He walked into a crowded bar. He ordered a bottle of scotch, found an empty table and sat down. He was still shaken after his encounter with the crazy woman – or whatever the hell it was – and he just wanted to get drunk, hoping the whiskey would help him erase her memory.

He had already gulped down two glasses and was feeling tipsy when a young man asked him if he could share his table. He didn’t care, as long as the lad left him alone with his scotch – which was what he bluntly told the guy. Unfortunately, the lad turned out to be the thick kind. Not appreciating his wish to be left alone, he kept trying to make conversation, asking him questions and even commenting on how awful he looked – as if he didn’t know himself. He felt like shit and he was pretty sure he looked like shit too.

The young man ordered a glass of wine and a glass of water for himself and continued to talk to him. He had almost finished his whiskey and was considering whether he should get another bottle when the lad told him he was now ready to listen to him. He got really pissed at that. He did not want to be listened! He just wanted to finish the bottle and – no, he wasn’t going to order a new one – get the hell out of this place.

“The boy must be an idiot!” he thought. “He doesn’t see how upset I am or, maybe, he is doing it on purpose, just getting a kick out of annoying me.” The young man was now lecturing him about how stressed he looked and how they could actually have a very nice conversation if he had just relaxed a little.

And he was drinking wine and water together– what the hell was that about? He sure would not relax and have a very nice conversation with this annoying child. He was already drunk and he wasn’t going to take his shit any longer. He lifted his head and looked the young man in the eye. He was just about to tell him to shut the fuck up when a magnificient painting on the wall caught his eye.

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At number 14, Temperance, with its moderate approach, will carefully blend the components that must be brought together.

Just when his adventure was taking on a mystical quality, a new question began to occupy the Fool’s mind. Power and compassion, ends and beginnings, the material and spiritual… First the one end of the seesaw, then the other… The old and the new… All these contrasts! Would they never end? Would it not be possible to bring them together, to find a balance?

Of course it would, and this was exactly what the Temperance card wanted to give. Staying away from extremes, keeping your distance to the edges and to patiently seek the middle road will bring you peace and calm. In order to do this, you must not cut off and discard of the two collars, but try to bring them together in a balanced manner. In order to come up with the synthesis you are looking for you must patiently, tirelessly, trustfully keep trying until you achieve the right amount and mixture.

Temperance reminds you that this is a long journey. It will no doubt take time to find peace and quite, there is no need to rush, fuss or panic. The necessary amount of time must be allowed for things that presently appear to be opposites to come together and form a harmonious relationship. Even if the process gets muddled up, respond patiently, rather than causing a storm, rest in the valleys. Evolution does not take place under pressure from external forces -it is a natural process. You must go with the flow, and remain moderate and calm.

The Temperance card reminds the person who draws the card that giving up is not the only option when two sides do not come together –and that all events develop in a dialectical manner. It advises to allow some time to capture the synthesis that might seem like a dream, and to remain moderate throughout the process. The ruling Zodiac sign of the card is Sagittarius, the idealist, honest, open-minded and optimist philosopher.

The Temperance card invites you not to make a preference but to integrate; to believe in the process and to allow time. The key word here is moderation. Once you achieve balance in this perspective, you begin to manage your life in a more peaceful manner. The 0balance the card is trying to establish will enable collaboration, coordination and cooperation, leading to synergy.

You might, of course, lose your temper every now and then, your hands might start shaking with rage, and you might want to grab someone’s throat, or harm yourself, by overeating for instance. Tension is not beneficial and your desires might not always be legitimate, but these things do sometimes happen. If you have begun to lose your vision, or your long-term focus; and find the solution of the chaos in compromise, or the opposite, in force others to accept that you are right, then remember the Temperance card.

Keep calm.

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