Art
The Daughter of the Reconcilers; the Bringer-forth of Life
Rider-Waite: Temperance
The alchemical marriage completed: opposites blended in the cauldron until a third thing appears.
| Trump | XIV of the 22 (Atu) |
|---|---|
| Letter | ס Samekh, “prop”, value 60, Simple letter |
| Path | Path 25, Tiphareth to Yesod |
| Astrology | ♐︎ Sagittarius, mutable Fire, Nov 23 – Dec 21 |
| Old title | The Daughter of the Reconcilers; the Bringer-forth of Life |
| Rider-Waite | Temperance |
| Colour | Blue (King scale) |
In a reading
Synthesis, the combination of unlike things, tempering, the art of the alchemist; the work in progress that will turn opposites into something new. Badly placed: failed combination, waste, a wrong mixture.
Working with the card
| Do | Combine, temper, test, and adjust the mixture patiently. |
|---|---|
| Bring | Skill, measure, trust in the process. |
| Beware | Mixing without an aim; compromise that dilutes both sides. |
| Ask | What two things in me are ready to become one? |
Correspondences
On the card
A single figure with two heads, the fused king and queen of the Lovers, pours fire and water together into a golden cauldron; a lion and an eagle, their colours now exchanged, stand at her feet, a raven perches on a skull, and an arrow of light rises through a rainbow. Around the figure runs the alchemical formula VITRIOL.
Kabbalah
Samekh, the prop or support, on path 25, the middle pillar from Yesod to Tiphareth: the Path of the Arrow, the straight flight of the aspirant from the Moon to the Sun. It supports because it is the road of the Great Work itself.
Astrology
Sagittarius, mutable Fire, ruled by Jupiter: the archer whose arrow is the aspiration. The decans of Sagittarius are the Eight, Nine and Ten of Wands.
Number
Fourteen, twice seven, and Samekh's value 60. Crowley reads Art as the completion of the Lovers: the six of the alchemical wedding raised and fulfilled.
Depth psychology
The transcendent function realised: the coniunctio, the third thing born of two opposites held in tension. This is Jung's image of the psyche healing itself, and the card most often used to describe the goal of analysis.
Thoth and Rider-Waite
Waite's angel Temperance pours water between two cups; Crowley makes the pourer the married pair of the Lovers, replaces the cups with a cauldron of fire and water, and names the card for the alchemical art rather than for moderation.
The sign in depth
| Dates | Nov 23 – Dec 21 |
|---|---|
| Type | Mutable Fire |
| Ruler | Jupiter |
| Exalts | No planet |
| Weakens | Mercury (detriment) |
| Motto | “I see / I seek” |
| Body | Hips, thighs |
| Opposite | Gemini, The Lovers |
| Gifts | Optimism, honesty, adventure, wisdom, humour, faith, generosity |
| Shadow | Preachiness, tactlessness, restlessness, overpromising, dogmatism, fear of commitment |
More in the astrology chapters: Sagittarius.
Related cards
Pairs with
- זVI The Lovers The two of the Lovers become the one of Art
- הXVII The Star Sagittarius and Aquarius frame the double loop of the Emperor and Star exchange
The decans of Sagittarius
- ☿︎Eight of Wands SwiftnessMercury, Nov 23–Dec 2
- ☽︎Nine of Wands StrengthThe Moon, Dec 3–12
- ♄︎Ten of Wands OppressionSaturn, Dec 13–21
Courts ruling Sagittarius
Other paths touching Tiphareth
- גII The Priestesspath 13
- זVI The Loverspath 17
- לVIII Adjustmentpath 22
- יIX The Hermitpath 20
- נXIII Deathpath 24
- עXV The Devilpath 26
- הXVII The Starpath 15
Other paths touching Yesod
Correspondences follow the Golden Dawn system as used in Crowley's Book of Thoth and Liber 777. Paintings by Lady Frieda Harris, © Ordo Templi Orientis. Where sources differ.