VI The Lovers - 'Twin Souls'
The Fool continues his journey on the path through the Major Arcana armed with important knowledge accumulated from his previous encounters. He's now gained enough insights to begin exploring major events in the human experience. Enter 'The Lovers' and the introduction of duality, choice and relationships. Numbered 'VI' in the Major Arcana The Lovers is a deceptive card. On the surface this archetype appears easy to decipher. Its name alone directs The Fool's attention to the magic of falling in love. He soon realizes that there's much more here than meets the eye.
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| 'The Lovers' variations. Left: The Manuscript of Initiations Right: Minchiate Etruria Tarocchi |
THE LOVERS - Twin Souls
KEYWORDS
Choice. Difficult decisions. Love triangle. Love. Couple. Relationship. Partnership. Marriage. Harmony. Twin souls. Soulmates. Commitment. Connection. Attachment. Symbiosis. Duality.
Indecision. Paralysis. Conflict. Disharmony. Infidelity. Breakup. Communication breakdown. Separation. Fear of intimacy. Dysfunctional partnership. Co-dependency. Distance. Loss of self.
THE LIGHT
The Lovers is under the influence of Gemini and the element of Air, so it's by definition cerebral, unstable and infused with duality. There's a common misconception about this card's meaning that can be a source of confusion for beginner Tarot readers. Due to the intrinsic duality attached to this card, it can be read in two ways: Love or Choices. As a matter of fact, the choice aspect is often more intense and important in a reading than the all too obvious love aspect. Scroll down to 'Tarot Academia' to read more on this specific topic.
The Lovers represents true love and commitment, but also the difficult decisions we all inevitably need to make in our lives. It's not only about symbiotic romantic love either, as soulmates come in many forms. This card can show up to represent close friendships or any other kind of successful relationship or partnership. It can signify marriage, civil unions, business partners or other associations and alliances involving long-term commitment. The Lovers is also about healthy communication, harmony and mutual respect.
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| 'The Lovers' variations. From left to right: The Old English Tarot, Cent Proverbes Tarot and the Wisdom Seeker's Tarot |
It immediately begs the question, however: If an external force is at play, is the choice really borne of free will? Cupid is about to fire that arrow after all. There's a sense of inevitability, of fatality. The answer is 'yes', it's still very much a choice. Regardless of what heart Cupid's arrow ends up piercing, decisions still need to be made. The cerebral nature of Gemini is The Lovers saving grace and cooler heads tend to prevail. It's a decision that calls for a sharp the mind as much as a loving heart.
THE SHADOW
The shadow aspect of The Lovers points to issues of trust, loneliness, abandonment, separation and infidelity. It's the card of pairs and twin souls and, unlike The Hermit, it doesn't thrive in solitude. It's an invitation to seek human companionship, to increase communication and seek to resolve conflicts. It can represent a breakup or divorce, but also point out the need for space and distance from the other person. An overly symbiotic relationship can lead to a loss of self, putting our identity as an individual at risk.
Like most shadow aspects it can be a sign of deep imbalance. It can be a warning that we're too attached to our significant other, our friend or business partner and which renders us incapable of functioning on our own. The Lovers are a pair of equals and one should never be dominant over the other. If that happens the balance is upended and gives rise to co-dependency, dysfunctional relationships, power struggles and even abuse.
The shadow Lovers may indicate a fear of commitment, extreme indecision and difficulty taking a stand. This incapacity to make a choice can be paralyzing and there's a risk of missed opportunities.
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| 'The Lovers' from the Tarot of Chateau Avenières by Eugene Vinitski and Elsa Khapatnukoski |
LITERALLY
Tarot can be pretty literal and this is one of the easiest cards to read literally. Its symbology is pretty straightforward and will show one of two scenarios: true love or a love triangle. The type of symbology used in your deck will help guide you and, as always, trust your intuition when it tells you to take this card at face value.
TAROT ACADEMIA
The Lovers appears to be an easy card to read at first glance. I mean, it's about love, right? It is... And it isn't. Ruled by the duality of Gemini, The Lovers is a complex, contradictory card. Throughout Tarot history, artists have played with this duality to tell two very different stories.
In the old Visconti-Sforza series of 'Trionfi' cards and in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, The Lovers are depicted as a couple, a man and a woman, seemingly brought together by Divine intervention. In the Crowley-Harris Thoth, love is literally in the air, symbolized by Cupid about to shoot an arrow through one of the individuals' heart. The artwork implies that the hand of fate is at work, that soulmates have found each other and that it's meant to be. The two individuals are faced with the inevitability of their union, powerless against the strong gravitational pull towards one another.
But if we take a look at the Marseille Tarot, as well as some Italian decks that came after the original Trionfi, we begin to see a different narrative. A narrative that will prove to be instrumental in underscoring the choice aspect of this card. There are no longer just two people in the story, but three: One man and two women. The man is depicted at the center and seems to be contemplating the decision of which woman to pick. The dynamic is reversed in the Ancient Tarot of Lombardy with one woman and two men.
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| 'Gli Amanti' Antichi Tarocchi Lombardi |
Interestingly, the Marseille Tarot labels this card 'L'Amoureux' - The Lover, singular. A clear indication that this card is centered around that one person's experience or point of view. At the same time, the Italian decks still label it 'Gli Amanti' - The Lovers, plural. Perhaps implying infidelity and the infamous love triangle.
Either way, the concept of choice is on display. A lot hangs in the balance in The Lovers' story, starting with the fate of at least three people. This card is a great symbolic representation of the major consequences that each of our decisions entail throughout our lives. Hopefully this card can help us harness Gemini's energy to guide us through the turmoil with a clear mind and grant us the ability to see all sides of a situation.
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| 'The Lovers' from the Dark Mansion Tarot by Taroteca Studio |
AN EXERCISE
Take The Lovers card out of your deck and use it to study its duality. Look closely at the artwork and the symbology chosen by the artist. What is going on in the image? What story does it tell? What happened before this moment and what is likely to happen next? Does your deck depict the 'choice' concept or is it more focused on the 'love' aspect of The Lovers archetype? This exercise will help you familiarize yourself with this card's ambiguous meaning.