The Lovers — The Major Arcana

The word Arcana comes from the Latin word Arcanum, which represents a sacred secret or mystery that one must discover. The Lovers Card is related to the Major Arcana and signifies major life lessons you’ll learn on this path, that of making the right choice!

The secret paths of the Major Arcana represent the journey of the Fool, in which the Fool learns new lessons with every step of the way and overcomes obstacles and gains wisdom from lessons learned.

The Lovers — The Choice

The path of the Lovers represents making the right choice. The right choice represents the union of two people bonding together as one…

“I am ruled by the zodiac sign of Gemini, ruled by the planet Mercury (the planet that makes you take risks)! Cupid may be hovering in the clouds with his bow and arrow, poised to shoot at any moment.”

“I represent a “Scary Choice” that you will make. Your choice will lead you to blissful happiness or the experience of a connection that was not right for you!”

“One way or another, the Lovers card signifies intimate relationships and since physical attractions are an inevitable aspect of life, the temptation they present to forget what is truly in your heart poses a formidable struggle, especially when you make the wrong choice.”

The Lover’s Ruler — Gemini

The Lovers Card is related to the zodiac sign of Gemini, ruled by the planet Mercury. Gemini is known as the chameleon (the leader in communication). Gemini’s personality is hard to describe since it is in constant flux. Those born under the sign of the “Twins” have at least two personalities, and you never know what personality is going to show up! This zodiac sign  requires space to evolve and grow, so those close to them must learn not to restrain or cramp them. Allowed an open door, a Gemini will prove loyal over time, choosing you over someone else because you hold the qualities they like best.

Gemini knows the world is vast and offers an endless array of fascinations to explore. Their flexibility lets them mix well with all people, and they tend to be expressive, creative, and to go with the flow. At times, restlessness leads them to lose their focus and direction, casting them into doubt and error until they recover their footing.

Archangel Raphael

Archangel Raphael’s association with the Lovers card represents the communication that is needed to maintain a long lasting relationship. Raphael is the angel that you should call upon when you need help getting through difficult relationship conflicts. Such as the time when you go through a relationship pitfall that results in a breakup or a turn for the worse, and the time when your situation affects your mind, body and spirit.

Archangel Raphael encourages you to reach out to your friends, social groups, counselors, therapists, doctors through communication so you’ll express your feelings and release the pain you’re holding on to. Raphael also encourages you to find the courage through prayer to bring the Sun-of-Fire into your mind, body and spirit to heal yourself. Archangel Raphael is one of the  Seraphim Angels in God’s service, known as the angel of science and knowledge, a healer of the physical body and the Earth.

Murphy’s Law — Retrograde Motion

The Lovers is connected to the sign of Gemini, which is in turn connected to the planet Mercury and to communication.

During retrograde motion, you can expect unexpected misunderstandings, delayed messages, and miscommunications. These are the times when you’ll feel secretly disrupted while writing, learning, and with communication, and you’re prone to make changes and speak up about how you really feel.

Retrograde motion represents the concept of “Murphy’s Law,” because if something is ready to change or go wrong or needing rework, it will happen during retrograde motion! Depending on the area in your birth chart, and the astrology sign that Mercury retrograde falls under, you’ll find yourself going through a “Do-over,” possibly trying to fix an unresolved issue or trying to find closure.

Mercury Retrograde might send you off to reconnect with a friendship or lover, and you’ll try to resolve, restore, rework or fix what was broken or you’ll end the bond and find closure. Some examples of a “Do-Over” are the following:

You might repair a communication problem with a friend or a lover.

You might repair some gossip that was taken the wrong way.

You might need to repair a text, phone, or e-mail message that was taken the wrong way.

You might travel to see someone to repair the situation in person. You’ll want to rework the situation the best way that you know, and if you can’t, you’ll find the closure that you need.

The Story of The Lovers Tarot Card

The Lovers card is called the “Adam and Eve” card in my deck, enumerated six in the Tarot Deck and symbolic of a choice that needs to be made to achieve harmony. The Lovers card depicts a blazing yellow sun, symbolic of health, growth, positivity and enlightenment and redolent of a bright optimism toward your emotional health.

At the focal point of the Lovers card stands Archangel Raphael, his yellow hands and face signify the divine message that he bears. His large wings are intertwined with red and deep purple, the color red represents masculinity, and the color purple represents a high rank inspired by divine guidance and a message of spiritual love.

The Angel perches atop a white cloud that is intertwined with the colors white, black and red. The color white conveys a spiritual message, the colors gray and black represent a lack of clarity or uncertainty or something that is hidden. The color red suggests a connection to Cupid, who may be hovering in the cloud with his bow and arrow, poised to shoot at any moment!

The green leaves that adorn the Angel’s hair represent grapevine leaves, symbols of fertility, suggesting a sexual union between a man and a woman. Similarly, passion radiates between the naked man and woman, although the woman casts her gaze toward the Angel, beseeching guidance and filled with the uncertainty that attends a choice to be made.

A snake insinuated around the trunk of a red apple tree complicates the picture by recalling, of course, Adam and Eve and the treacherous prospect of temptation. This red apple tree shows the fruit that symbolizes her desire of passion, as well as a reminder of her past mistakes.

