About The Lover meanings.

Hola Taroteros,

So I'm reading this newer book that has been mentioned on a recent thread; Tarot Triumphs, by Cherry Gilchrist and as I enter the chapter on the Lover card, I realize that my feelings and perception on the meaning of this card do not agree with about 99% of the popular opinion, as written in countless Tarot books about what's it's supposed to represent.
Every single explanation that I can remember mentions the dilema, the Y of the choices upon this young man. Wether to go for the young hottie or the noble lady. The crossroads. The difficult decision.
I don't know. I have certainly been programmed to subscribe to this interpretation because it's so universal, but if I look at my intuitive feelings and describe what I see, there is no such thing. I believe this is a unión happening before us. The young couple is receiving a blessing by either a mother, or a priestess or reverend. The whole vibe of the card is more loving and cheerful than a tug of war between two opposing forces. At least that's what it says to me.
And besides, why would the deck go so abruptly between the character development of the first 6 cards to a full blown drama of hurt feelings, and broken hearts? Plus the card is not called The Player, or The other woman, or The two timer backdoor man.

So I might be alone, but if I ever get to read your cards and the Lover graces our table, we are gonna be talking about getting lucky, stomach butterflies, and love.

Cheers to all.
B.

Hi B.,

I completely agree that the Lovers card presents us with a bewildering array of choices (aha! Choice! ) for interpretation.

I also agree with you that love and/or marriage, seemingly the most obvious interpretation, seems to be given short shrift by many books.

Gail Fairfield in her book Choice-Centered Tarot/Everyday Tarot interprets it as a group of people working together toward a common cause, thus "cooperation."

While not a divinatory interpretation per se, I rather like Sallie Nichols' take on it ("Jung and Tarot") - when looking at the cards as a sequence, in the Lovers we see the protagonist leaving the world of childhood and parents (the previous cards) and entering the adult world of relationships and choices, thus beginning to form his own independent adult identity, a process which reaches a temporary climax in the next card, the Chariot, where the newly-formed adult personality strides forth. I like this little scenario because it merges the "relationship" and "choice" meanings into a unified story.

Lee said:

While not a divinatory interpretation per se, I rather like Sallie Nichols' take on it ("Jung and Tarot") - when looking at the cards as a sequence, in the Lovers we see the protagonist leaving the world of childhood and parents (the previous cards) and entering the adult world of relationships and choices, thus beginning to form his own independent adult identity, a process which reaches a temporary climax in the next card, the Chariot, where the newly-formed adult personality strides forth. I like this little scenario because it merges the "relationship" and "choice" meanings into a unified story.

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I also like Nichols' take here. The progression reminds me of something I read today: the protagonist mounting the chariot and departing suggests he's "making avoidance of responsibility seem like a quest."

I've never been comfortable with the pat "love of your life" interpretation of this card because I use the Golden Dawn correspondence of Gemini. I can see platonic pairing off or teamwork, but intense love followed by marriage seems a little too illogical in normal Gemini space. Even without the additional correspondences, the Marsille version comes across as ambivalent on this score; the man's gesture doesn't seem entirely honorable. I'm almost inclined to tell clients who think the Lovers shows that they will encounter their "soulmate" that I can't help them there.

Barleywine said:

I'm almost inclined to tell clients who think the Lovers shows that they will encounter their "soulmate" that I can't help them there.

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The interpretation of this card is really a fascinating subject. A whole little drama seems to be enacted, but what exactly is going on? I wonder sometimes if there was something specific in the original artist's mind and it's just lost to us, centuries later.

In the Dodal, fiancee and Mom look like they're fighting over him, while he looks out at the viewer with a weary expression. What drama!

In my own mind I tend to lean more towards BSwett's view, that the picture was initially meant to show a couple and either a parent or a wedding officiant. That interpretation would dovetail with the Visconti-Forza picture which simply shows a romantic couple and Cupid.

