6 – The Lovers

This article is part of a series of posts that will compare each card in the Tarot across different decks in order to study and explore each archetype and concept more deeply. This is not necessarily meant to be a teaching tool for others, but if you like to study the Tarot as much as I do, I hope you find it interesting. Enjoy!

For more on the decks referenced here please another page in my blog: Tools of the Locksmith: https://wordpress.com/page/theramblinglocksmith.com/163

A major reference for this study was “Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom” by Rachel Pollack.


This week we explore choice, attraction and relationships with The Lovers.

The Lovers is about a choice between two things which can be two desires or two dualities. This isn’t the only card in the Tarot about choice, but this one stands out as a choice between or around two distinct entities. Even though its only a choice between two things the interpretation can be widely varied. The question can be if you have made the choice already, if you understand the choice and why you are attracted to either thing, or even what the source of your desire both romantic and otherwise is at a very deep level. Duality is something humans have explored from the beginning of time, and many great stories and legends either begin or end with a choice like this. Lets see how different interpretations of this card may ask us to review choices and dualities differently.

In the Lua Tarot we see Romeo scaling the balcony to be united with Juliet. It doesn’t seem like Romeo and Juliet had a choice about weather or not they were in love or if they felt unified against the society surrounding them. To them it seemed like the two of them against the world.

Do you have a situation that feels like this? Maybe its that a choice you have made or have to make seems like it will pit you against your community, family, team, etc. How will you decide if its worth it to go against the grain? Sometimes this is absolutely necessary even if you are the only one who sees it. Sometimes it will only alienate you from your support system and lead you down a path to self-destruction. Use your inner High Priestess to look deep inside yourself for this answer. Your own gut may be your best oracle at this time.

In the Light Seers Tarot we again have a scene between two lovers locked in a passionate embrace. Their deep connection and pull toward each other is obvious, and this seems like an ideal situation, and the stars are aligning for them to become closer and joined more deeply, so what’s the choice or the question?

Sometimes profound connections like this are very scary and hard to accept. This requires us not only to trust ourself, but trust the connection and that person or thing we are connecting to truly have our back. In this case you choice is weather to accept the connection or not.

Are you ready for this deep connection? If not, search your self for what it would take to get there, and if so take the plunge.

The Santa Muerte Tarot shows two people engaged in trying to solve the problem of the lock. One sees the key, and one sees the lock. One is looking up and one is looking down. If they don’t get on the same page they will never open the lock.

If you are already engaged in a relationship, weather that be a romantic relationship or business partnership, or even a longstanding friendship, and you can’t seem to be on the same page with the partner its time to ask why. This most likely needs to be a dialogue. You won’t be able to figure it out by only asking yourself deep and meaningful questions. You both need to be able to discuss them and answer them together.

This is also sometimes a hard road because the answer might be that you don’t want to be together or work together anymore. But until you answer the question and get on the same page you are just avoiding the present moment and not living in it.

In the Voyager we are asked to look within ourself and understand our own dualities. Once we understand what these are we can see where we have made choices that have either made them balanced or out of balance.

Dualities will always exist. Choosing one over the other is temporary. There is no light without the dark. There is no above without below. What changes within is the awareness of the two and the inner balance of them.

The torn rose in the lower left reflects where we feel ambiguous and fragmented instead of in balance. We either accept ourself or become confused by this fragmentation. Sometimes we even refuse to see another side of ourself for so long that it starts feeling like we are being ripped apart.

Where do you feel the most confused? What questions can you ask your self to resolve this? Conversely it may be a time to celebrate something that feels both connected and in balance as with the stone statues of the Gemini twins.

Mutual Attraction vs The Lovers

Both the I Ching Hexagram of Mutual Attraction and The Major Arcana Tarot card of The Lovers seem to point to romantic outcomes and the joining of two souls. Its the message we think we are waiting for at many times of our lives, but if we dig deeper into I think the meaning is much different.

There are some common themes between the two. On the level of the tools themselves, the I Ching shows us our journey through the cycles and turning points of our life, and the Major Arcana of the Tarot show us where we are at in our Souls Journey.

Both messages are about harmonization or attraction between two potentially opposite forces and about balance but I believe that’s where the similarities end.

The Hexagram of Mutual Attraction is about finding the balance and harmony of a situation, or relationship, or within oneself. That’s similar to Justice, or Balance from the Tarot, but this is specifically between two things. This balance is found through establishing a harmonious resonance by means of having an open heart, and pure intentions. Its a means of establishing proper influence using the harmonious coordination of two parts vs authoritative means or manipulation. Its about the union of things. Its also active in principle, this union will not happen passively or else it will not be of the right influence spoken of here.

In contrast the Lovers card is about reaching a cross roads on your souls journey. You have just come from achieving individual mastery, and you must now decide if you want to remain on your own or join in other endeavors. Its about choices, and the choices can be varied. It can be choice between accepting the pull of an opposite force, or to join two inner polarities. Its not about creation of resonance or influence though, its about taking two existing forces and making a choice to balance them, or to result in disunion or disintegration back to only directing your energies or your life path toward yourself.

What will your intention become when you come across them in your own practice of locksmithing?