THE LOVERS
Basic Card Symbols
An angel or cupid, a man and a woman, two trees (in
Waite, it is Adam & Eve with one tree having a serpent
and apples) - in some decks one tree is flowering, but
the other has fruit. Also in some decks there is a
man standing between two women.
Basic Tarot Story
The Fool comes to a cross-road, filled with energy,
confidence and purpose, knowing exactly where he wants
to go and what he wants to do. But he comes to a dead
stop. A flowering tree marks the path he wants to
take, the one he's been planning on taking. But
standing before a fruit tree marking the other path is
a woman. He's met and had relationships with women
before, some far more beautiful and alluring. But she
is different. Seeing her, he feels as though he's
just been shot in the heart with cupid's arrow, so
shocking, so painful is his "recognition" of her. As
he speaks with her, the feeling intensifies; like
finding a missing part of himself, a part he's been
searching for his life long. It is clear that she
feels the same about him. They finish each others
sentences, think the same thoughts. It is as if an
Angel above had introduced their souls to each other.
Though it was his plan to follow the path of the
flowering tree, and though it will cause some trouble
for him to bring this woman with him, to go somewhere
else entirely, the Fool knows he dare not leave her
behind. Like the fruit tree, she will fulfill him.
No matter how divergent from his original intent, she
is his future. He chooses her, and together they head
down a whole new road.
Basic Tarot Meaning
Originally, this card was called just LOVE. And
that's actually more apt than "Lovers." Love follows
in this sequence of growth and maturity. And, coming
after the Emperor, who is about control, it is a
radical change in perspective. LOVE is a force that
makes you choose and decide for reasons you often
can't understand; it makes you surrender control to a
higher power. And that is what this card is all
about. Finding something or someone who is so much a
part of yourself, so perfectly attuned to you and you
to them, that you cannot, dare not resist. In
interpretation, the card indicates that the querent has
come across, or will come across a person, career,
challenge or thing that they will fall in love with.
They will know instinctively that they must have this,
even if it means diverging from their chosen path. No
matter the difficulties, without it they will never be
complete.
Thirteen's Observations
The Lovers is a confusing card as it is ruled not by
an emotional water sign but by airy Gemini. The
original trump featured a man and a woman with a cupid
above them about to shoot his dart. Later this became
three figures, the interpretation being a man choosing
between two women, or a man meeting his true love with
the help of a matchmaker. Still later, with Waite, we
have an Angel above Adam and Eve. The Angel stands
for Raphael, who is emblematic of Mercury and Air,
planet and element of Gemini. Gemini is the
communications sign. It's all about messages and
making contact; also, as it is the card of the twins, it's about
finding your other self. In this regard, you can see
that the Lovers card begins to make sense. Especially if
you change it back to "LOVE." Here is a card about
perfect communication, about finding something your
soul requires. In this regard, its most common
interpretation about being "A Choice" makes sense.
When this card appears, you are being told to trust
you instincts, to choose this career, challenge,
person or thing you're so strongly drawn to, no matter
how scary, how difficult, irrational or troublesome - without it, you will never be wholly you.
It's sudden and unexpected, and it means a compete
change in plans; but this is LOVE. True love. Go for
it!
Onto the next Tarot card, the Chariot...
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