The Lovers
If The Magician represented the undivided Self as both centre and boundary of the universe, the Lovers shows the consciousness in the first moments of wonder as it realises its separateness from “other”, from that which is outside its control. The loving gaze between the man and woman expresses the wonder and love one person can feel for the world around them; it also suggests the trust that each o us exhibits in every tiny interaction with the wider world.
The card is, of course, full of opposites – day and night, sun and moon, masculine and feminine, black and white. This shows the duality inherent in Self-Other. This imagery, of course, links The Lovers to The Sun and The Moon. In this way, the card speaks of the symbolism of the mirror, that tool by which we are able to see our own face and eyes. The Moon is the mirror to The Sun, and Other is the mirror to The Self. We are only able to effectively examine and understand ourselves in context, in contrast to that which is Other and outside our Self. The Lovers shows us how interaction with and closeness to the rest of the world allows us to deepen our knowledge of our own nature and experience.
The rainbow that emanates from the star above – a spectrum of visible light - gives a more subtle feel to the hard lines of this-and-that – it shows that there are degrees of separateness and closeness, and all of us are linked through something. Hence are the two Lovers able to bridge the gap represented by their apparent contrasts – through understanding of the gradations of difference between them.
\m/ Kat