The Lovers

The external meaning of the card is always and by everyone grasped without error. Considering that the majority of questions asked of the cards relate to personal life, consciousness immediately latches onto this meaning. Oh, love, great! But tradition in this case wags its index finger before the nose – not so simple! The meaning of the card is Testing! And who among us likes tests?

• Lovers, The Lover, Love, Eros

• Two Paths, The Fork, Choice, Freedom, Freedom of Choice.

• Number 6.

• Path 17

• Zain (from Tiphareth to Binah, from Beauty to Understanding)

• Astrologically: Oppositions, Gemini, Libra

• Venus/Jupiter as an expression of great love.

• Aspect of Venus and Mars.

• Sagittarius.

• The occult meaning of the card is TESTING

The meaning of the card is Choice! And for whom among us is it easy to make a choice when the soul is literally torn between two alternatives? Between past and future, old and new, whims and duty... Intra-personal conflict is what The Lovers foretell.

That far from blissful state when it seems impossible to make a decision, and usually a clear inner voice turns into a multi-headed hydra that begins to sing out of tune, like, the heart is not stone, but the brain is not semolina... It is precisely the conflict between heart and mind that manifests most acutely, though not necessarily (but if, for example, the Three of Swords is nearby, then necessarily). The person at this moment of their life is somehow at a crossroads and faced with the necessity to make a choice, and a very important one fraught with long-term consequences. The Lovers always warn that this choice will still "come back to you" (or perhaps the decision taken will affect the entire future life). Of course, in the most typical case, it is the choice between suppressing desire or yielding to it. This choice may concern not only a partner but also profession, travel, educational institution, house, car, or lifestyle in general. Moreover, the alternatives are usually mutually exclusive; sitting on two chairs is impossible. Old interpretations emphasize the positive meaning of The Lovers – falling in a spread, this card says that the right choice will be made! The Lovers is the card of sincere actions performed "not by law, but by spirit," fully expressing a person's genuine aspirations. Of course, passionate infatuation also pertains here.

In the position of the past, the Sixth Arcana can indicate an already made choice, and now the person is dealing with the consequences. Being the querent's significator, the card can describe a person who made a sincere choice at the behest of the soul, dared to neglect rules and arguments of reason. It can also speak of the fact that right now the person stands before a decision that will require courage and fidelity to themselves, and they must not yield to manipulations and pressure under any circumstances. The choice must be absolutely voluntary, without doubts and compromises. At this crossroads, one must show all strength of spirit. It is some decisive test, trial, exam.

Of course, the event meaning of The Lovers is a union, the appearance in life of someone who becomes a "complement." Full of mutual joy connections, attraction, relationships, romance. Love is a divine gift and the goal of many efforts. It is about love that the majority of questions are asked in divinatory practices. Falling in a spread, The Lovers foretell a new romance in life, even if the person did not expect it. They embody all that is an integral part of love connection and intimacy between people. In general, this Arcana speaks of the presence (or possibility) in life of a serious heartfelt attachment, and the Minor Arcana can suggest whether the feeling is mutual, as well as what outcome of the romance is most likely. If there are no negative cards around, then The Lovers serve as an omen of beautiful relationships. For single people, this card is traditionally considered a harbinger of meeting a beloved person, a true life companion. Moreover, the meaning of The Lovers is not to force events, frantically searching for love, but in that internal event that makes one open up to the world, makes a person truly receptive to the opportunities offered by life.

The Lovers say that the person is involved in some alliance, that the situation requires joint actions, or that someone has great influence on them (self-esteem strongly depends on another's attitude). Here the necessity to communicate is manifested, the search for a "common denominator," some viewpoint that would allow uniting opposites.

In the case of The Lovers, the neighboring cards have very great significance. There is an opinion that this Arcana "connects" the cards on either side of it. Generally, the key word of The Lovers is, perhaps, mutuality. This can be both love and hatred. Between them is one step, and precisely because the intensity of mutual feelings is present in both cases. This card connects what once fell into halves and is a significator of union, merging, unification, synthesis. In general, it carries creative energy. It is believed that as a resulting card of a spread (outcome of the intended matter) it promises success or at least stability (preservation of the status quo).

Romantic and euphoric!

