Rider Waite Card Meaning - The Lovers

V1 - The Lovers - Relationships

When pledges are honored, there is union, and the Lovers card signifies a joining of two primary polar forces: man and woman. The Waite-Smith design draws on traditional Biblical imagery of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, but beyond the most obvious indication of sexual unity between man and woman, this card holds a more subtle and compelling metaphor about the world of opposites in which we all live. There is night and day, winter and summer, hot and cold, good and bad, yes and no, black and white, and neutrons and protons. The interplay of polar forces shapes our world at every level.

The Lovers card typically does describe the coming together of a man and a woman in a romantic or conjugal bond, but it also speaks of the balance between any two opposing forces; thus, it is also descriptive of general harmony, balance, and peace. It is traditional to think of this card as a sign of love and romance. More times than not, it does indicate such, but in a broader sense, it can also be a sign of equilibrium and balance.

Reversed shows the balance is upset, and two opposing forces are at odds. It indicates quarrels and disputes among lovers, disharmonious conditions within the home, and possibly even imbalance within the self.