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Card 6 - The
Lovers
© 2007 Honora Finkelstein
This card is about relationships and polarities in
life on the physical plane as well as a union of opposites in the
psyche. On a purely physical level, it represents the working
together in harmony of male and female partners, but on a
psychological level it represents the integration of the masculine
and feminine archetypes within the self for a fully realized
personality. When the masculine and feminine principles and energies
are balanced and working together, a union of the opposites occurs,
a sort of alchemical marriage that in Jungian terms can bring about
self actualization.
In a reading, the Lovers card stands for healthy relationships,
marriage, commitment, and good health, though if the card is
reversed, it represents just the opposite of these ideas—broken
relationships, divorce or separation, a lack of commitment, and poor
health.
The Lovers in the picture are clearly representational of our first
parents, Eve and Adam, with trees of Life and Light behind them in a
Garden of Eden state. Above them is an angelic being, usually said
by authorities to be the archangel Raphael. The angel represents
superconsciousness.
Raphael is associated with the element of air. Air, of course, is
the breath of life—the first thing a newborn child must do upon
entry into the physical plane is to breathe in. Raphael’s name means
“God heals” or “the shining one who heals.” Connecting this angel
with the balance of the polarities of life suggests that the union
of opposites is a healing experience. The angel is dressed in a
purple robe, suggestive of the higher vibration available for humans
to access via the path of esoteric knowledge. The angel’s red wings
represent spirituality, the ability to take flight or transcend the
physical world through maintaining one’s spiritual connection to the
All that Is.
The sun shining brightly behind the angel is the source of all life.
It is also the light from which the consciousness of the human being
comes when it enters the physical plane and to which it will return
when this sojourn on earth is complete. Hence, it represents the
unity behind the diversity of physical life. The cloud beneath the
angel is the illusion created by the physical world, the “glamour”
that is cast over one’s eyes during a physical life.
The Adam figure is, of course, the physical male and original man.
But on a psychological level, he represents the conscious mind, as
well as the left-brained portion of the human being—that portion
with which we function in the day-to-day world through speech,
reading, writing, and mathematical computation.
On a physical level, the figure of Eve represents the human female.
She is the original woman. On a psychological level, she is the
symbol for the subconscious mind, as well as for the right-brained
portion of the human being, which is our connection to all
non-linear knowledge—past, present, and future. And it is through
that feminine right brain that the human being accesses the higher
spiritual realms. Hence, the figure of Eve is looking upward toward
the angel—it is she who can connect to what the angel represents.
The Adam figure looks to the Eve figure because the rational left
brain cannot access higher realms without going through its feminine
right-brained side.
The trees behind the two figures represent the Tree of Life/Light
and the Tree of Knowledge. Behind Adam is the Tree of Life and
Light, which bears leaves of flame. The fact that there are twelve
leaves suggests the twelve signs of the Zodiac, which hold sway over
human personality while the soul is in the physical plane. Behind
Eve is the Tree of Knowledge, which bears five apples and around
which a serpent is entwined. The serpent from time immemorial
represents life energy, as well as wisdom. (Please note that in this
Tarot card there is no association of evil with the serpent and no
burden of failure for Eve to bear—the soul of the human being need
never be in a fallen state so long as it keeps its consciousness on
its spiritual source.
As was mentioned with respect to the pomegranate on the tapestry
behind the High Priestess, the apples on the Tree of Knowledge
represent the lure of the five senses. Eating is the one thing human
beings do that engages all the senses—we see the beautiful red
apple; we smell its delicious aroma; we hear it crunch when we bite
into it; we feel its skin with our fingers and once we’ve bitten
into it with our tongue and mouth; and we taste its juicy goodness.
So the apple really represents the sensual life of the physical
plane. And there is nothing wrong with enjoying or delighting in the
pleasures of physical life—so long as they do not become addictions
and distract us from our true purpose for being on the physical
plane. And that true purpose is to deliver ourselves of our gifts
and talents and to bring that which is above into that which is
below, or conversely, to make that which is below reflect that which
is above.
The true purpose of working in relationship with another human being
on the physical plane, especially in a marriage relationship, is to
better be able to accomplish one’s true purpose for being on the
planet. We call our marriage partner our “helpmate,” but in medieval
times, the term was “helpmeet,” or in other words, the person who
helps us meet our karmic obligations and assists us in our life’s
lessons.
All the astrological associations of the Zodiac sign of Gemini, the
Heavenly Twins, apply to this card. These relate to separation and
distinction at the intellectual and emotional levels and to the
dualism in the physical body of everything that is in pairs: arms,
hands, shoulders, lungs, eyes, ears, legs, feet, etc. We are
dualistic creatures, polarized by all the pairs of opposites that
confront us during our physical life.
The way to balance the polarities is through loving relationships
and healing connections to others, as well as through trusting our
connection to the all-knowingness of the superconscious mind, which
helps us transcend the dualism of the physical plane.
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