I’ve been studying the major arcana and their zodiac connections, and I just learned that Sagittarius is linked to Temperance. This pairing has me a bit confused.
From what I understand, Temperance is about finding balance between opposites, taking the middle path, being patient and measured. That sounds nothing like Sagittarius to me. If anything, it sounds more like Libra.
The Sagittarians I know are into philosophy, spontaneous adventures, spiritual exploration, and passionate debates that go on for hours. They’re always chasing the next big idea or experience. Temperance feels so… calm and careful by comparison.
Some zodiac/tarot pairings make total sense to me (like Scorpio with Death), but this one just doesn’t click. How are these connections determined anyway? What am I missing about either Temperance or Sagittarius that actually links them?
Maybe there’s something obvious I’m not seeing yet?
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In some Vedic astrology traditions, Sagittarius is connected to seeking truth and wisdom. This actually fits pretty well with the Temperance card in tarot. Both deal with finding balance and moving toward spiritual understanding, though Temperance focuses more on the inner balance part.
From what I’ve gathered and the readings I’ve done, Sagittarius is linked with the Hierophant or the Wheel of Fortune. I think it’s cool how the Hierophant’s wisdom and the Wheel’s adventurous vibe both reflect Sagittarius in unique ways.
Different tarot traditions might have their own interpretations, and I’d be interested to hear if anyone has found other connections in their practice.
Why not check in with yourself tonight? As a Sagittarian dealing with Temperance, you could try something simple. Before bed, just ask yourself if today matched up with what actually matters to you. Like checking a compass - quick look to see if you’re still going the right direction. Even five minutes of thinking about this can help keep you on track.
Temperance is card 14, which reduces to 5 in numerology, the adventure and freedom number. Kind of interesting. I’ve been pulling this card a lot during Sagittarius season (late November/December). Way more than other times of the year. Anyone else notice seasonal patterns with the zodiac cards?
I’m still learning about this myself, but something that helped me was noticing the rainbow behind the angel in many Temperance decks. I think it might represent the Sagittarian quest to find truth across all experiences? Could be wrong though. The angel’s path leads toward distant mountains too, which feels very Sagittarian… that eternal process toward understanding. Some days I still struggle with this pairing though.
yeah too with temperance and sag placements. kept showing up in career readings for them and it’s basically saying they need to mix all their interests together instead of picking one thing. makes sense since sags hate being boxed in
The connection through Jupiter makes sense - Sag wants to explore and expand everything, but Temperance is about finding balance in that expansion.
The centaur symbol captures this well. Half wild horse wanting freedom, half human aiming arrows with purpose. That’s basically what Temperance asks us to do. Sagittarians can struggle with wanting too much of everything (thanks Jupiter).
More experiences, more knowledge, just… more.
Temperance becomes this lesson in finding a middle ground between going overboard and holding back too much. The card doesn’t say stop being adventurous. It’s more like learning to blend that fire energy with some water energy. Like an archer who knows when to shoot and when to wait.
I get Cups cards constantly in my readings, so The Sun has become really important for me. Without it, I’d be stuck in all those emotions the Cups bring up. The Sun helps me figure out what all those feelings mean, especially when I’m reading for other people and feeling their emotions too.
Over time I’ve gotten better at balancing my emotional responses with the clarity The Sun gives. It’s tough to put into words, but The Sun keeps me grounded when cards like The Moon or Eight of Cups pull me too deep. Or when reversed cards make everything feel heavy and confusing. The way these different energies play off each other in readings has been something to see.
Sagittarius has that mutable fire energy, always shifting while burning bright. Kind of like a scholar’s flame that can’t decide between wild inspiration and fitting into traditional wisdom. I brew chamomile and cinnamon tea for Sagittarius readings. Chamomile calms the restlessness, cinnamon honors the fire element. Simple but it works.
The Temperance card captures this contradiction.
Fire wants to be free, not contained or mixed with anything. But here are Sagittarians trying to balance their free spirit with belonging to something bigger. When I get Temperance in a reading, I reach for peppermint and ginger tea. The cooling and warming represent those opposing forces being poured between the angel’s cups. It’s alchemy, all that experimenting, practicing, and studying. An herbalist combines different plants to make healing blends, and Temperance teaches the same thing about our contradictions. I pair lavender and rosemary for Temperance spreads, one for spiritual wisdom, one for mental clarity.
Oh, the seasonal patterns thing is fascinating! Imagine if our decks were secretly synced to the astrology calendar more easily. ‘It’s Sagittarius season, time to shuffle extra Temperance cards to the top!’
What if we’re unconsciously more receptive to certain card energies during their zodiac seasons? During Sagittarius season, we’re all unknowingly broadcasting on the Temperance frequency. Every time you reach for your deck in December, it’s like tuning into a radio station that only plays ‘Balance Your Opposites’ on repeat.
What if you intentionally removed Temperance from your deck during Sagittarius season? Would another card suddenly start showing up as a substitute messenger? Would The Star start moonlighting as Temperance?
Fun fact from tarot history: When the Golden Dawn assigned zodiac signs to the majors in the 1880s, they followed the Sepher Yetzirah’s Hebrew letter correspondences. Samekh, the letter for Temperance, means ‘prop’ or ‘support’. The Golden Dawn saw this as connecting to Sagittarius’ role as a supportive teacher.
Samuel Mathers wrote that Sagittarius doesn’t shoot arrows wildly, it aims carefully, like an alchemist measuring exact proportions. Pretty interesting connection between the archer and the mixing/balancing theme of Temperance.
The idea of being on a specific card’s frequency during its zodiac season makes so much sense - I pull The Hermit way more during Virgo season than any other time. It’s like our intuition has this built-in astrological calendar that influences which cards want to speak to us. Maybe we should start tracking our daily pulls against the zodiac calendar to see if there’s a pattern beyond just Temperance and Sagittarius season.
A lot of people think Temperance means Sagittarians need to dial back their adventurous side. But it’s more about being smart with that energy, knowing when to go for it and when to chill. Helps avoid burning out and actually makes those philosophical moments hit harder.
When I first saw the Temperance card, the angel pouring water between cups caught my attention. For Sagittarius, it seems like it’s about blending different elements together. Not like Libra with the scales, but more like cooking, you mix ingredients and they become something else. Both parts are still there, just combined differently.
The 14th path on the Tree of Life has a lot to reveal. Temperance connects Yesod to Tiphareth, moving from lunar illusion to solar truth. It’s a unique process that can be interesting to explore.
The experience is like the flight of a Sagittarian arrow. It’s a path that offers insight into deeper understanding, even if it doesn’t always lead to clear answers. The symbolism here can be quite thought-provoking, and there’s a lot to break down if you’re interested in the mysteries of the Tree of Life.
When interpreting Temperance for a Sagittarius, think about adaptability.
Sagittarians do well in changing environments, and Temperance can help them blend their fiery nature into something more balanced. Kind of like a jazz musician improvising, except in my case it’s more like a kazoo player trying their best.