Temperance - Tyldwick

[Bodhiseed]

Temperance

What I notice in the Temperance card:

painting of an angel (dressed half in red, half in blue) surrounded by an arch

figures below painting (appear to be two angels on either side of a person)

 

I will have to preface this post by saying most of what I see symbolically in this card is 99% from my imagination. This is the first card I've come to that I did not like (partially because I'm not fond of angels but mostly because details - even enlarged - were impossible to make out).

The angel in the painting wears two colors: red and blue. The red color reminds me of the angel Michael, the commander of the celestial forces who brings a sword. The blue color reminds me of the angel Gabriel, herald of the Divine who brings a message. In New Age thought, Michael is linked to the Sun and Gabriel to the Moon. Both angels represent two extremes of dealing with life, but the angel in the painting is a combination of both, representing choosing the middle way of moderation.

The arch surrounding the painting represents the gateway to victory.

Beneath the painting are three figures that appear to be a human flanked by two angels. This reminds me of those cartoons that showed a character with a little devil (fallen angel) and an angel on either shoulder. Whose side will you choose to be on? Or will you choose neither side and remain neutral, holding things in balance?

 

EDITED TO ADD:

The painting in this card is the goddess Iris, who watered the clouds with ocean water from her pitcher. She was a personification of the rainbow and a messenger between heaven and earth. Cloaked in red and blue, Iris represents a balance of passion and logic. Though we all have a rainbow of emotions (our passionate side), it benefits us to use an equal dose of reason with them. Neither the head nor the heart is a perfect navigator on its own, but together they are stronger and wiser than they are separate (a mix of common sense and compassion). Many people prefer to follow their heart while others prefer their mind, but both these resources are needed.

 

The door to the mind should only open from the heart. ― Joy Harjo