Temperance Vs Adventure

When I saw that I'd drawn the Major Arcana card of Temperance today, it immediately felt like a right connection, and the perfect card for me today. Upon further reflection I see why. You might not think temperance and adventure are related, but they are.

When people hear the word Temperance, some folks may relate to it negatively, as they envision a bunch of purple rinse haired old ladies, who strictly adhere to a whack of rules, like complete abstinence in every area of their lives; sitting in stern judgment of others, to whom they are certain, are hell bound due to their indulgences of the demon drink, smokes and any kind of sexin' or other impure thoughts! Much the way some of my relatives lived life under tyrannical control and conditions. There was no dancing, no school, no woman wearing pants, playing cards, especially on Sunday, . It was like, everything was evil and a rule, and as if life itself was either immoral, unsafe, or illegal. Guidelines were non-existent.

Believe it or not, I once lived in the Women's Christian Temperance Union, however I was never temperate to say the least. I just needed an affordable place to live, as a poor student in Toronto!

In the Temperance card we meet the beautiful mythic figure of Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, symbolizing the renewal of relationship and Iris representing feeling. Her opposite counterpart is Justice (Athene), the rational one.

 In the way Temperance and Justice need each other, temperance and adventure need one another as well. Although Iris and Athene may be enemies in myth or the enemies within ourselves, we must integrate these two, as they will and can offer different solutions to the same problem.

 Having temperance in life is not about living life literally by the words like no, and don't, should or and shouldn't, in the sense that rigidly produces bad guilt and shame, in a puritanical,  judgmental, and merciless way. Temperance is about harmony, balance of the heart with kindness and mercy.

If we don't have adventure we can't transform ourselves. We stay stuck, bored, safe and it's not much fun!
The momentum to move forward comes when we grow and develop confidence. With confidence and adventure we are relieved of our boredom, and then the excitement begins! Growth and adventure are conduits for transformation.

Adventurer

I refuse to believe I'll ever be too old for adventure and and hope. If I thought no adventures would ever come again. I'd shrivel up, to age and die too soon.

Adventure scoops me up out of lethargy and rescues me from dull security.

Adventure requires leaving the safety of the known. I affirm: I am willing to
take the risks adventures entail.

Adventure requires the willingness to conquer. I affirm: I will be a victor in my adventures.

Adventures requires the willingness to have fun. I affirm:
I'll experience challenges as exercises in joy.
I'll be an explorer of life's mazes, instead of feeling trapped by them.
I'll view obstacles as delirously delicious lessons.
I'll recognize and revel in the beauty of strange new lands.
I'll participate in the laughing game of stubborn stick-to-itiveness.
So be it! 
              - Francis De Grandis

A New Way To Think About Temperance

Between 1979-1980 at the age of 26, I moved into the Women's Christian Temperance Union on Gerard and Young St., in downtown Toronto. Why the heck would I ever do that, most people would ask. The simple answer, I needed a place to live. It was one the best things I ever did for a myriad of reasons, which had everything to do with the way I thought about temperance, which were completely unknown to me at the time.

Though I grew up in Toronto, and in parts of Ontario, I was now returning, after years of living in Nova Scotia from the age of 15 years. I was attending school, to study Mime, with a group of approximately 8 other students.  But that's a whole other story.

When I entered the Women's Christian Temperance Union, I approached the woman at front desk. Once I got registered, she informed me, I would be sharing a room with another young women. She said, in her Philippine accent , " Oh Rosemary, she's a , how you say, a very very nice gurl. She doesn't smoke, doesn't drink. You goin' to just love her. She such a very very nice gurl. "

When I got settled into my room Rosemary wasn't there, but arrived within the hour. She immediately asked me, " Do you smoke? " Yes, I answered. "Good!" she said. "Do you drink?", she then asked. I again said, yes. She again answered, " Good! " We're going to get along great!"she replied excitedly.

If you asked what the word temperance meant to me back in the 80s. This would be it. You don't drink, you don't smoke or have per-marital sex. I was clueless. Today I am happy to know I have a new way to think about temperance. Temperance for me is so much more than not drinking or smoking  and all the so called rules that I was wanting to break.

Temperance is all about having a balanced heart, mind, body, and spirit. It's about transfiguration, spiritual insight, rising above what ever negative situation you find yourself in, and about being a compassionate human being. These are some of the characteristics Temperance embodies.

I choose to live a temperate life now, not because I have to, but because I want to, and because of my own personal recovery from alcoholism, and my 20 year road to recovery. It's not about just putting down the bottle, but living life on life's terms, one day at a time. This is what Temperance means to me.

Tom Waits