The Gothic Tarot by Vargo - VI The Lovers

WolfyJames

Frankly, this is going so well that I start thinking that maybe we might end up having our own forum, that would be great.

cjtarot has also written interesting stuffs on this card, and other cards as well, in a thread on The Gothic Tarot and he/she accepted graciously to be quoted here.

cjtarot said:
I want to respond to the quote about the Lovers, the High Priest and the Empress standing in the same arch...

The Empress, guards her home...the relm of beond. (note the Emperor is inside with all the babe's doing NOTHING)

The Hight PRiest guards the knowledge in the Relm of beond

The Lovers..It is your choice (or is it) to enter into the Relm..note the lovers almost look farther into the arch..

Also look at the High Priestess and the 9 of cups...
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The HP..guarding the unknow of our sub consious - or the door to the afterlife.

The 9 of cups.. Cups are emotion, our life flow if you will..the 9 is showing the final preperation before we are fufilled, before the final journey into the ultimate unknow..(Note the 10 of cups is within that arch..the claiming or the dark angel leading you away)

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Vargo's cards were based on earlier works, you can see some of them on his website. This card is called Vampire's Kiss.

The back of the card is the same as the Empress and the High Priest. Here are the Lovers, in a door within a coffin. The arch has a pillar on each side, and on each side of the arch stands the guardians, skeletons with wings. A woman, wearing a white nightgown, is embraced tenderly and passionatly from behind by a vampire dressed in black, and gives her a kiss on the neck, before bitting her and making her belong to him, joined in eternity.

Him, dressed in black, and her, in white, makes me think of this act as a loss of innocence, loss of virginity. The others cards before refered to spiritual and material aspect, with this one is emotional, passionate and sexual. Giving yourself totally, your love, your body, your blood and your soul. And this is also a big commitment, for it is for eternity. She still can run away, if she really wants to, I don't think this vampire would take her by force; it is entire up to her to stay or not, she has to surrender to be taken.
 

Umbrae

Yes he’s in black and she’s in white – but if you look at her, she is well past the orgasm of her first vampyric congress. They have long since drunk of each other – and have grown accustomed to sharing the same casket. Their love (passion) for each other (and that which they do) has crossed the boundaries of the grave.

This is very much a card that speaks of a person’s passion, their dream, that ‘thing’ that they do. That passion can transcend all (even the grave); it reminds us that love, and passion, often involve great risk...perhaps even death.
 

WolfyJames

I wanted to wait before making a reading with the Gothic Tarot, I wanted to finish the study first but... I couldn't resist the temptation. So I made one about the relationship we're going to have together, and the result was this card, The Lovers. What a beautiful answer! Deep commitment, passion and mutual bitting.

By the way, unlike the Empress and The High Priest, The Lovers are not in a coffin, but in some sort of vault. My guess is that the casquet was too small for them both.
 

Alissa

I've thought for weeks what to say about the Lovers, and I still don't know what to add.

But ...God, it's gorgeous. I can almost feel his lips on my own neck (right about ... there, where the jugular is... warm heart blood ... go ahead, I don't mind, nibble).

The idea of sacrifice is interesting in connection to this card - what would you sacrifice in order to have the love you want? Your blood? Your mortality (the way of life you're used to)?

But, I agree with Umbrae ... these two look quite content with the life they've built. If the similarity of the same archway in the background is intended to indicate this *is* the Empress and the Hierophant we see, well ... a fresh taste of blood did ole boy the trick (turned him from Nosferatu, ancient, shrivelled up & parched into long flowing black locks, youth and beauty).

Doesn't love have regenerative powers on those who find themselves in it's state?

Overall, I look at this card and think, "Devotion" - an extremely deep, and lasting devotion. Here, devotion to each other. In readings, the devotion could be to a person, or it could be to a concept or ideal.
 

silk_selen

I think that the two skeletal relief sculptures are them as they were, they changed for each other, and sacrificed, and still they are devoted.
 

mercenary30

The Lovers

Two grey marble columns flank an archway that is carved from white marble. Depicted on either side of the archway is a skeletal angel figure in a death pose, as if they lay in a coffin. Inside the archway is a couple. The front one is a woman wearing a white gown. Embracing her from behind is a vampire. Her head is tilted off to one side, offering up her neck to her vampire lover. He has bitten her neck and is now in the process of converting her to the realm of the undead. She shows no sign of resistance, so this was a choice that she made.

I immediately notice that the dark columns embrace the white archway, very much like the dark vampire embraces his white clad lover. This is almost presented like some sort of marriage/conversion ritual. I feel like I am one in the audience watching these two join their lives together, forever. She looks like she is a bit weak in the knees and the gentleman vamp is actually supporting her as he finishes his bite. In a very dark and romantic kind of way, I almost envy them. To be able to experience “life” for that much time, it would seriously make me think about the option. *sigh*
 

annik

*snif* emotion!

This one makes me think of the story of Eros and Psyche, but at the end, when they are together forever. Of course, on this picture, it would be a different version (more vampiric).

Their eyes are closed, in the intensity of the emotions. They must be really be in deep love. And the moment is intense.
 

Emeraldgirl

I love this card. It seems so innocent and true. It's all the famous lovers all wrapped up in one card. It's just hertbreakingly beautiful.
 

RubyV

finally! I get to post.

To me, one of the most important aspects of the cards are the two guardian winged figures. Why are they witht he lovers, who are completely lost in each other? What do they have to offer those who are completely in each others' thrall?

I think that the lovers show us the best and worst of all encompassing love. It's easy to get so caught up in the passion, the lust, the drive, that we sometimes forget about the commitment, about what "forever" means.

Maybe the winged figures are there to remind that that their blood ties are forever, beyond the grave. To remind them what their vows of blood mean for the undead. That under the blood lust, their love remains.