VI. The Lovers

♊👥😈🍎🎭

Key words

Upright: relationships, choice, duality, values

Reversed: discord, imbalance, interference

Description

Under a bright yellow sun, an angel with fiery hair and red wings appears in the clouds. Two people, whose nudity represents innocence, stand beneath the angel. They are meant to evoke Adam and Eve as they are about to be cast out of Eden. Eve regards the angel, ignoring the Tree of Knowledge with a serpent wrapped around its trunk. Eve is turning away from temptation and looking toward this divine apparition in the sky. Adam stands in front of the Tree of Life, a symbol that connects all living things and all parts of the self. Adam watches Eve instead of looking at the angel. 

Numerology

6: Compassion, harmony, mutual aid, healing

The Lovers Upright

The Lovers is commonly associated with relationships, but it can also represent a major decision that lies ahead. Relationships, however, are a kind of decision: love of any kind must be consciously created and nurtured rather than treated as something that will “just happen” and then sustain itself. Like relationships, decision-making should come from a place of intentionality, honesty (with yourself and others!), and accountability. Listen to your values and desires rather than what you think you “should” want or believe. Take time to give the situation the consideration it deserves. 

The Lovers Reversed

You may feel like you’re being pulled in opposite directions— forced to choose between your head and your heart, your career or your family, or perhaps a romantic relationship is pulling time and focus away from your friendships. The Lovers in reverse is a reminder to restore balance to all aspects of your life. Ensure there is equal give and take in your relationships, and remember to cultivate your relationship with yourself. Show compassion to yourself, even the parts that make you feel uneasy or ashamed. Our perceived shortcomings are often coping mechanisms for needs that have gone unmet. How can you move toward getting those needs met?