Sophrosyne, what the heck is that word and why did I choose it?
Sophrosyne was an important concept in Greek life and considered the opposite of hubris. It describes a state where excellence of character and soundness of mind contribute to additional traits like temperance, moderation, prudence, purity, decorum, and self-control.
Wikipedia gives a great example from The Iliad:
“When Agamemnon decides to take the queen Briseis away from Achilles, it is seen as Agamemnon behaving with hubris and lacking sophrosyne.”
Sophrosyne was also depicted as a goddess by some poets, including Theognis of Megara:
“Hope is the only good god remaining among mankind;
the others have left and gone to Olympus.
Trust, a mighty god has gone, Restraint (Sophrosyne) has gone from men,
and the Graces, my friend, have abandoned the earth.”
I don’t believe the Greeks actually worshipped sophrosyne in the guise of a human-looking goddess. Instead, it was an ideal to aim for.
Modern Witch Tarot
Socrates and Plato used sophrosyne in The Phaedrus to describe the mental state of people who are able to restrain their need for instant fulfillment when in the midst of beauty. He compared it to hubris, which he defines as a loss of self-control, “shamelessness,” or “arrogance” that drives someone to pursue pleasure and enjoyment at any cost.
The image above and to the left of the goddess pouring fire from an urn is a work called Temperantia by Edward Burne-Jones. You can see how the image is similar to that of the standard Temperance card in Tarot.
I came across the word in some reading a long time ago and it hung around in my brain until I started a blog that eventually turned into my website, Sophrosyne Tarot. It describes how I use the Tarot to become the type of person who is best described as having sophrosyne.
What Clients are Saying about Sophrosyne Tarot
I was advised to ask open-ended questions instead of predictive questions which I thought was helpful because I never would have known if it weren’t for the reader. The reader provided the reading along with some advice too so the entire reading was very thorough and explained in an understandable manner.
Everything said was accurate and helpful for me to identify my flaws in order to grow as a person. I have learned a lot about tarot and what it does to help me.
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