The Lovers card, in its most basic form, stands for meaningful ties and aware connections. When this card appears in a Tarot reading, it signifies that you have a lovely, soul-honoring relationship with a loved one. The sexual energy between you two may transcend much beyond mere fulfillment and lust to something that is incredibly spiritual and almost Tantric, leading you to believe that you have found your soul mate or life partner. The Lovers card can suggest a close friendship or family relationship where love, respect, and compassion are present even though it usually denotes a romantic partnership.
The Lovers is a card of straightforward honesty and free communication. The man and woman have learned to open their hearts to one another and communicate their truest sentiments because they are both willing to be in their most vulnerable states while they are both nude. They create the framework from which confidence and trust can grow, and this forges a strong tie between the two. This card indicates in a reading that you can build a satisfying and harmonious relationship with the people you care about by being open and honest with them. This relationship will be based on mutual respect and trust.
The Lovers card, on a more personal level, stands for clarifying your ideals and convictions. You are developing your principles and philosophy. After undergoing The Hierophant’s brainwashing, you are now prepared to form your own beliefs and determine what is and is not important to you. It’s time to step out into the world and make decisions for yourself while remaining loyal to who you are and being sincere and real in all that you do.
The Lovers is primarily about decision-making. the decision of who you want to be in this life, how and to what extent you connect with people, and what you will and won’t stand for. You must be honest with yourself about your personal ideas and values and uphold them if you want to make wise decisions. Not all choices will be simple. The Lovers card frequently indicates that you are in the midst of a moral quandary and should think carefully before taking any action. Your set of values is being tested, and you are being urged to choose the more challenging route. Make no decisions based on anxiety, worry, guilt, or humiliation. You must decide to choose love more than ever beforelove for the universe, love for others, and love for yourself. Make the greatest possible choice for yourself.
The Lovers card also pushes you to combine opposing energies. You can combine two elements that appear to be at odds with one another to produce something that is “whole,” unifying, and harmonious. Every decision has an equal balance of benefits and drawbacks, opportunities and difficulties, positive and negative aspects. By embracing these opposites, you create the union from which love springs.
In This Article...
What does the Tarot card “Lovers” represent?
The Lovers is a difficult card, as tarot reader and owner of Witchy Wellness Leah Vanderveldt explains to mbg. “It is a card representing connection and the potential for intense intimacy and is ruled by Gemini. When this card appears, we frequently cede our authority to an external force. It can be a relationship sometimes, a title, a career, or anything material other times, “Adds she.
The Lovers card “represents connections and choiceand although it is not exclusively, it is often about romantic relationships,” said Blaire Porter and Britt June of the tarot business Threads of Fate.
When we draw this card, it suggests that we can think that our worth comes from relationships and external events. “Even if you removed that specific person, people still adore and cherish you. Even though you removed yourself from the position, your abilities and skills remain strong “Noted by Vanderveldt. “Before forming a healthy relationship with anything outside of yourself, you must first choose yourself. We are being urged to fully acknowledge our worth.”
What does the Lovers card imply in love?
Perfect connection, harmony, love, and attraction are represented by the Lovers. The Lovers can stand for discovering one’s own sense of balance. You are developing a better understanding of who you are, your own particular morals, and the things you value in life. This will improve the balance and harmony in your life. The Lovers Tarot card typically indicates that you are in a difficult situation or have to make important decisions. You can be unsure of things, people in your life, or the best course of action. These are significant choices that you must make. Make sure you have all the facts before making a decision; don’t just take the simple route. Even while it may appear like a challenging path, it will advance you to higher things.
What do the Lovers stand for?
The Lovers card has multiple tarot connotations, according to A.E. Waite’s 1910 book Pictorial Key to the Tarot:
THE LOVERS, 6.
Attraction, love, beauty, and overcoming obstacles. Reversed: A failure, stupid plans. Another narrative describes a failed marriage and other inconsistencies.
