Welcome, wise ones, to another turning of Sage Leaves. We are now deeply into the Autumn of the year, with the hinge of the year just past. The trees still carry a rich lush canopy of color, but the nights are cool and we wake to a silvery layer of frost over grass and rooftop. Our days grow shorter, the sunlight lessens. The veil is still thin, and we begin turning inward as the nights grow longer and colder.
This week, we walk with Temperance in the Heroine’s journey. Together we will explore how this card offers integration in our inner work.
The Role of Temperance in the Heroine’s Journey
In the Heroine’s Journey, the card of Temperance marks the quiet moment when the traveler stops fighting to prove herself and begins to weave the pieces of her experience into something whole. The early stages of the Heroine’s path are often filled with motion and struggle. She departs from what is known, rejects expectations, and endures trials that test her strength.
But no matter how many dragons she slays or how much wisdom she gathers, there comes a point when the old patterns no longer sustain her. That is where Temperance appears, not as a rescuer, but as a reminder that wholeness does not come from conquest. It comes from integration.
The card’s image—an angel blending water from two cups—reveals the essence of this stage. It is the art of mixing, the ability to hold opposites without being torn apart by them. In Jungian terms, this is the union of the conscious and unconscious, the marriage of reason and intuition. In mythic language, it is the point when the Heroine learns to reconcile the worlds she has crossed: the ordinary and the sacred, the outer and the inner, the human and the divine. The journey outward is complete only when she turns inward to create balance.
“Temperance is the alchemy of the soul,
turning conflict into composition and experience into grace.”
Temperance represents healing through equilibrium. The Heroine has faced danger, betrayal, and loss; she has learned courage and self-reliance. Yet now she must learn something subtler—the art of peace. This is not passive acceptance. It is an active, disciplined harmony that requires her to pour slowly between her inner cups until both sides of her nature are transformed. If she rushes, she spills the elixir. If she hesitates, the mixture stagnates. The lesson of Temperance is patience, the willingness to trust the slow chemistry of the soul.
In many tales of the Heroine’s Journey, this moment follows a symbolic descent. She may visit the underworld or confront her shadow self. Temperance waits at the threshold of return, teaching her how to carry the wisdom of the depths back into the light. The angel’s one foot in water and one on land shows that she now lives between worlds, able to translate intuition into action and experience into understanding. She no longer divides her life into before and after, loss and recovery. Instead, she learns to see continuity, to hold memory without becoming trapped in it.
The alchemical nature of this card fits perfectly with the Heroine’s task of transformation. The work she has done is like base metal waiting for refinement. Through Temperance, the raw material of her trials becomes spiritual gold. The anger that once drove her turns into discernment. The grief that once consumed her deepens into compassion. She realizes that healing is not about erasing wounds but about integrating them into the larger pattern of her life.
When the Heroine finally returns home, she does so as a bridge between extremes. She brings back the medicine of balance to a world that often values speed over reflection and certainty over synthesis. Temperance shows her how to live with grace amid contradiction. It teaches that every element, even pain, can serve creation when blended with consciousness. The Heroine’s journey ends not in triumph but in serenity, and that serenity is the gift of Temperance.
Where are you being asked to blend rather than battle the opposing forces in your life?
What would happen if, like the angel of Temperance, you allowed patience to become the vessel through which your own transformation flows?
Sage Leaves Weekly Tarotscope: November 4-10, 2025
This week’s reading follows a clear current of mental energy and disciplined focus. Four Swords cards dominate the spread, revealing a collective movement through thought, communication, and discernment. The mind is both tool and teacher now. The single Pentacle grounds the mental whirlwind in productive labor, while the lone Major Arcana, Strength, closes the week by returning you to heart-centered resilience. The energy builds toward clarity through action: from indecision to discernment, through craft and foresight, into the steadiness of inner power.
