A couple things.

I've been chewing on the connection between The Lovers and Art for the past couple days, and I just don't quite feel it there. Aside from the art [the drawn, not the Trump], and a few minor connections, I don't feel a huge thing between them.

Is this because I do not understand most of alchemy symbols, that I can't feel a whole lot of it pieced together? On of the things I've gotten from it in my alone time, is that [Art] is akin to the Lovers, in that The Lovers begin, whilst Art is the embryonic result sublimated by will.

When I first look at the Lovers, my attention immediately goes to the egg. In Art, it goes straight to the contents of the cauldron. Is maybe the cauldron another way of representing the egg? I don't recall too much from The Book of Thoth, but I was mostly looking for Qabbalistic, and astrological things in them the first few trips around.

Also, does anyone know of any good things [sites, ideas, maybe even books, but I'm not big on "spending money I lack."] that can help me get more in touch with the court cards, and the small cards? I've noted I don't feel them well enough at all.

I've also noted that while shuffling, I won't reverse any cards [This won't make sense, after a while of shuffling, I lose all interest in normal people things, such as "noise," and "eating," and even "Pain." I just focus on the cards. Is this normal? With my Universal-Waite, the cards fall reverse during shuffle. Is the Thoth not meant for reversals, or am I just being silly?

Thanks in advance.

Stanton said:

I've been chewing on the connection between The Lovers and Art for the past couple days, and I just don't quite feel it there. Aside from the art [the drawn, not the Trump], and a few minor connections, I don't feel a huge thing between them.

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Hi Stanton, I'll give it a go; For me there is a stong connection between both cards ... I'm not sure what you mean by; " Aside from the art [the drawn, not the Trump], " .

Stanton said:

Is this because I do not understand most of alchemy symbols, that I can't feel a whole lot of it pieced together? On of the things I've gotten from it in my alone time, is that [Art] is akin to the Lovers, in that The Lovers begin, whilst Art is the embryonic result sublimated by will.

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A study of alchemical symbols will deffinatly help. I could agree with your second sentence there. One other way of simplifing the connection is to took at Ace of Cups, the root of the power of water .... we cant really comprehend it, so we must study it in its eathy manifest form of duality as in the 2 cups, read up on that.

Now this energy of division and attraction (that makes duality and love and most everything else) is styalised, formalised and contracted (I know ...it sounds wierd to me too!) in one interpretation of the Lovers card ... ie. 2 people have entered into a love contract (of course it has other meanings as well) and there are implications to sort out (eg. children) In the Art card, the energy is sort of being used the same way but by one person with a realised duality in themselves. The Lovers card is a magical formula enacted in the Gnostic mass ( apublic ritual) and the Art card is an energy more related to private workings.

Stanton said:

When I first look at the Lovers, my attention immediately goes to the egg. In Art, it goes straight to the contents of the cauldron. Is maybe the cauldron another way of representing the egg?

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Yes, I think they can be related.

Stanton said:

I've also noted that while shuffling, I won't reverse any cards [This won't make sense, after a while of shuffling, I lose all interest in normal people things, such as "noise," and "eating," and even "Pain." I just focus on the cards. Is this normal? With my Universal-Waite, the cards fall reverse during shuffle. Is the Thoth not meant for reversals, or am I just being silly?

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

I don't think it is 'normal' to 'focus out' but that may not be a bad thing, it implies a high level of focus.

I never rerad Thoth reversed, for me it just doesn't go with this deck and i believe reversals are better given up for looking at how a card is aspected with those around it.

My understanding of the lovers and art has always been that Art is a more mature, more realized version. The Lovers (also called the brothers) are bound, but do not really kow each other yet. The two in Art are truly one now, married, joined. The egg and the cauldron both represent the alchemical child, at least so far as I have understood it. Also, I have never read my thoth cards any differently if they are reversed, the only way I take reversal into account with the thoth deck is that if there are a lot of reversals in the spread things are confusing, topsy turvy, or stood on their heads.

The Thoth was definitely designed to be used without reversals. It says so explicitly somewhere, and is reinforced by the fact that it has a non-reversible back.


Regarding shuffling, no matter which deck one uses, the way in which one positions their hands will determine whether or not one will get reversals. The most common way of shuffling seems to be to pull the two halves of the deck apart length-wise--along the longer axis--and to keep them aligned along that axis while shuffling. I believe most poker-dealers use this method. This produces no reversals.

An alternate way to shuffle, which *ensures* reversals, is to pull the halves of the deck apart width-wise, or along the shorter axis, and then tuning the two halves in upon themselves (one half turned 90 degrees clockwise, one half tuned 90 degrees counter-clockwise) to shuffle together along the longer axis.

By remaining conscious of your shuffling technique, you can choose whether to use reversals or not.

Regarding symbolism of the cards -- I would say the primary reason they *feel* so unconnected is because the color schemes are so different -- one is mostly green, and one is mostly mauve.

But they are, nevertheless symbolically related--the most obvious symbology being that they lie on the same axis astrologically--Gemini (Lovers) is opposite Sagittarius (Art). Notice, also, the interchanging of the eagle and the lion's color between the cards. I notice the robe/skin colors are solar on the Lovers--red/gold, and lunar on Art--blue/white. Also, the raven on the skull on the caldroun mimicks the symbolism of the egg and serpent. The flames beneath the caldroun mimick the wings of the egg. THe lunar crescents at the top mimick the women at the top of the Lovers card. The rainbow mimicks the cathedral spires (or whatever they are). And of course, we have the firebolt/Lance and Cup symbolism. Furthermore, the arrow in the rainbow-fringe on the green garment in Art mimicks the way the lance appears to be an arrow in the center of what appears to me to be a bow that the eagle, lion and children are standing on in the Lovers.

Hope this helps some.