Bohemian Gothic Tarot

XIV TEMPERANCE

Lighter or more conventional meanings

Finding a middle path * Achieving a good balance in life * Harmony * Being prepared to compromise in a positive way * Avoiding fanaticism or extremes.

Darker, shadow or more hidden meanings

Appearing to compromise but really pursuing your own ends * Fanaticism presented as reason and good sense * Alchemy, alchemical practice or study * Reaching a compromise that's cowardly, backing down when you should stand your ground * "Blood is thicker than water" (we put our family before our friends) in some circumstances.

Temperance isn't a concept that fits easily with the Gothic genre. Gothic after all, essentially deals with subjects that are intemperate; hysteria, horror, dark imaginings, madness, hauntings, spells and death. All of which are hard to reconcile with the calm, middle of the road sense of compromise that we associate with this card.

The Bohemian Gothic depiction is one of the gentler, more feminine cards in the deck and at first sight it looks straightforwardly delicate and romantic. A lady in a lavish lace and satin gown, wearing a pair of angel wings, stands in a snow­sprinkled wood, in front of a quiet pool of water. Look more closely however and some odd details emerge; above the pool, carved into the rock, is a snake while the water itself is coming out of a curious spout shaped as a woman's head. But the most unsettling detail is that the woman is pouring not water - as is usually shown in depictions of Temperance - but a red liquid. Wine, blood? There is no way to tell.

There are various ways in which this card can be interpreted, very much depending on context. One approach is simply to see it as a moment of temper­ance and balance in the midst of a deck that is, by design, far from a balanced mix of dark and light. Another is to take it as a distinct sign that "blood is thicker than water" and that when it comes to making compromises this might well prevent us from being absolutely fair and balanced. But in most readings the meaning is more shifting and indefinite, neither completely positive or negative but, appropriately, a mix of the two. We can see a dark side of temperance, a concession or compact offered for the wrong reasons, or dishonestly. Yet this does not mean that it's necessarily a bad thing; sometimes a compromise reached, even without true goodwill and commitment, is still better than no compromise at all.

Some further ways to consider this card

An angel is also shown on the judgement card in this deck. How could these two angels be related to one another? If both were present in a spread would they tend to change the way you'd interpret it, and if so, in what ways?