“Love is an act of will – namely, both an intention and an action.”
— Erich Fromm
In this part of the journey, The Lovers shows up as a turning point — a moment where choice, connection, and the voice of the heart take center stage.
The Lovers in Tarot: A Card of Choices, Emotional Maturity, and Connection
In the last post, we met The Hierophant: a guide who challenged us to embody our highest selves through tradition, spiritual learning, and shared belief systems.
Now, The Lovers challenges us in a different way: to make decisions from the heart, and to consciously tend to the relationships in our lives.
If the Hierophant represents spiritual leadership through structure and authority, The Lovers reminds us that when we are faced with a choice, it must be made by listening to the heart — not the mind alone.
The mind weighs options.
The heart knows truth.
Our hero now encounters The Lovers. He's moving from the structured, esoteric world of the Hierophant into a symbolic garden, watched over by the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, The Lovers is card number six: a number associated with harmony, alignment, and living life in a heart-centered way.
It reminds us that love is not passive.
It is cultivated through conscious relationship and choice.
Symbolism of The Lovers in the Rider-Waite-Smith Deck
The Lovers stand in what is often understood as the Garden of Eden. Their nakedness symbolizes openness, innocence, and a state of being unguarded, not only with each other, but with life itself.
Eve stands on the left, in front of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Adam stands on the right, in front of the Tree of Life.
A serpent winds its way through the Tree of Knowledge, symbolizing awareness, temptation, and the complexity that arises once we begin to see beyond innocence.
Above them hovers the Archangel Raphael, an angel associated with love and healing. His presence reminds us that love itself can be a healing force — and that divine guidance exists even when difficult choices arise.
The Lovers teaches us the importance of choice before consequence.
It reminds us that connection in relationships matters, and that mature love often asks us to choose what supports long-term growth over short-term desire or infatuation.
The Lovers in a Tarot Reading
If The Lovers appears in a reading, it often signals an important decision, one that requires emotional maturity and alignment with your values.
In relationships, it can indicate the need to consciously choose depth, commitment, or honesty.
The key is this: the decision must be guided by the heart.
Your heart understands what it needs for long-term fulfillment.
The choice you make now may influence the direction of your life.
The Lovers can also point to the arrival of a significant relationship, partnership, or opportunity, whether romantic, creative, or professional.
If you’re asking about love, career, or purpose, this card is often a positive sign.
But it still asks something of you: to approach the situation with emotional awareness and integrity.
The Lovers invites you to cultivate emotional intelligence. To read between the lines, sense what feels aligned, and choose wisely.
At times, it may also confirm that a situation is already harmonious, encouraging you to remain rooted in heart-centered awareness.
My Personal Journey with The Lovers
One beautiful way to deepen your understanding of the Tarot is to apply each card to real moments in your life, past or present.
This story takes place in 2001, well before I was introduced to tarot. But looking back now, I can see clearly that The Lovers would have been a central theme.
I had just graduated from college and was living on my own for the first time. I started a new job working outdoors as a ski instructor. Around that time, a dear friend set me up on a blind date. This was something neither of us appreciated at first.
In fact, we were both annoyed.
So we hatched a plan: we would go skiing together the next day and pretend to like each other, simply to prove our friend wrong.
But the plan backfired.
On the ski lift, we started talking – really talking – and discovered we had far more in common than we expected. A genuine connection formed. I wondered if he was The One. My soulmate.
If I had received a tarot reading at that moment, I’m certain The Lovers and the Ace of Cups would have appeared.
Not long after, my new love was involved in a serious ski accident. And suddenly, I was faced with a choice.
Traveling three and a half hours across the state, at night, to be with him in the hospital meant choosing to go deeper. Not only to care, but to commit to the relationship.
Though we had known each other for only a month, the choice wasn't difficult. I already knew he was special.
The Lovers would have appeared again. This time, alongside The Tower, reflecting the upheaval and challenges we faced as he recovered.
This is the deeper lesson of The Lovers: love is not just attraction: it is commitment through choice.
Chakra Connection
The Lovers connects most strongly with the Heart Chakra.
While the Rider-Waite-Smith card doesn’t feature much green visually, the symbolism is unmistakable: relationships, emotional truth, and heart-centered decision-making, all overseen by an angel of love and healing.
Your Story + Invitation
The Lovers represents heart-centered decisions, meaningful relationships, and emotional maturity.
To support your tarot journey, I’ve created a simple Tarot Cheat Sheet with key meanings for every card.
And if you’re standing at your own threshold – ready to leap – a personal tarot reading can bring clarity. Book a 1:1 tarot reading with me, and we can explore the cards as they show up for you in the past, present, and future.
When has The Lovers shown up for you?
“Where love reigns, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking.” — Carl Jung
