"Love is born into every human being; it calls back the halves of our original nature together; it tries to make one out of two and heal the wound of human nature."
-Plato, 'The Symposium'
The Lovers card is the 6th card in the Major Arcana. It comes directly after the Hierophant, the card of convention and before the powerful moving Chariot. In the Lovers card we are faced with a choice. The path to emotional breakthrough (The Chariot) is through this decision.
This decision may be a difficult one. In older decks, the Lovers shows a man torn between two women—a conventional and an unconventional choice. This rather old-fashioned triangle symbolizes the larger dilemmas we face when we are tempted between right and wrong.
The Lovers can indicate a moral or ethical crossroads—a decision point where you must choose between the high road or the low road.
Element
Thought lots of people get excited when they see the The Lovers come up in a reading, it is of the element of Air meaning it is more intellectual rather than emotional. It represents our connection to law and karma.
Keywords
Establishing bonds, feeling love, forming a union, sympathizing with another, getting closer, making a connection, being intimate
Timing
This card is associated with Gemini energy. As Gemini is ruled by Mercury you can also look to upcoming Mercury transits for help with timing. This card reversed can also point to Mercury Retrograde cycle.
As Advice
Spend time with your choice, be fair and logical. Write out a list of the pro's and cons. Which feels instinctually better to you? This is usually the right one. Be kinder to yourself. Sometimes The Lovers come up when we need to watch how we speak to ourselves. The first relationship we have is always with ourselves and this card is a chance to work on that.
The Lovers Reversed
A more difficult version of the card. A choice needs to be made. Things associated with the Lovers themes not going so well.
