Renaissance Tarot (Jones / Lyle) - The Lovers VI

Sulis

Well for such a minimal deck I'd say that a lot of the majors are packed with symbolism and this card is a prime example of that.

Against a black background we see 'the lovers'.
The man is golden and has a sun as his head and the woman is silver and has a moon for her head.
The sun-man wears a silver moon pendant around his neck and the moon-woman wears a golden sun pendant around hers.
They are holding hands; her right hand is holding his left and her left hand is holding his right.
She is gazing at him whilst he looks ahead and out of the card.
White and red roses grow up the sides of the image and flying above them both is a golden cherubic angel with a bow and arrow which is aimed somewhere between the two of them.

This card makes me instantly think of yin and yang.
In the yin-yang symbol which symbolises the universe the black yin side holds a seed of the white yang and the white yang side holds a seed of the black yin.
Neither can exist without each other and they complete each other.
The same with this image.
She has his solar symbol around her neck and he has her lunar symbol around his neck.
They are a union of male and female, of opposites.
The white and red roses make me think of spirituality and physicallity united too.

What a lovely card.
 

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Enchanted

Sulis said:
The sun-man wears a silver moon pendant around his neck and the moon-woman wears a golden sun pendant around hers.
This was the first thing I noticed with this card. In a way, it made me think of those "cutsie" necklaces with half of a heart. It is as if the fact that they wear the necklaces of a symbol of the other, out of a respect. As if, I am this but I respect and appreciate who you are also.

He is sun, day and she is moon, night. It makes me think of connectedness, both the sun and moon are powerful in their own right seperately, yet together they are more... wholeness, unity and harmony. It made me think of those special moments when you notice that the sun and the moon are visable in the sky together. The fact that they are sun and moon just lends itself well to the whole universality of this card.

This card illustrates very well the combining of opposites, sun and moon; yin and yang, masculine and feminine, inner and outer.
 

Debra

Who is the angel shooting with that lil' arrow o' love?
 

Papageno

Debra said:
Who is the angel shooting with that lil' arrow o' love?

that's what I was thinking.......and is that an arrow of love? or something else
 

Sulis

He's not a very good shot is he? It looks as if he's either shooting the Sun-man's shoulder or somewhere between the two of them.
 

Papageno

Sulis said:
He's not a very good shot is he? It looks as if he's either shooting the Sun-man's shoulder or somewhere between the two of them.

this is another card that's never been easy for me.......does the arrow unite or separate?

I think I find the Adam/Eve/Serpent/Apple depictions more accessible in terms of the cards message about making choices.......I like the Yin Yang aspect of this card but there's something eluding me...
 

Debra

I think the problem is that the Sun and Moon aren't really lovers and we know it.

They are not equals as the Moon reflects the Sun, and they don't spend much time together as far as we can see....so how are they lovers? More like passing acquaintances!

The card transforms the "choice" meaning into a meaning of "complementarity" which is not very traditional. In older Marseille-style decks, the fella is supposed to be choosing between women representing Virtue and Total Hotness (or Mom and Girlfriend, in some decks) but here the contrast--sun/moon--is reconciled. Still, you know they don't hang out much together.

It is a beauty visually, though.
 

Enchanted

Papageno said:
does the arrow unite or separate?

With this particular card I wondered the same thing. In sheer practical terms one would have to say separate. If that arrow hits the sun-man in the arm, as it appears that is where it would hit....well... I don't think they'd be holding hands still. Ouch!

So I sat there looking at this card asking "cupid" why do you want to separate these two? I get an answer... responsibility. These two have found a great connection but as the sun and the moon they have individual responsibilties which mean they cannot always be together. Which actually makes it all a bit tragic, as so many of the 'great' love stories are. And often in these 'great' love stories, it is responsibility (in one form or another) that separates lovers.

These two figures lean away from each other slightly, so I got a feeling of separating being something that they know they must do, even if reluctantly, perhaps knowing that the connection they share won't disappear, it is perhaps universal and that in time they would be physically together again.

The other thing that I thought of with the two leaning away from one another, was allowing something to come between you. Moving away from one another allowing the space for something else to enter.

Geez...I'm cheerful! :rolleyes: :laugh:
 

Papageno

Enchanted said:
I get an answer... responsibility. These two have found a great connection but as the sun and the moon they have individual responsibilties which mean they cannot always be together. Which actually makes it all a bit tragic, as so many of the 'great' love stories are. And often in these 'great' love stories, it is responsibility (in one form or another) that separates lovers.

hmmmmm, a situation like a political marriage ........or a business arrangement. this is a very complex card

doing a deal with The Devil })

thank you for that, I'm getting a better grasp of this card

Enchanted said:
The other thing that I thought of with the two leaning away from one another, was allowing something to come between you. Moving away from one another allowing the space for something else to enter.

yes that makes perfect sense.
 

Sulis

Debra said:
I think the problem is that the Sun and Moon aren't really lovers and we know it.

They are not equals as the Moon reflects the Sun, and they don't spend much time together as far as we can see....so how are they lovers? More like passing acquaintances!
I really love this card and the fact that the sun and the moon aren't really lovers and don't appear in the sky together at times doesn't bother me at all.

This shows polarities and I think that the Universe is made up of them.
God - Goddess
Dark - light
good - evil
sun - moon
up - down.

To me this card shows the union of opposites. You can't have one without the other.
You can't have a sun without a moon, you can't have light without darkness.
I love the yin-yang aspect of this card. It shows how these lovers complete each other and that's exactly how I feel about my husband. We compliment each other but we also complete each other.
I think that this card has a lovely message.

I don't really get the 'choice' aspect of this card as much.