Today we’ll cover the meaning of The Lovers tarot card. This is a part of a deep dive series on the tarot.
The Lovers tarot card: Adam and Eve under an angel in the Garden of Eden. This card has a lot of symbolism going on in it.
Let’s explore the various meanings and interpretations of The Lovers tarot card.
Summary
| Category | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Upright Meaning | Love, harmony, relationships, unity, choices, alignment, and balance |
| Reversed Meaning | Disharmony, imbalance, misalignment, temptation, and indecision |
| Astrology | Gemini |
| Love | A strong connection and deep love between two people. It signifies the power of choice in love and relationships and may indicate a significant decision to be made in matters of the heart. |
| Career | A career that requires collaboration, partnerships, and teamwork. It also suggests a career in the arts, creative fields, or any field that values harmony and balance. |
| Finances | Financial harmony and balance. It suggests that you may need to make a significant financial decision that involves a partnership or collaboration. |
| Past | A significant decision was made that affected your current situation. It may indicate a time of harmony and balance in your past relationships or partnerships. |
| Present | You are facing a significant decision that requires careful consideration of your values and beliefs. It may indicate a time of harmony and balance in your current relationships or partnerships. |
| Future | A time of important decisions related to love and relationships. It may indicate that a significant partnership or collaboration is on the horizon that will lead to harmony and balance in your life. |
Classical The Lovers Tarot Interpretation
The classical meaning of The Lovers can be seen in the Rider-Waite deck.
The pair is standing in a gorgeous, verdant environment evocative of Eden’s Garden. A large apple tree looms behind the woman, with a snake making its way up its trunk. The serpent and apple tree signify the allure of sensuous pleasures that might divert one’s attention away from the Divine.
A flaming tree stands behind the man, representing passion, the man’s principal concern. The twelve flames represent the zodiac signs, as well as time and eternity.
The man turns to the lady, who is watching the angel, who is pointing out the way from the conscious to the subconscious to the superconscious, or from eroticism to emotional demands to spiritual concerns.
The phallic volcanic peak in the backdrop signifies the explosion of desire.
Upright The Lovers Meaning
The upright Lovers card has a straightforward meaning:
The upright Lovers represent complete connection, harmony, love, and attraction. It is a soulmate card that represents kindred spirits and a strong tie between two people. The Lovers card is associated with chosen connections and deep partnerships.
The Lovers meaning may represent the formation of one’s own unique belief systems, despite societal conventions. We regard this as a progression from the Hierophant, who issued decrees and passed on his knowledge via a regulated method.
The Lovers tarot card represents a magnificent unity and balance of energy, showing complementary energies. This card depicts a duo that complements each other nicely. However, because this card also represents an option and the decision of commitment, it raises the question of how dedicated you are to love.
The Lovers card represents free communication and direct honesty.
Due to the fact that the man and woman are nude, they are both prepared to be fragile and have learned to open their hearts and express their most intimate sentiments. They form the vessel out of which faith and loyalty can arise, resulting in a strong relationship between the two.
The meaning is easy to remember by just reading some of the upright card keywords off of the symbols:
- Naked = vulnerable
- Angel = blessed or healing
- Volcano = erotic eruption
- Flames = passion
- Serpent = temptation
The Lovers can sometimes indicate a commercial collaboration or a connection with a coworker that is amicable and favorable to both. Contrary to common opinion, the Lovers card may also represent platonic connections, yet it can also indicate a blossoming passionate relationship.
The upright Lovers encourage us to choose the option of who we get to be in this existence, how and on what level we relate with people, and what we will and will not stand for.
Finally, The Lovers card advises you to combine opposing energies. You may combine two elements that appear to be in contradiction and construct something that is ‘whole,’ united, and harmonious.
Every option has an equal amount of benefit and drawback, promise and difficulty, good and negative. Accepting these dualities creates the oneness out of which compassion emerges.
Reversed The Lovers Meaning
Reversed, The Lovers has the opposite meaning:
The Lovers card reversal indicates a period in which you are out of sync, especially with your family, friends, and lovers. When the Lovers are reversed, it indicates you are struggling with both inner and outward difficulties. The reversed Lovers means: Take ownership of your decisions and restore balance.
The inverse Lovers in a romance tarot reading might indicate that your connection is frigid. What was once in equilibrium is no longer functional. Some issue is most certainly impeding your connection, which must be overcome before you can build a stronger link.
This is causing you to be conflicted.
You may be unsure about where your life is heading. You must realize that you are in control of your own fate. Don’t blame the cosmos if your condition is the product of your own actions.
Instead, take responsibility, learn from your mistakes, and set them free. You will be able to go on if you accomplish this. You will have a better grasp of your actual self, values, and beliefs, and you will minimize the harm in the future.
The Lovers Reversed can also represent a lack of reciprocal affections in a partnership. One member is more intensely attached than the other, and so this difference may lead to dissatisfaction and insecurity later on. For fear of being harmed, you may be hesitant to expose your heart to the connection.
When the Lovers card is reversed, you may have disagreements with coworkers or a business partner.
Long negotiations may be required in order to reach an agreement everybody can accept. Alternatively, one individual may be performing all of the efforts or may carry a colleague who has abandoned any drive.
Your financial decisions may be impulsive right now, putting your long-term financial stability at risk. Are you making wise decisions, or are you striving for instant gratification? When it relates to your finances, be sure you know what you can genuinely afford.
Modern Interpretations
I always like to examine other, modern decks to see what can be read into their symbolism.
The reason for this is that every person will have different decks, and so it’s good to learn how to go with your gut on what you see. This is the best way to have a good interpretation for the moment.
Too many people stick to a learned reading instead of going with the flow. Remember, each reading, deck, person, position, and question is different. Reading the cards is an art, not a science.
We’ll use a different deck for every one of these. Today’s is Mystic Mondays tarot.
This card makes some interesting changes. First, instead of naked people, we have flamingos kissing and forming a heart.
This aspect de-emphasizes the sexual component of love and reminds us that The Lovers represents all love that comes from the heart. It is about connection and relationships.
But then we get the sexual component in the background. Instead of a phallic volcano, we get two mountains representing breasts and the phallic palm tree in the middle.
This takes the emphasis off of masculine and male explosive sexual energy and reminds us that all genders and sexualities can contribute to erotic love.
The Lovers Tarot in Context
Context matters a lot when reading the cards. Here are some particularly strong things to look out for when the Lovers appear in these contexts.
- Past: You’ve had deep love and balance in your relationships in the past.
- Present: You now have the opportunity to choose to enter a harmonious romantic or professional relationship.
- Future: Look for the chance to re-establish a connection that will be better this time.
For other types of readings:
- Hobbies: Look to partner in your hobby. It’s time to move from solitary activities to working together.
- Love: A romantic or erotic partnership awaits.
- Work: Big decisions about your career are coming.
- Finance: Look for new opportunities and invest with other people to see great rewards.
Back to the Major Arcana list.
The previous card was the Hierophant tarot card and the next card is the Chariot card.