The Cards of the Week
Tuesday: Two of Swords | Mars Enters Sagittarius
Wednesday: Page of Swords | Taurus Full Moon
Thursday: Eight of Pentacles | Venus Enters Scorpio
Friday: Three of Wands | Uranus Enters Taurus
Saturday: King of Swords
Sunday: Five of Swords | Mercury Retrograde Begins in Sagittarius
Monday: Strength
Daily Story
Tuesday – Two of Swords
Mars entering Sagittarius sparks forward movement, yet the Two of Swords asks for stillness before action. You may sense competing priorities or conflicting information. The key is measured consideration rather than haste. This card invites you to pause at the crossroads and listen beneath surface logic. What truth do you avoid acknowledging? By choosing with clarity rather than pressure, you align strength with wisdom. Mars’ fire pushes for decision, but Temperance of mind will serve you better.
Wednesday – Page of Swords | Taurus Full Moon
The Page of Swords introduces curiosity and mental agility. Under the Taurus Full Moon, thought becomes illuminated, revealing both inspiration and restlessness. You are learning to use your voice responsibly, testing new ideas and speaking them aloud. The Page’s energy is youthful; it thrives on questioning assumptions. Yet with the Moon in steadfast Taurus, you must ground words in substance. Excitement can scatter focus. Write down insights before they fade; communication is a form of creation today.
Thursday – Eight of Pentacles | Venus Enters Scorpio
Where Wednesday’s curiosity scattered, Thursday’s diligence consolidates. The Eight of Pentacles represents craftsmanship and dedication. Venus’ shift into Scorpio deepens the desire to perfect your art. You may find yourself absorbed in work, committed to refinement and mastery. This is productive immersion, yet it carries a warning: balance intensity with self-care. The single Pentacle in this spread suggests tangible reward, but also the risk of exhaustion. The day favors devotion over distraction. Your skill is your sanctuary.
Friday – Three of Wands | Uranus Enters Taurus
The Three of Wands opens the horizon after the close focus of the previous day. With Uranus re-entering Taurus, innovation meets practicality. You stand on the edge of new possibility, surveying the results of long labor. Expansion is coming, but patience remains necessary. This is the moment of vision, not of arrival. The card’s figure looks outward, suggesting confidence in plans set in motion. Let foresight replace fear. The world is wider than the workshop, and your work now seeks its audience.
Saturday – King of Swords
The King of Swords repeats his appearance from earlier weeks, a recurring figure of intellect and ethical clarity. He governs truth with precision and restraint. His return signals a test of authority: can you speak from principle without hardening into judgment? The King’s gaze is steady, facing outward like the Emperor in earlier readings, reminding you that mastery of mind must serve purpose, not pride. Use logic as a lens for justice rather than control. When decisions arise, choose reason that protects compassion.
Sunday – Five of Swords | Mercury Retrograde Begins in Sagittarius
Mercury turning retrograde can tangle communication, and the Five of Swords embodies that tension. Disagreement or ego may cloud understanding. Be wary of winning arguments at the cost of peace. Retreat from unnecessary conflict; clarity will return after reflection. This card is not defeat but insight—it shows where pride overtakes empathy. During this transit, review how you express conviction. The true victor is the one who learns.
Monday – Strength
The week ends with Strength, the lone Major Arcana and the heart of this narrative. After the mental storms of Swords, this card grounds you in the quiet power of self-control. Mars in Scorpio trine Neptune in Pisces merges courage with compassion, echoing the gentle mastery depicted in the image of a woman taming a lion. This is not brute force but inner calm. You emerge from analysis into embodiment. The intellect has served its purpose; now the heart leads. The Heroine’s journey through reason culminates in grace.
Overarching Themes
Four Swords establish this as a week of mental calibration. Thought, communication, and ethical discernment dominate the landscape. The two court cards—the Page and King—show a progression from learning to leadership, from questioning to commanding. Yet both must remember humility; curiosity and integrity are partners, not rivals.
The Eight of Pentacles and Strength form a dialogue between outer and inner discipline. The craftsman and the lion-tamer are reflections of the same archetype: self-mastery through patience. The Two of Swords and Five of Swords bracket the mental realm—one seeking choice, the other seeking reconciliation after conflict. Between them, the Page and King illustrate how wisdom matures.
