Temperance could see there wasn’t much money in their coffers, but she was so tired of washing things all the time. There was more than enough money to buy a washing machine, which would free her up to do a better job with other household tasks.
When she brought up her washing machine idea with her husband, The Emperor, he said that it was a frivolous purchase. Then he complained about repairs and upgrades that were needed on his clothing. He was trying to move up in the aristocratic circles around him and needed to look affluent. He went to ask his mentor about other things he could do to gain a better position in court circles. The mentor’s advice was to give more frequent banquets to others since Temperance was such an outstanding hostess. That compliment about his wife spurred him to think about her many talents.
Returning home, the Emperor noticed that Temperance was working diligently to prepare lovely, family meals, keep everyone clothed, clean the castle and wash all the tableware and tablecloths. She looked tired. After dinner, the Emperor told Temperance it was good planning to get a washer as soon as possible. He kept the idea of more frequent banquets to himself while thinking of other ways he could ease her workload.
This came to me before reading your stories about these cards. Temperance’s expression looks unhappy to me, like she’s not enjoying her work with water. She looks at the 2 of coins, assessing if there’s any help for her displeasure there. Then she comes up with a plan to be able to move from handling water all the time. The Emperor appears older than Temperance. The hand on the belt makes me think he wants to be in control of things and he’s looking down his nose as her request. Reading some of the stories in “The Castle of Crossed Destinies” made me choose to bring in characters that are not on either card. An outside comment brought about a resolution to the impasse between Temperance and Emperor.
When we read tarot, I think it’s very important to show our work. I compare this to math class, where the teacher requires you to show how you solved a problem.
If a client asks where you are getting your messages or advice, we should be able to show the client exactly what we see in the cards so they can follow along.
I like how you brought in characters that aren’t on either card. In a reading, I sometimes draw an additional card to see what else is happening within the story. This way, I can bring in additional characters and still “show my work”.
