of the wild. You can move up the hierarchy of needs.

And it's the same when you take any two contrasting elements and use both in moderation.

It's a hard balance to strike. It can take trial and error. But oh, so worth it when it's done.

[Babalon Jones]

So beautifully said DaisyDragonfly!

Here is a graphic of the card.

[DaisyDragonfly]

Thank you, Babalon - and for the attachment of the image, too I do love this image; it's so less wishy-washy than the other Art/Temperances that are around! And without the inclusion of Apollo and Artemis, I would never have understood precisely what it was that had to be reconciled.

I've been thinking about this card for about two weeks; even dreamed about it, one night, and in my dream the meaning of the card was clear. But I didn't write down the dream and have forgotten what it said. Which is annoying. :p

[GoldenWolf]

The central figure is a two headed, four armed hermaphrodite. In this card is a blending of masculine/feminine, positive/negative, solar/lunar, fire/water energies. The golden (solar) hair of the male head entwines with the blue (lunar) hair of the head, starting to form a spiral matrix (like DNA?). The male pours water from a horn of plenty into the Orphic egg which is cracked open at the top. The female lowers a flaming arrow into the egg, mixing fire and water.

The Orphic egg has waves on one side and flames on the other. A yin yang design of gold/solar and blue/lunar is on the front with a curving green snake dividing (or joining) the two. A gold fire triangle is in the blue area and a blue water triangle is in the gold.

The sun contains the moon, another conjoining of seeming opposites.

To the right, the white lion is changing into the eagle or perhaps the other way around. its expression indicates that the process is difficult, perhaps even painful. Behind it is an erupting volcano. Having done some work with kundalini, I'm reminded of how it brings up old emotional issues, often in a burst, to take them out of the darkness of the subconcious and force us to deal with them. Doing this work isn't the easy path and can be painful at times though it is certainly worthwhile.

[Karrma]

My favorite symbolism on this card (and it was the first card I chose when looking at the cards, following the Mary Greer workbook) is the contrast of the wood arch, strings for the bow and arrow, and the wood arch, strings for the lyre, music. We can look at each other and see similarities, or we can look and see differences. Or we can synthesize, meld, juxtapose, both are needed for life.
Water and fire make a rainbow, steam, power.
Man, woman, inner creativity.