This is happiness and joy that transform a person (at least for a time), very strong attraction and pull towards something or someone, readiness to give one's heart to someone.

Under The Lovers, a person tends to run headlong and sing of their love to the whole world (or the whole internet), shouting that love conquers all ages and its impulses are beneficial. They have their own reality now, where the sun is brighter, the grass is greener (never mind that it's deep February outside), and the moon is always full. Romantic excitement, of course, can manifest differently depending on character, but the diagnosis is usually clear to all: an arrow in the heart! Under The Lovers, there can be both true love and inappropriate sentimentality, empty passions, and absurd infatuations; the true nature of this state can be suggested by other cards. It's one thing when The Empress, The Hierophant, and The World are nearby, another when The Fool, The Devil, and The Tower are. The Lovers are exceptionally susceptible to the influence of surrounding cards. Neighboring cards often also indicate the person's attitude towards love, towards relationships in general, towards finding oneself in them. Sometimes it is a search for love as salvation from all problems, and from oneself as well.

If this card is the querent's significator, then they are definitely governed by the heart, emotions, not reason and calculation. Feelings are set free, possible consequences are of the least concern (though it is precisely under this card that a connection usually has very significant consequences). Attraction, love, and the heart's voice occupy a central place in life and spiritual experience. The Lovers can speak of a passionate fascination with some ideal or idea.

This card also indicates a striving for fullness of life, a time of satisfaction, harmony, and balance, the unification of masculine and feminine qualities of nature.

Sometimes the card symbolizes a person who connects people and smooths out contradictions, a mediator. It also speaks of attractiveness, beauty, sensuality, eroticism.

This card asks – what and whom do you love? What and whom at this stage of life do you choose? What is such a choice like? Essentially, The Lovers are the "tuning fork" component of a person.

It is that inner knowledge "by heart" of what is good and what is bad personally for you, which cannot be faked or deceived. One can not listen to it, pretend not to hear or be unaware, act contrary to it, but the tone does not change.

Under The Lovers, a person renounces one way of life for another. Under The Lovers, they strive for unity, wholeness, and happiness.

This card makes a person uncompromising in terms of choice and commitment. Karmically, The Lovers speak of the experience of love, for which one is not afraid to die. The price of such memory turns out to be high – subsequently, the person organically does not recognize conveniences, fakes, and no arguments of philistine reason save them.

This is the card of human love, which is an integral and inseparable part of life itself. But there are other types of "marriage" and other types of opposites needing reconciliation and union through love. The Lovers represent the attraction of opposing forces; this duality is reflected in all aspects of existence, and in the struggle and union of man and woman it manifests most clearly. The Sixth Arcana describes the stage of spiritual development where a person becomes aware of practically opposite sides of their nature. They try to choose one and suppress the other (the principle of a poorly worked out opposition). The Lovers symbolize not so much the struggle as the union of these opposites within ourselves, the ability to lovingly accept the most diverse properties of our nature – after all, even those we disapprove of are somehow needed for further life and continuation of our growth. This can be the union of consciousness and the unconscious into some synergistic and creative unity. This can be the reconciliation of "light" and "shadow." Each of us has positive and negative qualities, those we accept and those that torment us, seem to hinder living, and from which we would prefer to rid ourselves.

"The Lovers" call to explore and reconcile the opposites within ourselves, not to try to remove or somehow change them. Understanding and accepting both sides of ourselves, a person becomes a creatively productive unified whole (the result of the lovers' merging is the conception of the new). The internal conflict does not exactly cease to exist – but both sides get the right to live together (not necessarily completely cloudless, but a "honeymoon" is possible). Since this task is complex, commitment is required to achieve it. One should not simply acknowledge their existence, but understand that there is an indissoluble, divinely established connection between them and an obligation to achieve fruitful synergy, to become a unified whole. Opposites are not necessarily good and evil. These traits in ourselves or in another person are a mirror reflection of each other, mutual complement and support. One must achieve unity (even if in struggle) of these opposites, make them work together (for this, a crushing force of attraction is needed, which cannot be overcome and thereby avoid the task) and create something greater than just the sum of parts.

