The Lover's Path: Four of Arrows

Sophie-David

The Lover's Path Four of Arrows is another gorgeous card from this evocative deck. This card speaks eloquently of the healing and perfect peace that comes through the expression of erotic love. The lovers lay together in mirrored images, the Mediterranean tan of their bodies merged together as they rest and dream. A rich brown blanket covered with scrolls of shells and spirals tells of the harmony and perfection of their earthy embrace.

One arrow rests with Psyche, perhaps the one by which Cupid himself was smitten. Three arrows stand upright within the wall, the torches of their fiery love. And beyond the arch of their room, the seas rhythmically froth against the rocks, canopied by a sultry starlit sky.

Whether beast or man, Psyche has given herself over to her unseen lover. The soul has surrendered to the body and become one with it. She rests with him, in quiet peace and satisfied passion. Is he but flesh and blood, or is he the perfect treasure who only dwells within?
 

Moonchild1721

I'll start with this card, since it came up in a reading I did for myself last night. I couldn't decide if this was a positive or negative card for my situation since it represents isolation in a sense, Wasn't Psyche being kept away from her husband (Cupid). What type of isolation is this card refering to? Maybe the isolation of two lovers from the rest of the world? I'm thinking in terms of the self imposed isolation a couple goes through when the first start a relationship?
 

Sophie-David

At this point in her journey Psyche is in perfect bliss - the separation from her lover begins with the Five of Arrows and the separation ends with the conclusion of the Nine. Awakening, the Major Arcana of the Sun, also represents the end of this journey of Psyche's.

Oh yes, I definitely agree, there is a strong sense of isolation in this card, both positive and negative. The couple is completely in their own world, and each is the whole world to the other. This is the first stage of love - they are fully yielded to each other and in each other they find perfect completion. Nothing else matters: his heart beats in her chest, and hers in his.

Yet part of this bliss lies in illusion. Neither partner can live up to the projection the other has shone onto the counterpart. From out of the ashes of this fiery passion, rebirth must come for each of them. Psyche, the soul, must journey through a long night of desparate confusion and pain until she ultimately recognizes that the healing power of darkness will lead her to the great Awakening. Within the new birth of the Sun each must rise and see themselves, each other and the world as they truly are.

In the ultimate embrace of Triumph, the Major Arcana of the World, erotic love no longer excludes reality but enhances and celebrates it, even as it simultaneously transcends it. As Kris says, "Their kiss is a kiss for all the world."