HAINDL Lovers
Love/lovers--big topic! Will try to be concise:
1. For all the sexual and passion symbolism this card could mean, Haindl's image is relatively cool and symbolic. It has no eroticism or embracing couple, as in many decks. The naked man and woman hold the golden cup together. A spear comes from above to enter it--a phallic/vulvic image and also with human/spiritual connotations.
2. The card is full of symbols. Besides the rune, astrological symbol, and Hebrew letter that all Haindl's cards have, other symbols are:
--over the woman, the head of a white unicorn (some say the white unicorn is a symbol for Christ)
--over the man, a full-blown red rose--passion and its many ways of expression. Also reminded me of the 1000-petaled lotus of Hinduism.
--a Star of David (those who have read The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown will know he says that the Star's upward triangle connotes male, the downward triangle connotes female),
--two trees--cedars? They're long-lived with dense foliage--good symbols for Love and its dense complexities
3. This card has the white element stripe for air--the Fool and the Magician are the previous majors with white stripes. Made me think of a person who is a Fool for Love and that Love is Magic.
4. The lovers card, like Love and all its facets, has many implications:
--romantic/sexual partnership
--a passionate desire or union (of all kinds)
--a new choice between what was planned and an amazing opportunity (my favorite)
--surface vs hidden desires
--masculine vs feminine principles
--inner vs outer aspects of the Self
This card leaves me relatively cold too
It offers too many choices for interpretation!