The Lovers are a representation of relationships and decisions in certain traditions. Its occurrence in a spread denotes a choice between potential lovers, a heart-related temptation, or a decision regarding an existing relationship. It is common for the Querent to have to give up some area of their life; for example, they may have to give up their bachelor(ette) lifestyle in order to have a relationship (or vice versa), or they may have to choose one partner while rejecting another. No matter what decision is made, it should not be taken lightly because the consequences will be long-lasting.
The Lovers, which is sometimes referred to as The Twins in some decks, is connected to the Gemini zodiac sign. Other connections include those with Mercury, Air, and the letter H. (Zayin).
The iconography for this card differs greatly from the conventional representation in the Rider Waite deck. The RiderWaite deck shows Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden rather than a couple receiving a blessing from a noble or cleric. Waite was able to emphasize the card’s link with Gemini by limiting the number of people it depicts from three to two. A serpent is wrapped around the trunk of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Rider-Waite card. This visual would make the symbolism of bad decisions having no second chances and the repercussions of losing innocence more broadly known.
The Lovers card is either a yes or a no.
The Couple in a Reading of Yes or No Because it deals with options and feeling unsure about a choice, the Lovers tarot card is frequently chosen by those wanting a yes-or-no response. Put all uncertainty to the side if you are at a fork in the road and want to go in one particular path but feel “unsure.” Move forth with assurance.
The Lovers Upright Meaning
Open and honest communication is the cornerstone of any successful relationship, whether it be between lovers, friends, or even business colleagues. You must be able to explain yourself to the other person, be heard and understood, and then take the time to listen to what they have to say in order to keep everything in balance and harmony. What are we doing here if we don’t have that critically vital relationship component?
Don’t be afraid to express your emotions. When there is a deep degree of trust, respect, and understanding that results from complete honesty and bare vulnerability, personal connections are far more gratifying. We achieve true intimacy in this way.
The Lovers Reversed Meaning
What is unbalanced and out of alignment? Have you been working too much and finding it difficult to find time for your personal life? Have you neglected your best friend because you’ve been so smitten with your new love? Or perhaps you’ve been neglecting your own requirements in an effort to help someone else? Whatever it may be, it is not effective. Let’s take a close look at this circumstance. Take stock of what you’ve been missing or giving up, and accept responsibility for your part. We all make errors, and now is your chance to accept responsibility, rebalance the energy, and put things right. A sincere apology can work wonders, so keep that in mind.
What does the Lovers do backwards?
The Lovers stand for all manifestations of love. Relationships with lovers, friends, family, and most importantly with oneself are included in this. Peace and harmony inside are brought by The Lovers. They stand for the various facets of you that need to be reconciled in order to achieve perspective. Choices are another aspect of the Lovers card. It serves as a reminder that whenever we choose to see a situation through the eyes of genuine love, we have the power to transform it and set ourselves free from suffering.
Do you find it challenging to fully love yourself? Are you able to be entirely honest with yourself about who you are and how you feel? Are you able to accept and be at peace with where you are in life right now?
Under the adoring eye of an angel, the Lovers are brought together in a state of harmony. They have no guilt about being naked. To impress one another, they don’t have to “cover up” or “put up a front.” Male turns his attention to female. She turns to look up at the angel through the mist. The images on the lovers card stand for the various facets of your personality that need to be balanced out if you want to find inner peace and love for yourself.
The man stands for your practical, logical self. The component that functions in the “actual world” is this. The manly side of oneself seeks to rationally explain everything in one’s mind. He is strangely drawn to the secrets personified by the woman in the card despite his fear of the unknown. He values status, power, and logic. However, standing alone, he is lacking. He must connect with something that is much deeper than what he can discover in the outside world. He observes the female for this. She mesmerizes him as he admires her beauty. She fills the gap he has. She is incredibly important to him and serves as a reminder of what’s important in life. In order to know what kind of person he should be in public, the man looks to the female for guidance. If the woman is hurt, it changes how valuable he feels.
