Card of the Week: The Lovers
“ Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing those you hold well.”
- Josh Billings
The Lovers come after the Hierophant and speak of union between you and the one you love or simply with yourself. The Lovers indicate collaboration, teamwork, duality, and a beautiful spiritual bond. Also associated with the Lovers card is making a decision/weighing your options and being in good health. This particular card contains a lot of yellow, which represents vitality, growth, and happiness.
This card can indicate third-party situations, multiple relationships, and soulmate connections in a love reading. While both the Lovers and the Devil cards feature similar imagery, the Devil card shows two people bound together by chains, while the Lovers doesn't. This reminds us that the things we love and should keep around us will never have this hold on us and should respect our freedom. You might be addicted to something if you feel chained to it, which is what the Devil card suggests. The Lovers also speak to sex and passion, which can also quickly become addictions. Finding that balance and respecting duality is key with the Lovers energy
(Alexander and Shannon #).
Upright
Past: You may have felt very good about certain relationships in the past, but now you want to branch out on your own and find your identity outside of them. With the Lovers in this position, identity issues and unhealthy attachments may be at play. For instance, you might allow others' opinions and thoughts to dominate your life. These opinions could involve others judging your spiritual path in hopes of getting you to covert. Whatever the case may be, you're freeing yourself and walking to your own rhythm and beat. Patti LaBelle’s song “New Attitude” sums up this energy beautifully!
Present: During this time, it seems you are trying to understand the duality within yourself: the good and bad, yin and yangandyang, and divine masculine and feminine energy. This energy, however, is not heavy, but moreso light and beautiful. It’s the equivalent of having an amazing first date and spending all night learning new things about each other. If this is a love reading, then this could actually represent getting to know someone on a deep level. You could be in a state of temptation as well, as many decks portray the Lovers as Adam and Eve. In the Rider-Waite deck, the Lovers card imagery contains a green serpent on the tree behind the woman, which to me symbolizes protecting our energy and space from false prophets and scammers.
You could be faced with a difficult choice, as both options bring value and worth to you. You are being advised to choose the path that will make you happy and fulfilled.
Future: If you have been seeking a union with someone, then you can expect it in the near future. There could be an initiation process that you are about to complete; this could be a job, relationship, or just another spiritual upgrade. You could be coming together to build with like-minded people who see and understand your vision.You are coming closer to your soul journey and destiny because you have been choosing to do what makes you happy. The Lovers card reminds us if we stay close to the people and things that make us happy and fulfilled, then we are right on track and in alignment.
Reversed
*Disclaimer: Reading tarot cards in reverse is totally up to the reader. There are many who choose not to. There is no right way to do it; go with your intuition. For some readers a reversed means that the energy of that card cannot manifest into reality due to a block. So if you are someone who chooses to not read reversed cards you may skip this part, however if you are that reader, keep reading!
Remember to always be authentic with your spiritual practices.*
Reversed Lovers represent conflict and differences. The conflict is causing a split in the union between you and the person you are inquiring about. It could also be a split within you. It may be an issue of duality, the idea that two things can be true at the same time. For example, you are always the funny friend. One day you decide that you don't want that title anymore because you aren't a sideshow at a carnival. You don't tell jokes or even laugh at your friends' jokes anymore when you're hanging out with them. As a result, your friends think you don't like them anymore, and now the friendship group is dismantled. In reality, you didn't have to stop being funny altogether; you could have simply discussed with them that you felt you were being put in a box, which made you feel some type of way. You, nor anyone else is a one-trick pony. If you feel stuck, figure out where you are being closed-minded in your life.
It is important to remember that the Lovers refer to making great decisions for ourselves, so think very carefully before making any huge decisions regarding your relationships at this time.
Advice
The Lovers card in this position is advising you to see the value in partnerships and collaboration. Despite popular belief, we are not meant to do this whole life thing alone. We are meant to connect and create with others. You are being advised to reach out your hand and immerse yourself in this experience with others. Trust, it’s going to make life a whole lot more fun and meaningful. If you have been alone a lot, it’s time to get out more and converse with others. If you are in a relationship and you two are not seeing eye to eye, it’s time to put pride to the side and work together to fix the problems. If you have been seeking love to no avail, it’s time to look within and see if you are even ready to give what you are looking to receive.
Lastly, if you are living by anyone’s rules and standards, they better be yours or that of your spiritual council. If the rules are set by anyone else, expect to go in circles with no real movement until you break free from them.
Work Cited
Alexander, Skye, and Mary Shannon. The Only Tarot Book You'll Ever Need: A Modern Guide to the Cards, Spreads, and Secrets of Tarot first ed., vol. 1, Avon, Adams Media, 2019. 1 vols.
-Symone Smith, @aquacunt