The Fool’s Journey
Now that The Fool knows what he wants to do, how he wants to do it, and has the ability to manage everything he wants to get done, he continues on his journey and comes to a crossroad filled with purpose and energy. Yet here at this crossroad he comes to a complete stop. The path to where he was going is easy, littered with beautiful flowers, and lit brightly by the sun. But standing at this crossroad near a fruit tree that leads toward another path, he sees a beautiful person whose soul shines even brighter than the sun itself. He is captivated by their beauty.
As he speaks to this person, he feels as though he’s been struck by cupid’s arrow, and he can’t imagine his life without them. It’s almost as if an unseen angel has introduced their souls to each other.
Convinced he can’t leave this person behind, he chooses them, and together they go down the new road. Like the fruit tree, they know they will sustain and fulfill each other, no matter how divergent this new path will take them from their original course.
Card Meaning
The story of The Lovers is not just one of love and sexuality, although such a story is a primary and powerful one. Our culture has many definitions of love, so it should be no surprise that this card can carry any or all of them in any combination.
The Lovers is a story of emotion, often portrayed as the union and convergence of two souls or ideas, blessed by some divine being. It is also, in its primary story, a card of duality (just like all cards numbered 6)—a reminder that love and passion are both a blessing and a curse, having the power to build and destroy depending on how their fire is wielded. Don’t take the divine blessing to mean nothing can go wrong in this relationship.
Additionally, all cards numbered with a 6 are cards of choice and departure, a variance from the expected path. When The Lovers appears in a reading, choice and consequence must be considered as surely as if you were standing at a crossroads. Of course it is a time of rejoicing when such powerful emotional energy enters your life and you’re given the ability to choose it, but a sacrifice will be made in order to change your path—even if that sacrifice is as simple as giving up what it means to be single.
In more complicated readings, The Lovers could indicate any number of relationships, all of which are excellent fits. For example, it could symbolize the need to bring in a business partner if the reading is about your career, although it could also symbolize a romantic relationship with someone at work. As part of its shadow, The Lovers would even appear as a choice between a spouse and someone else with whom you’ve fallen in love.
Always keep in mind that love is a flame that requires attention and tending. The Lovers is an excellent reminder that your relationships, in any form, need to be continuously nurtured, or they could become consuming, co-dependent, explosive, and dangerous.
Finally, remember that this is a story much like that spoken of by Robert Frost in “The Road Not Taken”. Once you have looked inside yourself and made the choice indicated by The Lovers, even if you attempt to come back and go down the original path in the future, chances are unlikely you’ll ever return to the choice you are expected to make now—which is why you must consider carefully, and commit, unwavering, to the direction you choose.