Recurring Cards: King of Swords
The recurring King of Swords reinforces that your authority lies in clear reasoning supported by ethical heart. He reminds you that leadership without empathy becomes tyranny of the intellect. Strength softens that edge, transforming authority into moral courage.
Numerology
Numerologically, the pairing of eights emphasizes endurance and development. The energy begins at balance (Two), rises to exploration (Page), manifests as effort (Eight), and concludes in courage (Strength). The pattern reveals that thought alone is insufficient; it must evolve into steadfast action.
Astrological Aspects
This week’s astrology forms a bridge between mental fire and grounded earth. Mars entering Sagittarius at the start of the week ignites courage and forward drive, but its optimism must be guided by strategy. The Taurus Full Moon midweek illuminates practical results and emotional steadiness, anchoring vision in tangible effort. Venus moving into Scorpio deepens commitment, urging sincerity and depth in relationships and creative work. When Uranus enters Taurus, innovation meets tradition, sparking change in what once felt immovable. Mercury turning retrograde in Sagittarius later in the week invites revision, careful listening, and humility in speech. By Monday, Mars in Scorpio trine Neptune in Pisces closes the cycle with inspired purpose, translating passion into compassionate strength—the perfect echo of the Strength card’s lesson in calm power.
Conclusion
As the week closes, you stand between intellect and instinct, vision and restraint. The lesson is to use your mind not as a weapon but as a bridge. Let reason and compassion walk together. In doing so, you discover the true meaning of Strength: the quiet confidence to act with integrity even when the world prefers noise.
This week, thought and intention weave together like breath and heartbeat. The abundance of Swords reveals that clarity is not achieved through haste, but through listening. The mind, when quiet, becomes a vessel for discernment rather than judgment. Each card asks you to refine the ways you use awareness—to think without rigidity, to speak without harm, to plan without fear. The celestial alignments echo that message: Mars ignites action, Mercury retraces its steps, Venus deepens desire, and Uranus unsettles what is stale. The skies and the cards together form a pattern of revision and renewal, calling you to align your choices with truth rather than habit.
Yet beneath all the motion runs the deeper current of Strength. It is the steady pulse of the heart that does not need to dominate in order to endure. It is patience turned to power, confidence born of compassion. As the nights lengthen and the world edges closer to its seasonal stillness, may you find that same quiet strength within yourself. Let your words carry wisdom, your work carry devotion, and your spirit carry grace. The journey is not over; it is simply preparing for its next turning.
Final Reflection
You stand this week between thought and embodiment, learning that clarity is not coldness but composure. The movement of Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Uranus draws attention to how energy, speech, love, and innovation require balance rather than control. The Swords remind you that intellect is powerful only when tempered by empathy, while the Pentacle and the Strength card show that discipline and compassion are the twin pillars of mastery. The heavens press for action; the cards counsel patience; together they teach that endurance is the truest form of will.
As the skies shift and Mercury retraces its path, pause to reconsider how you speak to yourself and to others. Are your words serving understanding, or defense? The lion of Strength waits quietly at the week’s end, reminding you that gentleness is not weakness but the courage to remain kind amid complexity. Let that be your center as you move forward: a mind sharpened by truth, a heart softened by grace, and a spirit steady enough to carry both through whatever comes next.
As the week closes, the air itself seems to whisper of thresholds. The light softens into honey-gold, stretching the shadows across the late afternoon as though time itself is lingering before the turn. The scent of earth grows deeper, damp with memory and promise, reminding you that all cycles eventually ask for stillness. With the man-made shifting of the clocks and the natural dimming of the days, you sense how rhythm and ritual coexist—how human invention bends around celestial truth. The veil between worlds grows fine, shimmering like breath on glass, inviting reflection rather than haste. In this waning light, you are asked to listen, to honor both motion and rest, and to remember that every ending, even the fall of daylight, is only the beginning of another kind of illumination.
Until next time,
—Dr. Winkler