The Temperance card is a reference to the soul. Classically female, the woman or angel on the Temperance card is mixing up a blend of subtle energies for the evolution of the personality. One key to interpreting this card can be found in its title -- a play on the process of tempering metals in a forge.

Metals must undergo extremes of temperature, folding, and pounding, but the end product is infinitely superior to impure ore mined from the earth. In this image, the soul volunteers the ego for a cleansing and healing experience, which may turn the personality inside-out, but which brings out the gold hidden within the heart.