Psychologically, the pair of Forerunners depicted on the Arcana (The Lovers are associated with Adam and Eve) can be viewed as the male and female components of the human being. Returning to Eden, to the source of life, requires uniting these two aspects of existence. If we consider the sequence of the Major Arcana as an allegory of the spiritual path, then at the level of the Zero Arcana this unity is present, but completely unconsciously. Then, awakening at the level of The Magician, a person successively forms their individuality, encounters earthly and sacred manifestations of the masculine and feminine principles (The High Priestess and The Hierophant, The Empress and The Emperor), and at the Sixth Arcana reaches the stage where they become aware of the simultaneous existence, the indissoluble interconnection of these two principles, and at the same time – their separation by contradictions. The Lovers do not hold hands, do not look into each other's eyes. Here there is no unity (which will truly be achieved only in The World) – here there is simultaneous vision, awareness, and opposition, and the Tree of Knowledge is not the Tree of Life. The universal law of attraction of opposites - Eros - carries not only joys but also sufferings, and it is only true that sexuality is an impulse to regain the lost part of ourselves. Spiritually and alchemically, this is the card of the Sacred Marriage, passionate and deep feelings, comprehension of the mysteries of life, the beginning of the Great Work to restore lost unity and wholeness. The three figures on the card symbolize different aspects of personality: the man – the conscious mind, the woman – the unconscious, intuitive and emotional side, the angel – higher knowledge. Symbolically, behind the man is the Tree of Life, behind the woman – the Tree of Knowledge.

Astrologically, the card correlates with Gemini, also with Libra and the transneptunian Cupido. In the Hamburg School of Astrology, Cupido (associated precisely with the Sixth Arcana) is responsible for synthesis, combining details into a general picture – this is precisely the deep-level meaning of The Lovers, expressing an enormous striving for unity, for a "common denominator." Here, in the form of lovers man and woman, the mystical connection of opposites in the world as a whole is reflected. The splitting of consciousness into inner and outer worlds, into life and death, into man and woman - and all the resulting contradictions are connected with the sign of Gemini. Communication, overcoming internal resistance and disagreements - too. Gemini reflects, first and foremost, the perfection of perception, its accuracy, subtlety, and sensitivity, because to recognize the highest channels and choose among life's bustle the right path to them requires very subtle perception. Our rational constructions circle around the truth, which remains between two opposite answers. Cognition occurs only at the moment of dual representation of things, on neither of which the mind can settle: two opposite thoughts are two mirrors opposite each other, showing the infinity of reflections of what is between them. The medieval execution of the classical Sixth Arcana implied the depiction of mountains, a person at a crossroads, and an angel of love aiming a bow at a woman on a flowery plain. It meant that before the person are two paths: to give oneself to the world, the woman, the flowers - and die in a spiritual sense, or, withdrawing from the worldly, go to the mountains to death to free oneself for spiritual life in other worlds, and then be reborn again as an Angel - a purely spiritual being. Mountains are a symbol of completed realization of personality, astrologically symbolized by the planet Saturn.

According to mystical tradition, the Arcana offers the initiate a choice between the royal path of knowledge, requiring vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and their antipodes, wealth, excess, power, which will inevitably lead to a dead end. The Sixth Arcana indicates the mechanism of the volitional act of a person who consciously responds to the opportunities provided by the world. When making any decision, one should be guided by analogy ("as above, so below"), and always remember that achieving a goal is impossible without love for the world. It is believed that for people following an esoteric path, The Lovers have the meaning of Initiation, a transition to a new stage of spiritual development (and in a reversed position, they speak of unpreparedness for this or that the person failed the test, as if they chose the wrong answer in a test).

In the Marseilles and some other versions of Tarot, the card depicts not two but three human figures – one young man and two maidens. One of the maidens personifies purity and innocence, while the other presents the image of a brazen seductress. The plot emphasizes the great risk facing the young man – to make a mistake, to choose the seemingly more attractive and easily accessible "wrong one." The card had (and has) other variants of execution. Some of them depict practically a wedding ceremony, in which a priest (or God himself) joins a young man and maiden (Adam and Eve) with sacred bonds. In Crowley's deck, the Arcana depicts the marriage of The Emperor and The Empress, and the ceremony is conducted by.... The Hermit! This emphasizes that genuine love is always part of the Path, not an obstacle to spiritual ascent; the higher Self blesses such a union without hesitation. Another version of the card depicts a young man standing between the figures of two women, the first of whom is an angel, the guardian of the person, and the second is an ever-present demon. The young man stands at the beginning of mature life before a fork where he must choose between virtue and vice, the eternal and the transient. At the top of the card, in a circle of light, is depicted not Cupid, but the Genius of Fate (his star).

