Temperance

Paulb

Hi all...

Quick question: What is the siginficance of the path leading away from the pond and towards a crown in the mountains in the temperance card in the Radiant Rider-Waite deck?

many thanks,

P.
 

Abrac

That's a good question. I've wondered that myself.

In The Pictorial Key To The Tarot, Waite says, "Herof is some part of the Secret of Eternal Life as it is possible to man in his incarnation."

Thanks A.E. ;)
 

BodhiSeed

Here's my two cents, all opinion of course :D:
Just as Buddha went to extremes - first living a life of luxury, then living life as an ascetic - this is what this card addresses. Buddha eventually came to adopt the "middle way" as his spiritual path, which is what I believe the path between the two mountains represent. So it is the middle way (Temperance) that leads to mastery and attainment.
Notice that the crown and sun have switched places. The crown has now become the sun, and the angel wears the alchemical symbol for the sun(circle with a dot in the middle) on his forehead. It is as if there is a message here to blend intellect with spiritual illumination.

Take care,
Bodhran
 

Dulcimer

To me Temperence is a card of Unification, of the defining space between differences.

The angel stands with a foot in each of the worlds of mind and matter, pouring "the essence of life" [Waite] between the inner and outer worlds. The flower is the iris, the rainbow goddess, bridge between worlds, messenger and psychopomp. As such it is a card of linkage and passage between opposites, extremes, and worlds (it is the card which immediately follows Death).

The crown at the end of the path is the natural conclusion of what we have here; the ultimate unity between the individual and the All. The path takes us from here to There, but only when we can bring the extremes in our natures into balance can we undertake the path to the Ultimate Being - the One who dwells in Kether (which means "crown") and is simultaneously far from us at the top of the Tree of Life and 'immanent', right here right now, enclosing us all.
 

Parzival

Kether is at the apex of the middle pillar of the Sephiroth tree, so both above and in the middle. I think the path here is the ongoing goal or intention of our muliple lives or re-incarnations as we Self-evolve (with help of fellow travellers and spirit-guides) from material realms to the ultimate Light of the Spirit, the crown and the higher eye. Temperance is finding and creating the middle path to enlightenment, out of our experience and determination. And by way of the middle-- the grail king Parzival has a name meaning "through the middle" and Buddha travels the "middle path" --we climb and climb our way to the top of the mountain and above our brains. Eventually, we arrive!
 

Lysh

Balance is the key to most things in life and through balance (temperance) we find our way.
 

Sulis

I see Temperance as a very goal oriented card and I see that crown atop of the mountain as the ultimate goal.

The angel isn't mixing those liquids together for the fun of it, she is mixing the liquids together with the intention of coming up with something new - she has a goal.
The goal is always in sight and I think that this is one of the main messages of this card. To keep your goal in sight as you mix and balance your ingredients.
Take a 'trial and error' approach if you will but make sure that you know where you intend to be at the end of it.
 

Parzival

....
The angel isn't mixing those liquids together for the fun of it, she is mixing the liquids together with the intention of coming up with something new - she has a goal.

What are the two liquids and what is this "coming up with something new"? I 'm not trying to be a nuissance-- this card is still quite a riddle to me.
 

Richard

Hi all...

Quick question: What is the siginficance of the path leading away from the pond and towards a crown in the mountains in the temperance card in the Radiant Rider-Waite deck?

many thanks,

P.
As Parzival noted, the path represents the Middle Pillar (the Pillar of Balance) of the Sephirotic Tree of Life, which leads to Kether (the Crown). The two mountains on the horizon between which the path passes are the Sephiroth Chokmah (Wisdom) and Binah (Understanding).
 

Richard

....
The angel isn't mixing those liquids together for the fun of it, she is mixing the liquids together with the intention of coming up with something new - she has a goal.

What are the two liquids and what is this "coming up with something new"? I 'm not trying to be a nuissance-- this card is still quite a riddle to me.
Temperance is the path connecting the Sun (Tiphareth) and the Moon (Yesod). Thus it represents the alchemical Heiros Gamos, the marriage of the Sun and Moon, resulting in the completion of the human being, a return to androgeny. Thus the mingling of the fluids could be a further representation of this union of the masculine and feminine. Alchemically it is the union of fire and water, symbolized by the hexagram (Star of David), a combination of the triangular fire and water symbols. By the way, I read a novel recently which retells the story of Parzifal as the process of attaining this masculine-feminine synthesis.