The female indicates your psyche, emotional range, and feeling capacity. She has compassion and kindness. She enjoys comfort and beauty. She is sympathetic and desires for everything to go nicely. But she would be lacking on her own. She tends to try her hardest to “avoid conflict.” Without boundaries, she becomes vulnerable to harm. Conflict is necessary for growth. In order to bring about balance, healing, protection, and growth, she needs the man in the card. She occasionally “feels” too much. She loses sight of the world outside of her feelings as a result of this. She must turn to the angel in order to find serenity and repair the scars inflicted on her delicate heart.
The angel stands for your superconsciousness or higher self. He looks down on the various aspects of himself with perspective, acceptance, and compassion. He spreads loving light across both the male and female facets of the self. The angel’s face is simply filled with unwavering love and acceptance. He does not pass judgment on individuals based on their appearance, occupation, wealth, or potential historical events. The Lovers are situated below a hazy haze. It is not always simple for the various facets of the self to view situations from a spiritual standpoint.
The Lovers card’s gazing figures display a secret to finding inner tranquility. To attain peace and harmony, the “external” worldly self (man) needs to be aware of his true emotions (female). By being open about his emotions, he can find peace with them. The figures’ bareness denotes total baring. letting go of the inhibitions that keep you lying to keep up appearances. However, stopping at the emotional realm isn’t going far enough. One must look even more inside themselves for harmony in order to treat the scars that everyone eventually develops. This is the spiritual world (angel). The only one who has a full perspective of things is the Angel. The angel’s eyes are clear of any mist. The only source of true self-validation is the inner spirit. There is only love when you see yourself in all your unadulterated glory through the angelic eyes.
We lose our ability to see things from the angel’s perspective when we become too attached to one particular area of our lives. When we dwell on our feelings excessively, we miss the world’s boundless possibilities. Concern for our position or how we come across to others can cause just as much anguish. Love yourself enough to look within and find your light is the only way to end pain. Look for your higher self. Look at oneself with enlightened, knowledgeable, and radiant eyes. Beyond the suffering, the angel rests deeper within. Self-love originates at the level where the angel resides. You can receive it in that way.
It’s time to start loving yourself today. It could take some serious searching, but it’s there and it’s waiting for you. Examine yourself through the eyes of your inner angel. then maintain those same eyes as you gaze at everyone else in the globe. This viewpoint will let you see a lot more. You can see how imperfect people who are enmeshed in their own pain have unintentionally forgotten to be their better angels that day, so you don’t need to be hurt by their acts. like you do every now and again. With the love of your inner Spirit, view both yourself and other people. This will set you free from all misery and always bring about harmony.
When the Lovers appear backward, it’s time to make your relationships more harmonious (personal, professional and familial). This card depicts connections that are healing. Additionally, it exposes that the aspects about them that are making you crazy are actually revealing an unbalanced or detached part of yourself. On the Lovers card, take note of the three figures. Each of them is a part of you. They must all speak with one another. If they are out of balance, imbalance results, and it will most likely manifest itself in your interactions with other people.
The reversed Lovers advises you to consider any potential areas of discord between you and someone. Instead of yelling at this person, say, “What is this difficult connection teaching me about who I am? How exactly am I making my situation worse? What am I thinking? Teachers are difficult individuals and circumstances. Because they bring to light things about us that we are unable to accept or face, annoying people irritate us. They reveal to us our shadow, our opposition, and the aspect of ourselves that we struggle to embrace or love.
Love is the key to resolving every interior imbalance and outward drama, according to the Lovers. Acceptance is where it starts. If you spend your time blaming someone (past or present) for your imbalance, you will never be able to mend your own heart. Being unhappy due to someone else is a decision. While you have no influence over others, you do have the ability to bring harmony into your own life and heart. You will start to see even the most annoying people in a different light after you make the decision to love and let go of the cause of internal imbalance. They are merely educators. What are they currently teaching you about your life?
When the Lovers appear backward, it’s time to release whatever that is extending your pain and fall back in love with your life. What aspect of you used to bring you the most happiness and make you feel strong, open to potential, and awake? Instead of romanticizing the past, consider the truth it contains. When the Lovers are reversed, it means that using your neglected heart, talents, and abilities will be the quickest path to inner peace.
