It took me the better part of 40 years to really get comfortable with Temperance. All of the references to alchemy seemed to obscure any practical, day-to-day relevance for it. (Let me say that, like Paul Foster Case, I never believed that Temperance simply means "moderation.") Finally, I took all the esoteric literature I own and extracted as much useful information as I could from it, then wrote my own interpretive guideline. Now I see it as a card of finesse, and of "the Fine Art of Right Action."
It took one awful experience for me to truly grasp Temperance.
When I used to work for an online media company, I had to pitch articles to my editor that would impress her. I'd make a list of article ideas and pull cards for how my editor would feel about my submitted copy.
I pulled Temperance for one and thought "Oh. She will find the article to fit just right with the site." I had this "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" perception of Temperance - the porridge that was "juuuust right."
Boy was I wrong. The editor repeatedly kept sending the article back to me to make changes. It was always "This article is great. But it needs juuuuuust a few tweaks." And "Almost there! Now it needs more authorative links!"
It needed so much tweaking, and changing, and taking things out, and adding things, even getting an expert opinion before the editor can say 'Voila! Its ready to be published."
That's how I learned Temperance. Its not about being just right, its about the act of making
adjustments to create the most harmonious outcome
