The Lovers card shows a naked man and woman standing below the angel. The angel blesses the man and woman and reminds them of their union with the Divine. The couple stands in a beautiful landscape, reminiscent of the Garden of Eden. Behind the woman stands a tall apple tree, with a serpent. The serpent and apple tree represent the temptation of sexual pleasures that may take one’s center away from the Divine. Behind the man is a tree of flames, which represents passion and lust. The twelve flames suggest the twelve zodiac signs. The man looks to the woman, who watches the angel, revealing the path of the conscious to the subconscious, or from physical desire to emotional calls to spiritual concerns. The volcanic mountain in the background is rather phallic and represents the explosion of passion that happens when man and woman meet in complete frontal nudeness.

Upright
Love, harmony, relationships, values alignment, choices
Reversed
Self-love, disharmony, imbalance, misalignment of values
Astrology
Gemini
Element
Air
The Lovers

Upright Lovers

The Lovers card represents understanding connections and meaningful relationships. The appearance of this card in a Tarot reading shows that you have a beautiful connection with a loved one. You may have found your soul mate or life partner, and the sexual energy between you both goes way beyond lust to something that is very spiritual and almost Tantric. While the Lovers card usually refers to a romantic bond, it can also represent a close friendship or family relationship where is the flow of love, respect, and compassion.

Lovers is a card of open connection and raw honesty. Showing that the man and woman are naked, they both have learned to open their hearts to one another and share their sincerest feelings by being in their most vulnerable states. 

On a more personal level, the Lovers card represents getting clear about your preferences. You are figuring out your own philosophy. Having gone through the instruction of the Hierophant, you are now ready to establish your spiritual experience and decide what is and what is not essential to you. It’s time to go into the external world and make choices for yourself, also staying authentic and genuine in all your efforts.

At its core, the Lovers is about choice. The choice about who you want to be in this lifetime, how you connect with others. To make good choices, you need to be transparent about your personal beliefs and values – and stay true to them. Now, more than ever, you must prefer love. Choose the best version of yourself.

Finally, the Lovers card inspires you to unite dual forces. You can bring together two parts that are seemingly in contradiction to one another and create something that is ‘whole’ and harmonious. In every decision, there is the same amount of advantage and disadvantage, opportunity and challenge, positive and negative. When you accept these dualities, you build the union from which love flows.

Reversed Lovers

While The Lovers card signifies pure love and harmony, reversed, it can indicate a time when you’re not in tune with those elements around you. You may find your relationships are troublesome and communication is challenging. Does it seem as if your relationship is cold and you are just not on the same page? If so, look back to the reason you have this person in your life. If you love them, know this moment will pass and the best you can do is bring love and compassion to the situation. In some cases, you may realize that you have simply grown apart and it’s time to move on. If your relationship continues with arguments and a lack of respect for one another, then it could be time to let go and do what is best for you both.

The Lovers reversed can also indicate that the feelings within a relationship are not common. One person may be more emotionally connected than the other, and this could lead to failure later down the path. You may be hesitant to open your heart to the relationship for fear of getting hurt.

If the Lovers reversed shows up in a reading, you might face a difficult decision with significant results. Instead of making a decision based on your values, you try to avoid responsibility for your actions. Reversed Lovers urges you to think again because you can’t just get away with it and choose the path most in alignment with Highest Good – no matter how tough it might be.

Reversed Lovers may also recommend being in conflict with yourself rather than with external forces. It shows a struggle to balance your inner world. They will lead you to make better decisions next time. You may want to go back to the energy of the Hierophant card and search for the guidance and advice of a spiritual mentor.