Temperance
Samekh (ס)
Sagittarius (Sign)
Path 25: Tiphareth → Yesod
Herb: Sage
Upright
Balance, moderation, patience, blending opposites, healing.
Reversed
Imbalance, excess, discord.
What the Golden Dawn actually taught
Book T reads: “combination of forces; realisation; action, material; effect either for good or evil.” Waite’s Temperance is inherently virtuous and healing; Book T’s is morally neutral — forces combine, and the result could go either way.
Imagery & symbolism
A winged figure stands with one foot on land and one in water, pouring liquid between two cups in an unbroken stream. A path behind her climbs toward a distant crown of light; nothing here is rushed.
Numerology
14 reduces to 5 — change accomplished through active blending rather than conflict.
Also associated with
balance, moderation, blending, patience, healing