Tarot Card Combination
Temperance+Five of Cups
節制 & 聖杯五
The alchemical fusion of Temperance's transformative fire with Five of Cups' emotional waters creates steam—a symbol of potent change through emotional distillation. This pairing suggests a period where current disappointment (Five of Cups) becomes the crucible for spiritual refinement and creative rebirth. The numerology (14+5=19) points toward completing an emotional cycle with newfound wisdom, urging integration rather than avoidance of painful feelings.
In the Marseille tradition, Temperance represents the angelic mediation between divine and earthly realms, while the Five of Cups depicts the mourner fixated on spilled vessels. Together, they form a profound alchemical process: emotional loss becomes the prima materia for spiritual transformation. The steam element indicates volatile but creative tension—where grief's heat meets memory's waters to produce insight. This isn't mere balance but radical alchemy; the querent is called to transmute regret into wisdom through conscious integration. The 19 reduces to 10 (1+9=10), then 1, suggesting this emotional completion births a new beginning rooted in hard-won equilibrium.
Elemental Analysis
Fire (Temperance/Sagittarius) meeting Water (Five of Cups/Scorpio) creates steam—the volatile third element of transformation. In alchemical symbolism, this represents the distillation process where base emotions are heated, vaporized, and condensed into wisdom. The interaction suggests neither element dominates; instead, their conflict generates creative potency. This mirrors the Temperance angel's foot in water, other in fire—a sacred tension that prevents stagnation through controlled combustion of feelings.
Numerology Insights
19 reduces to 10 (1+9=10), then to 1—the completion of a cycle (10) birthing new beginnings (1). In Pythagorean numerology, 19 carries 'solar' qualities of enlightenment through trials. As 14+5, it combines Temperance's mutable energy (1+4=5) with the Five of Cups' quintessential challenge, creating a double-five vibration that demands adaptation. This number appears in the Rider-Waite Sun card (XIX), suggesting emotional clouds parting to reveal essential truths.
Reversal Meanings
Temperance Reversed
Temperance reversed indicates imbalance, impatience, and toxic combinations. The alchemical process fails—elements clash without mediation, creating scalding steam or dampened fires. In context with upright Five of Cups, this suggests exacerbating grief through extreme reactions or refusing the moderating influence that could transform disappointment. The angel's vessels spill, symbolizing wasted opportunities for synthesis.
Five of Cups Reversed
Five of Cups reversed suggests emerging from mourning but potentially bypassing necessary grief. With upright Temperance, this creates dissonance—attempting alchemical transformation without fully processing the emotional materia. The querent may prematurely mix elements before acknowledging what was lost, risking unstable compounds. However, it can also indicate beginning to turn toward remaining cups.
Both Cards Reversed
Both reversed indicate chaotic dissolution without reconstitution. Temperance's imbalance amplifies Five of Cups' unresolved grief into emotional volatility. The alchemical vessel shatters—steam becomes scalding, fires drown in bitterness. This warns against toxic coping mechanisms and forced positivity. Yet in Thoth's chaotic wisdom, this may represent the necessary 'nigredo' phase before any transformation can begin.
Spiritual Guidance
This combination mirrors the alchemical motto 'Solve et Coagula'—dissolve and reconstitute. The Five of Cups represents the necessary dissolution of emotional attachments, while Temperance provides the sacred vessel for reconstitution at a higher vibration. Spiritually, one is called to become the alchemist of their own suffering, transforming bitter waters into elixir through the fire of conscious awareness. The steam symbolizes the rising soul refined through emotional trials.
Yes/No Reading Guide
Tendency toward 'Yes, but conditionally.' The answer emerges through alchemical process—not immediate, requiring careful blending of elements. The steam suggests potential that must be consciously harnessed. Outcome depends on temperate handling of emotional factors.
Historical & Mythological Context
Temperance derives from medieval allegories of virtue, often depicted mixing wine/water. Five of Cups relates to 15th-century Italian 'Mantegna Tarocchi' mourning figures. Their combination echoes Renaissance alchemy's 'Coniunctio Oppositorum'—the sacred marriage of opposites central to Hermetic transformation rituals.
Meditation & Reflection
Visualize steam rising where your deepest disappointment meets your highest aspiration. Observe how droplets condense into new forms. What wisdom precipitates from this distillation? How does vapor carry what liquid cannot?
Daily Affirmation
"I alchemize grief into wisdom through temperate transformation."
Practical Advice
Become the alchemist of your experience. Place current disappointments in Temperance's sacred vessel. Apply moderate heat of reflection—not enough to boil over, sufficient to distill wisdom. Blend what remains with what was lost to create new emotional compounds.
Things to Watch
Beware the unbalanced mixture: unprocessed grief combined with impatient action creates scalding steam. Neither drown in mourning nor prematurely extinguish transformative fires. The alchemical process requires precise measurements.
Individual Card Meanings
Temperance
節制
Temperance shows an angel pouring water between two cups, representing the perfect blending of opposites into harmony. This card speaks of balance, moderation, and the patient integration of different aspects of life. Like an alchemist transforming base metals into gold, Temperance asks you to find the middle way, blending seemingly incompatible elements into something greater than their sum. This is not a time for extremes; rather, it calls for patience, purpose, and the wisdom to know that the best results come through careful, measured action. Walk the path between excess and restraint.
View full meaning →Five of Cups
聖杯五
The Five of Cups shows a cloaked figure mourning over three spilled cups, while two upright cups stand behind them, unnoticed. This card represents grief, loss, and focusing on what went wrong rather than what remains. It suggests a period of mourning and disappointment, but reminds you that not all is lost—there are still opportunities for emotional recovery.
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