The Lovers In The Natural Array


 * Alchemical Correspondence: Distillation
 * Astrological Correspondence: Virgo (Mutable Earth)
 * Hebrew Correspondence: Yod
 * Philosophical Correspondence: The Eight Kinds of Love

In A Reading
Humans love being in love. We live in a society where finding and maintaining sexual/romantic love has become a cultural obsession that has done tremendous harm. This is not making a value judgement against a great monogamous and/or polyamorous sex life- just a cultural obsession with "perfect sex" and "perfect love" and how we abuse ourselves and other people trying to make fantasies both tangible and perfect.

The Lovers Upright suggests that the right kind of love is either present or on its way into our lives. But there comes the catch: what kind of love do we really want? What kind of love are we prepared to offer? Inexperienced readers might immediately jump a new romance, especially if that is what the querent seems to care most about. Surrounding cards and the context of the question itself might provide some clues and help sort through a complicated set of feelings and emotional needs, especially the feelings and emotional needs of love interests. In old tarot decks, a young masculine figure is trying caught between his mother (probably storge or familial love and loyalty) and a young woman (probably eros or erotic love) but there are eight (at least) kinds of loves and having to figure out what kind we feel towards everyone that matters and if its a healthy and rightful love on both sides of the dynamic is a lot of work.

Reversed? The matter gets even more complicated. The Lovers reversed shows up when a love dynamic isn't simply confusing; something is terribly wrong. Jealousy, grief, physical or sexual abuse, deception, untreated gender dysphoria- it could be almost anything but whatever it is? The querent probably feels the pain and suffering even if they can't see clearly what is going on. Whatever they are afraid of or repressing though about themselves or the relationship they wanted to talk about? Getting them to talk about that and working together to come up with a simple action plan is essential to getting this reversal turned.

In The Natural Array
The Chariot-Strength-The Lovers are the third triquetra in the Major Arcana. I ascribe Virgo (mutable earth) to the Lovers and synthesizer of Yang-Yin Chariot and Yin-Yang Strength. Virgo is [https://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/Minor_Gods/Astraea/astraea.html#:~:text=Astraea%20was%20the%20goddess%20of,the%20Golden%20Age%20of%20Man. Astraea], daughter of dusk and dawn. The end of her exile within us brings a new Golden Age- the one where we have all eight forms of love harmonizing like the music of the spheres.

In Daily Life
Every time we feel the sensations of love in any or all of its forms, we can see the Lovers at work. Unfortunately, since the Lovers Reversed (Astraea in exile, the state of the Iron vs. Golden Age) is so prevalent in us and in our daily lives we see a lot of twisted, messy love and the two extremes it can lead to- Yin-ish apathy or Yang-ish hate.

There is no simple fix to this. But eight-fold love is something I'm going to be doing a lot of self work with in 2021-2022. I will have better words soon.