If youth makes the wrong choice - the arrow of Fate will strike it. The "fork" reminds a person that the price of free will, the power of choice - is responsibility.

A card of deep feelings, responsible choice, when the heart's voice indicates the right path. Complete sincerity, following the call of the heart, the power of true love.

Of course, The Lovers – the beginning of a new strong feeling or the preservation and strengthening of an old one, the promise of a new romance, the start of new relationships, good relations between people. Reciprocity and harmony in relationships, attachment and devotion, a strong bond, selfless dedication. When confirmed by other Arcana – entering into a successful marriage. This is a card not only of passion but of mutual obligations - here two stand in the presence of a Higher Power, therefore they are bound by mutual obligations (usually not so much before earthly law as before cosmic law).

A more optimistic card for those wishing to enter a relationship cannot be desired. But there are subtleties here. As Acron and Banzhaf write: "The desire to regain lost paradise through union with another person cannot be satisfied as long as you avoid emptiness at the expense of a partner who 'complements you,' possessing precisely what you lack. It is impossible to meet a soulmate through external actions or a certain sum of opportunities. It is not about going to discos or 'how to get married' seminars. The only thing that will help is true inner readiness, which means much more than simply wanting to meet your other half. It means you truly want and are ready to meet Him or Her, without any conditions or doubts." In other words – when it is truly your choice. They also write: "This card reflects sexuality and love with all its contradictions, and also symbolizes the alchemy of the Universe. It is astonishing how civilized, super-logical, self-oriented man still manages to exist..."

Sexuality is a magnet that holds a person within the bounds of eternity, helping them take a step beyond themselves and seek encounters with other people. To build genuine love relationships, a person has to make a choice – to renounce the previous free lifestyle, the status of a free person, the parental home, and also openly confess love to only one person. The necessity of these bold steps is the reason why the Arcana is called Choice.

Another important aspect of this card, distinguishing it from the Two of Cups: The Lovers are an indicator of love, friendship, cooperation, or other closeness between two people between whom there is some BARRIER. These two souls must overcome it to truly merge. Here there is an element of antagonism, opposition, and that is good. Opposite traits in the person with whom we establish a connection are our reflection, resource, complement, and support. Usually, the partner reflects and manifests those aspects that are undeveloped, repressed, or unspiritualized in ourselves. That is why the "true" partner usually initially causes not only attraction but also considerable irritation. We see in the other what we lack, but one can relate to this differently, from "hooray, you have it!" to "what a piece of work you are!".

The Lovers say that trying to eradicate these qualities is pointless. As Napoleon Bonaparte said, one can only lean on what offers resistance. The Lovers offer to experience not only the experience of joy and happiness but also of pain and struggle, as mutually enriching and eye-opening about ourselves. In this case, precisely the clearly made choice and mutual obligations are that necessary element that connects those whose lives are meant to flow together. At the highest level, The Lovers truly describe a connection and closeness full of wisdom and creation, essentially – finding the "ideal partner," who is far from ideal but truly the "other half." One might ask, if the first is not ideal, how can the second be ideal?! This may well be a complex connection, embodying the unity and struggle of opposites, and peace is again only dreamed of. A union of antipodes, between whom there exists a mystical spiritual connection and mutual obligations (from the series "marriages are made in heaven" – conditioned karmically). Their lives must go together, despite what separates and makes them antipodes. Each side contains traits needed by the other to survive and grow, to progress on the evolutionary path. At the endpoint of development, they will achieve deep and beautiful relationships, great unanimity and empathy, warmth, and creative wisdom.

At best, they give each other desire and trust, truth and devotion, honor and passion. They are capable of giving free rein to the expression of feelings, as they have overcome the stage of struggle, the period of antagonism, the phase of conventions and reservations. This is the case when the other person is known so deeply and essentially that their sensations, happiness, and sorrow concern more than one's own.

