From Prairie:
The Fool now has complete mastery over himself. It's time to learn to share his life with another person. Only in this manner can the Fool continue to grow. Up to this point, he has been concentrating on his own personal growth. Now it's time to put those lessons into practice by sharing them with another.
The number 6 is the number of decisions, and as such, the Lovers card also represents a choice between two equally attractive opportunities.
The sun in this card is the spiritual sun rising to its zenith, as opposed to the rising sun of the Fool.
Angels, in general, represent the refinement of earthly desires. This angel, in particular, is Raphael, the angel of Air. One of the associations of Air is communication, needed for a healthy relationship. The purple cloak on the angel represents royalty, a symbol of how important communication is.
The 5 apples on the tree behind the woman represent the 5 senses, indicating how important sensual romance is to the woman.The serpent is also a symbol of the senses. The flames behind the man represent the flames of passion, indicating the primary concern of the man. There are 12 flames, representing the 12 zodiac signs, the symbol of time & eternity.
The man looks to the woman, who looks to the angel, indicating the path of the conscious to the subconscious to the superconscious, or from physical desire to emotional needs to spiritual concerns.
The mountain is a masculine phallic symbol, while the water is a feminine symbol, indicating balance again.
This is an excellent card to meditate on when you need to make an important decision, and both options seem equally attractive.
EXERCISE:
After the previous hard exercises, I think it's time to do a fun one!
For this exercise, pull the Lovers card from your favorite deck. Meditate on the symbols on the card. Ask the Lovers what the best way to show your love would be. Then do it!
For those of us with spouses or significant others, this should be fairly easy. For those of us who are single, you can show your love for Mother Earth, your fellow human beings in general, an animal, a plant, or whatever.
Once you know what you are going to do for someone else (or something else, as the case may be), now I want you to do something to show your love for yourself!
Tell us what you decided to do for someone else (if this is personal, you can skip that part!) :-) then tell us what you did to show your love for yourself!
This last part may prove to be harder than it sounds. Most of us can think of ways to show our love for another, but find it difficult to love and nurture ourselves. But it's important that you don't skip this step!
Have fun!
Prairie
From Lynell:
I just received the Blake Tarot that I had ordered, so I used that deck for the exercise. It's a bit somber in tone, but actually, the exercise turned out quite nice. :-)
In the Blake Tarot, the Lovers card is called Knowledge (like in "of Good and Evil"). The scene shows Adam and Eve in the garden with the angel Raphael (healing and mediation) pointing out their choice and admonishing them to choose wisely. Well, we know what they chose. But Blake seems to think theirs was the wise choice because, through the Fall, they gained self-knowledge, moral freedom, and accountability.
With the cards face down, I drew one card for Adam and one for Eve. (Hubby is Adam, and I am Eve here.) And then, I thought, well, why not draw one for Raphael, too. The quotes I give are from the book, The William Blake Tarot, by Ed Buryn.
Adam received the Ace of Painting (Ace of Pentacles). A woman creates forms "This card depicts a naked woman grasping two starry phalluses that snake upwards from the sea of time and space ... her gift is sensation, the sensuality that allows form to recognize itself." It goes on, but I think we get the idea. Lucky Adam.
Eve received the 8 of Poetry (8 of Wands). A soul embraces time and space "Swiftness is a metaphor for the ever-renewing prophetic power of imagination ... this card is also about energy and freedom, and falling in love - with another person, with your work, with yourself, with life. Marcel Proust defined love as space and time measured by the heart."
Today is my birthday, so I want to spend some "time" doing something I enjoy doing, without feeling guilty - something imaginative and totally impractical. Hmm, maybe I'll write a poem.
Raphael received the 9 of Music (9 of Cups). A man watches fairies in the garden
This card also makes the "connection between time and happiness. The 'winged life' of the hours is like 'joy as it flies' - beautiful, yet ephemeral ... today you are complete and whole, healthy in mind and spirit." Well, I guess an angel would enjoy that kind of atmosphere. I'll play some Celtic fairie music for Raphael.
Have a Lovers' Day!
Lynell
From Prairie:
Lynell,
Hope your birthday was all you hoped it would be!! Sounds like you had a wonderful day. Thank you for the lesson. You had some great ideas there!
