The card everyone wants to draw! The Lovers is about harmony, respect, connections and choices. Whether in a romantic relationship, or between friends and family, the Lovers card represents communication and honesty, figuring out what you stand for and making choices based on your values.
Two adorable seahorses with their tails intertwined are depicted on Theresa Hutch’s White Sage Tarot Lovers card. The muted brown and pink tones of their bodies harmonise beautifully and their embrace could be one of lovers, or of a parent and young child. The Seahorse is not a monogamous creature, but may choose different partners during its lifetime. When courting, the seahorses swim together, often with their tails entwined. The female lays her eggs into the pouch on the males belly and he keeps them safe while they are developing until they are born. During this time, the female is busy making her next batch of eggs which is incredibly demanding on her physically. This seems like the pair are really working together as a team when it comes to procreation and a beautiful representation of the Lovers card, of people coming together, maybe from opposing forces, yet as one they are harmonious.
The Anime Tarot by Natasha Yglesias shows two teenagers, separate from each other, yet loosely connected as they both hold the same red band wrapped around their fingers. In early Tarot decks, the Lovers card was originally titled “The Choice” and the meaning of this card is still very much a part of what the Lovers represent. These adolescents are in the process of breaking away from the protection of their parents and are becoming individuals capable of making their own choices in life. As Rachel Pollack perfectly describes, “Sexuality, intellectual and a moral independence emerges.” These two Lovers are still wrapped up in discovering themselves, but at the same time they are discovering their attraction to each other. This particular Lovers card could represent a new love.
Mature love is expressed through the carefully drawn image that Eleonore F. Pieper has chosen for her New Era Elements Tarot. An elderly couple sit together, their body language speaking of familiarity and respect for one another. The tree in the background has names on the branches, suggesting that the couple are the head of a family they together have created, love and nurtured. Choice is again a theme in this card. People can be outwardly living a life that is considered socially acceptable, but they could be struggling on the inside with their desires for another life, an affair, or to leave. Like a choice between light and dark, what’s considered morally correct and what the heart truly desires. Love is a choice that this couple have chosen, most likely again and again. It looks as though they have lived through many different experiences together and are still choosing each other.
The garden of Eden is often a background to the figures in the Lovers card, the paradise card of romantic connections. It can symbolise a new love, or it can be a representation of more complex choices, conscious connections in relationships, and is also about figuring out what it is that you stand for, what your values are and making choices that keep you true to yourself. Choose love for yourself and for others.