This card also presents three people for consideration — not two. The third person, in the form of the snake, could well be an intruder to the relationship enjoyed by the two humans.

The snake’s slithering across the woman’s conscience also speaks of her need to shed the burden of her past, allowing future growth and development. But the snake also reminds us that a harsh and deadly sting awaits her should she choose poorly.

Behind the man rises a tree that in place of leaves emits twelve flames and represents the twelve signs of the zodiac. The tree also represents the knowledge of making the right or the wrong choice and the hot burning passion to bond and unite with another.

The deep redness of the leaves creates an image of danger and fire, but the touch of yellow within the flame depicts a bright optimism about the man’s passion. As for the shape of the leaves, the three-leaf clover has long been important in the iconography of weddings and of love as it is said to symbolize prosperity, joy, fortune, and longevity in marriage. Three-leaf clovers, for example, have been traditionally worn in the shoes of brides on their wedding days.

The blue sky, devoid of any hint of stormy weather, creates a sense of clarity. The mountain represents a journey, but its modest size suggests a journey near completion. The mountain also signifies an uplifting dream that insists on universal possibilities and reminds you of the attainability of the heights to which you aspire.

The path features green grass and stands for direction and choice, the path of life that begins and continues with one small step at a time. A new beginning offers a chance at love, and with it, a blissful relationship that leads to marriage and family.

My Interpretation of the Lovers Tarot Card

The Lovers card represents the Adam and Eve Card in my deck. Eve stands to the left of this card with a red apple tree (the forbidden fruit related to her sexual desires) and there is a snake intertwined around the tree (her devilish desires to take a walk on the wild side).

Adam stands on the right of this of this card with a tree of flames (his burning passions and sexual desires)! Or is this the tree of flames, the tree of knowledge (good or evil)? The good represents making the right choice related to a beautiful experience and the evil represents making the wrong choice and the lesson to be learned when you make the wrong choice.

The angel perched on top of this card represents Archangel Raphael (the relationship angel) and this angel is giving the woman and man the choice to bond together.

The Lovers card has three meanings: the choices you’ll make, soul-mates that will come into your life and obstacles you’ll face during relationships.

The primary meaning of the Lovers Card has to do with making the right choices. At times, you confront difficult decisions that plague you with uncertainty, taking a risk and ill-being. Such decisions demand reflection about your most fundamental emotional values and afflict you with indecisiveness. These decisions may affect any aspect of your life, but they invariably inspire incessant self-questioning.

For example, you may face a choice of selecting a lover or a choice of saving or leaving your relationship or marriage. You may be tempted to engage in an affair because of the attraction that you feel towards another person. One way or another, the Lovers Card signifies intimate relationships, and since physical attractions are an inevitable aspect of life, the temptation brings you into a formidable struggle with what your heart desires and what is right for you.

The secondary meaning of this card is the soul-mate, twin flame or karmic soul-mate that has come in your life. We all have many soul-mates and they inspire a profound and inexplicably uncanny feeling of connection when your path cross with theirs.

Your standard rules for relationships suddenly seem irrelevant and obsolete in the face of your overweening desire to connect with this person. All is intensified, a magnetic and intensely energetic eye contact draws you in.

This union requires perfect timing and a complete absence of barriers. The soul-mate is a lover, friend, or might be a family member from your past life who erupts into your present lifetime. Comfort and familiarity suffuse your encounter with this individual.

The twin flame: The twin flame is a soul-mate that comes into your life so that both of you, in conjunction, can serve God-and-the-Universe. As an example, you may be the soul-mate of a Minister, drawn to marry him and thus serve the church. In this case, the twin flame represents the person that God and the universe have selected for you, enabling your placement on the path of service to others.

The true soul-mate: The true soul-mate is chosen for you since your birth and has compatibility with either your sun sign or your birth chart. Your first, fourth, seventh, and tenth houses in your birth-chart represent the strongest angles and also signify soul mates and your partnerships. The fifth and eleventh houses also represent soul-mates.

The karmic soul-mate: The karmic soul-mate represents your encounter with a person, when everything begins with a fiery ignition and ends just as abruptly. The repetition of past-life conflicts brings pain, in the midst of which the soul-mate comes into your life to teach you something before leaving. This connection usually ends badly.

The third meaning of the Lovers Card is a third-party influence that intrudes in your life, blocking your desires. Such a problem eludes your control, since rather than being connected directly to you, it belongs to the person that you are involved with or are pursuing. The shadow of their past thwarts and hinders you. I call this the triangle as it involves three people in one relationship. However, the third party influence might be connected to you because your past is still in the way, preventing you to move forward.

Upright. You need to make a heartfelt decision. You might have met your soul mate but you need to slow down and not jump in, hook, line and sinker until you’re sure because you don’t want to make the wrong choice.

You’re ready to take a risk because you need a union to feel complete, but you’ll need to examine your personal values and beliefs to bond together with another person as an experience.

Reverse: You made the wrong decision or you’re dealing with a love triangle. Maybe you need to see a relationship counselor because you’re experiencing a break-up, separation, divorce or you’re unhappy and need to make a heartfelt choice that you’re dreading to make.

Timing is 1 – 30 days.

This article is also located on Lotus Tarot (tarot card articles).

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