 | Drawing the Lovers suggests that you are struggling with a choice of some sort. Both choices have their benefits and draw-backs, but one choice tends to be socially acceptable, the other personally desirable. The choice you make will mean giving up the things offered by the one choice for the benefits of the other; you will not be able to have it both ways and make a real progression. The Lovers represent the conflict between our spiritual and primal selves. The image is of three figures. The central figure is a man, and at either side is a woman; his lovers. Each lover has a unique way of expressing their affection. On the right side of the image stands a nun, a woman of purity and virtue who attends to the man’s spiritual needs. To his left kneels a harlot who indulges his more primal urges. The man tends to favor the harlot, he stands slightly in front of the nun, and his hand is around the harlots shoulder. This is because the nun, despite her moral character, requires a denial of the self, while the harlot encourages the expression of the self. Older Tarot sets depict a fourth figure, typically a cherub, indicating the moral and virtuous choice, but this figure is unnecessary to the meaning of the image. The choice is internal, as is the struggle, and cannot be swayed by outer influences. The traditional meaning of this image is one of choice.
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