The Tattler does Tarot: The Lovers
Tips on the Devil’s Deck from Ms. Marilyn Minter
Darlings, I do hope you had a good St. Valentine’s Day. I find I like to take my Valentine celebrations to the extreme. When I was a young thing, my holiday felt rich like velvet, full of quaaludes and geranium oil and shattered disco balls. These days, I prefer solitude. A stiff white wine filled with sweet memories is an experience all its own.
Valentine’s Day reminds me of growing wiser, my embrace of the holiday changing over the years as I’ve looked at love from both sides now. Still, like Joni, I really don’t know love at all. That is why, my darlings, the Major Arcana tarot card ‘The Lovers’ still holds such a grip on my imagination, as well as the imagination of many other Tarot readers.
While all cards must be read with the specifics of the querent in mind, this is particularly true of ‘The Lovers.’ In a young person’s spread, I take this card most often as a warning. In the early bloom of life, every relationship can feel as hot and passionate as the infinite lovers’ embrace depicted on this card. These relationships can overwhelm, causing querents to be misguided in their morality and priorities. That doesn’t mean I would necessarily advise my querent to break off such a connection if this card appears in their spread, however. Darling, these relationships are necessary. The mark left by a smoldering love stays with us for a long while, and it’s good to remember the moments we lived that felt like brushes with the divine.
But, remember the mercurial nature of this relationship as you make connections with the other cards in the young querent’s spread. I’ll also add two alternative cards that I often associate with healthier romantic relations: the Two of Cups, particularly for a budding relationship; and the Ten of Cups, for a relationship that has a strong chance of endurance.
Now, if the querent seems to have lived a fuller life, The Lovers might indicate a long-standing relationship that the querent can lean on for fulfillment and help. Even if small relationship problems have been occurring, this card signals that there is still a well of trust to draw from. If the querent is in a newer relationship, this card could mean the relationship has promise of a deep, mature connection.
‘The Lovers’ has many faces, and one can never grasp it all at once. The cards surrounding this one will be key to understanding its significance to the querent.
Until next time, darlings – I do hope you honored St. Valentine with your whole heart this year.
Barnard Street Tattler 