SEXUALITY
PERSONAL BELIEFS
VALUES
The Lovers is one card that is easy to remember. Love and sex are riveting subjects; as you’d expect, this card represents both. The urge for union is powerful, and, in its highest form, takes us beyond ourselves. That is why an angel blesses the bond between the man and woman on this card.
In readings, Card 6 often refers to a relationship that is based on deep love – the strongest force of all. The relationship may not be sexual, although it often is or could be.
More generally, the Lovers can represent the attractive force that draws any two entities together in a relationship – whether people, ideas, events, movements, or groups.
Card 6 can also stand for tough value choices and the questioning that goes with them. In some decks, the Lovers shows a man torn between two women – a virgin and a temptress. 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. This card can also represent your personal beliefs because to make such a decision you must know where you stand. Following your path can mean going against those who are urging you in a direction that is wrong for you.
relating to others
- establishing bonds
- feeling love
- forming a union or marriage
- acknowledging kinship
- sympathizing with another
- getting closer
- making a connection
- being intimate
being sexual
- seeking union
- experiencing desire
- making love
- opening to another
- responding with passion
- feeling a physical attraction
- tapping inner energy
establishing personal beliefs
- questioning received opinions
- figuring out where you stand
- staying true to yourself
- setting your own philosophy
- going by your own standards
- making up your own mind
determining values
- struggling with temptation
- choosing between right and wrong
- facing an ethical or moral choice
- refusing to let ends justify means
- finding out what you care about
Some possibilities
- Hierophant – established beliefs
- Hermit – being alone, not relating, less sexuality
- Five of Cups – loss in relationships
- Three of Swords – rejection, separation
Some possibilities
- Empress – sexual fulfillment, pleasure
- Two of Cups – union, marriage, connection
- Nine of Cups – sexual pleasure
- Ten of Cups – family relationships, bonding
- Ten of Pentacles – permanent unions, family ties
There are no separate explanations for reversed cards. The meaning of a reversed card depends on what the card would mean if upright. A reversed card shows that a card’s energy is present but at a lower level. For some reason, the energy cannot be expressed freely, normally, or completely. It may be:
- still in its early stages
- losing force and power
- blocked or restricted
- incomplete
- inappropriate
- being denied
- only present in appearance
See Lesson 17 for more information on reversed cards.