To me, the interpretation of "choice" doesn't really make sense in light of the presence of Cupid. With Cupid hovering overhead and aiming at one of the women, the poor guy doesn't seem to have much choice in the matter.

One way to interpret the card might be simply "union." That would be a useful divinatory meaning, as it could apply in lots of different situations (for example, it might refer to someone finding the perfect career).

Lee said:

The interpretation of this card is really a fascinating subject. A whole little drama seems to be enacted, but what exactly is going on? I wonder sometimes if there was something specific in the original artist's mind and it's just lost to us, centuries later.

In my own mind I tend to lean more towards BSwett's view, that the picture was initially meant to show a couple and either a parent or a wedding officiant. That interpretation would dovetail with the Visconti-Forza picture which simply shows a romantic couple and Cupid.

To me, the interpretation of "choice" doesn't really make sense in light of the presence of Cupid. With Cupid hovering overhead and aiming at one of the women, the poor guy doesn't seem to have much choice in the matter.

One way to interpret the card might be simply "union." That would be a useful divinatory meaning, as it could apply in lots of different situations (for example, it might refer to someone finding the perfect career).

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"Union" is good. A while ago I read an observation that the older woman could be the young man's mother cautioning him about the folly of his apparent interest in the charms of the younger woman. The man seems to be hesitating, but personally I don't think there's much doubt about the outcome; the supposed "choice" doesn't seem to be much of a choice at all. It looks like Cupid isn't paying her any mind either. I wonder what the response would be if I told a client their mother disapproves!

If I may nitpick a bit, the card title is L'AMOUREUX (THE LOVER), not LES AMOUREUX (THE LOVERS).

I don't think the guy is choosing anything. Cupid's arrow is usually pointing between him and the younger woman. The 1JJ puts the older woman in the background, as if she were a matchmaker. In Type II decks, she usually has her hand on the guy's shoulder, is if giving advice. The younger woman has her hand over his heart.

ETA. B. and I seem to be on similar wavelengths.

Interesting discussion. Its made me realise why I disliked the Lovers card in Nizzoli's Secret Tarot so much I had to get rid of the deck. The whole nice girl vs strumpet thing got my back up but I hated the way this card was interpreted as choice in such a blatant way.



I really like your interpretations about union and also gaining independence.

Is there a TdM deck that has a blindfolded cupid? I thought I saw something like that a whole ago and it struck me as interesting as that could also introduce an element of fate as opposed to choice? But I could be mistaken about that, I can't remember where I saw it.

ETA: It's the Noblet that has the blindfolded cupid, which according to Wiki suggests love as blinkered and arbitrary! It quotes the poem from Midsummer Nights Dream:

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
Nor hath love's mind of any judgement taste;
Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste.
And therefore is love said to be a child
Because in choice he is so oft beguiled

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CharlotteK said:

Is there a TdM deck that has a blindfolded cupid? I thought I saw something like that a whole ago and it struck me as interesting as that could also introduce an element of fate as opposed to choice? But I could be mistaken about that, I can't remember where I saw it.

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Besides the Noblet as you note, the Dodal as well has a blindfolded Cupid.

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
Nor hath love's mind of any judgement taste;
Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste.
And therefore is love said to be a child
Because in choice he is so oft beguiled

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Great quote, thanks!

If you go the "choice" route who says he is the one making the choice? The arrow is pointed at her. Maybe when hit by the arrow she has made the right choice following her heart. (Her hand on her heart, follow your heart or you have or will make the right choice regarding love). I guess you can go with this meaning depending on what is going on in the reading. But when you get into say an RWS it's hard to get that meaning out of the card. But I am with you on this. It is The Lovers and I prefer to use the obvious meaning of a card called The Lovers.

Could the woman be Venus? Venus (Goddess of love) and Cupid (her son) are frequently depicted together in art and mythology. The woman in the Lovers isn't a beauty as you'd expect Venus to be, but the tarot artists that created a lot of the early woodcut images aren't known for their artistic refinement.