The Lovers: At a Crossroads in Love & Beyond!

In one of my favorite movies of all time, "An Unmarried Woman," the title character announces to someone that she's "taken a lover." It's 1970s lingo that is cheesy and therefore cringe. But it perfectly describes what is known as the Me-Decade: an era of introspection and self-discovery following the massive social changes of the turbulent '60s that left many people feeling more than a little discombobulated. The reason I cringe at the word lover is that it seems primarily a relationship based on sex. In the Rider Waite Tarot deck illustrated by Pamela Coleman Smith, the depiction involves a man and woman next to one another in their birthday suits. Although Archangel Raphael represents a influence and connected to soulmates, choice may loom large over the situation. Perhaps you believe you have met your soulmate but are involved in another relationship: what to do? Especially if there are children involved, the choice may be a wrenching one. The nudity can certainly suggest taking love into the realm of sexual intimacy but if that wasn't hard to do, the process may be backwards. In other words, becoming emotionally intimate after physically doing so. If a person has trust issues, promiscuity may be a substitute for deep soul connection with another person. This can give the illusion of intimacy without delivering the goods. A vicious circle is created with more lovers and more feelings of emotional emptiness. So the choice point with this card for such a person is whether or not they can dare to bare their soul to another and not just their body. The Lovers card is connected to Gemini and therefore represents duality via the two individuals. Any choice, any partnership can be connected to this card.