At worst, they still have to understand and accept each other, overcome contradictions, and become a unified whole. They will be shocked, realizing one day to what extent they are a pair. Love, sensuality, passionate desire, deep attachment. Emotional experience of warmth, empathy, devotion, enjoyment of a harmonious union that brings out the best in both. In the vicinity of favorable cards, this is truly "the bliss of lovers," which the person values extremely. Sexual harmony.

A choice between two life companions. The existence of two equally strong, equivalent relationships. The necessity to make some final decision (especially if Swords dominate the spread). This card can foretell a love triangle, a situation where one of the lovers is bound by marriage ties, or when, for example, two brothers or two sisters are in love with the same person, and other not particularly cloudless situations (more about this will be suggested by surrounding cards). This is especially relevant if the deck used depicts three lovers on the Arcana. Generally, The Lovers are not always "good" in the sense of being an easy card. The situation they describe, whatever it may be, can be the most dramatic moment in a person's entire life. And God forbid you contemplate overnight the choice you must – and have no right to make...

A tendency to endow the partner with traits of one's own unconscious image, to create a projection thanks to which happiness and fullness are felt. A tendency to see in him/her a screen onto which it is convenient to project the portrait of an ideal other half and not notice their true nature.

The meaning of the reversed Lovers is diverse. It can be unhappy, unrequited, unanswered love. Sometimes – sexual incompatibility. It can also be a purely spiritual, platonic union, a symbolic marriage between kindred souls, which material circumstances may well hinder. In exceptionally rare cases, it can be an indication of the existence of an astral connection with a kind of daimon, anima, animus (moreover, such an invisible "astral half" can invisibly protect, help maintain health, perform creative functions; in exceptional cases, a partner who has already left this world can play such a role, with whom the widow/widower nevertheless maintains a connection). Surrounded by negative cards – problematic, immature, unhealthy relationships.

Old interpretations also indicate such a meaning as a hasty marriage (which will almost certainly break up). That is, the wrong choice was made; the person seemed to "listen to the heart," but that's the trouble, it missed; its magnificent optical sight went off for some reason. Wrong choice, reckless, foolish (even if the person is under illusions about it). Inner turmoil, confusion, duality, conflict with oneself, inability to withstand the test. Fatal attractions, a union that suppresses individuality and unrestrained self-indulgence can also be described by the reversed Lovers, although more often this role in a spread is taken by the Fifteenth Arcana.

The reversed Lovers often indicate temporary problems in relationships, business or personal, their deterioration for some reason. Jealousy, possessiveness, dividing interests, in any case, the impossibility of achieving love idyll. Sometimes – infidelity. Unfaithfulness, dishonesty, unreliability. Separation (less often divorce). Disappointment in love, in marriage. Sometimes in a reversed position, The Lovers say that the person has realized their self, separated from their "twin," become more independent, carved out personal space. If the question concerned the prospects of a relationship with a person of interest, then the reversed Lovers say: abandon hopes for a favorable resolution of the situation. Unfortunately, it will not happen. If the spread was about the possibility (or impossibility) of marriage, then the reversed Lovers foretell failure of matrimonial intentions. This card is very pessimistic if a single person asks about prospects in personal life.

Many authors believe that it more clearly than The Hermit or The Hanged Man communicates that at this stage of life the person will not be able to find a companion. The only advice it can give is to learn to truly love oneself, regardless of whether there is a partner or not, to treat oneself as a valuable and worthy person. We can accept that we deserve to be loved only when we treat ourselves well, irrespective of how "successful" our personal life is. Sometimes the reversed Lovers emphasize communication problems, misunderstanding of how to approach a person to establish the necessary contact with them.

The card can say that a person's will fluctuates between opposing forces influencing them, and they cannot make a choice because they do not know what they themselves want. Sometimes it can be a conflict between vocation, the will of one's higher Self, and devotion and attachment to another person. Irresponsibility, inability to make a sincere and honest decision. If the reversed Lovers appear repeatedly, then the person is a great specialist at making wrong choices affecting other people, hence feelings of guilt.

Traditional meanings: misfortune, failure. Immature plans, unrealistic goals, lost opportunities, bad choice. Irresponsibility, neglect of possible consequences, impending reckoning.