The lovers in a love reading are reversed.
Most usually, the person you are drawn to is your exact opposite. He or she might not share your priorities, values, or aspirations, despite the fact that opposites attract. Time is needed to compile additional evidence and determine whether love is genuine. The reversed Lovers push you to uphold your genuine principles despite the possibility that strong attraction may cloud your judgment.
The reversed Lovers card can point to a communication problem in a relationship that can be fixed. Try to keep in mind that there are usually two sides to every story and that your spouse may not communicate in the same way as you. Understanding the other person’s viewpoint will probably allow harmony to be restored in a relationship that is typically healthy.
Either you are recovering from a breakup or you are having trouble moving past a previous relationship. This card may be a metaphor for a relationship that you keep trying to mend even if nothing changes. You won’t get the harmony you want by reliving a dysfunctional history.
*This passage is a preview of my future book “Tarot in Love: Using the Cards in Heart-Centered Matters is published by Llewellyn Books and will be available for preorder in the fall of 2022.
How should I maintain my Tarot deck?
While rearranging the cards in the tarot deck is a good approach to purify and clear their energy, there are some circumstances in which you might wish to perform a more specialized ritual. If you’re just getting started with tarot, cleaning your deck can be an excellent place to start.
You might want to clean your tarot deck for a variety of reasons, including:
- beginning with a fresh deck
- readings for other people
- You think you need to recharge.
- Your card readings seem a touch “odd” or “disconnected”
- Your deck hasn’t been used recently.
- Your deck has been handled by others
- You think you’ve been utilizing your deck a lot. A LOT, especially for books with strong emotional content
Why should you cleanse or clear your tarot deck?
Tarot deck cleansing helps keep the energy flowing between you and your deck. Consider it as a little spiritual hygiene to maintain a strong and clear connection. It’s not necessary, but if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms, try a few of the energetic cleansing techniques listed below and note which ones seem to work the best for you.
How often should you cleanse your tarot deck?
This is another way of stating USE YOUR INTUITION: there are no hard and fast laws. Don’t stress if you don’t believe it is necessary for your deck. Alternately, if you like to cleanse them once per week or once per month, that’s great. If it feels appropriate to you, you can even place your favorite crystal on the balcony each night.
If you frequently place crystals on your deck and store it on an altar while not in use, you might not feel the need to cleanse it frequently because this quick ritual will likely be sufficient to keep your deck feeling nice.
There are numerous ways to cleanse your cards, just as there are numerous reasons why you might desire to do so.
Different ways to cleanse your tarot deck
Use holy smoke. Light a dried rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, or palo santo cleansing wand until it begins to smoke. Hold the smoke a safe distance below the deck while holding the burning herbs in one hand and the deck in the other so that the smoke drifts upward onto the cards. Turn the deck so that the smoke covers it from all angles. Next, safely put your deck to the ground and put out the fire.
On the deck, set a selenite stone (or a black tourmaline or a transparent quartz). It works well to leave it like way for an hour, but I prefer to leave it overnight.
Set them on display during a new moon. The New Moon is energy of a blank slate; you can purify the deck by setting it on a window sill on a new moon night. At this moment, you can also make a brand-new intention for your deck.
Place the cards in a salty dish. A strong and stabilizing cleaner is salt. My preferred choice for a thorough cleansing is this. Allow it to sit anywhere from one to eight hours in a dry area.
Unorderly shuffle. Spread the cards out on the ground, then shuffle them around like a child playing in dirt. This method’s freedom and randomization serve as an excellent reset.
the shuffle and sort. Set up the deck in rows of seven cards across, commencing with the Major Arcana numbers 0 to 22. (see photo above). Next, arrange the cards, Ace through King, one for each suit, as follows: Swords, Pentacles, Cups, and Wands. View the deck in this configuration, then mix everything up (like the chaotic!) and shuffle it thoroughly.