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Tarot cards are more than just a set of images or a tool for fortune-telling. They represent a gateway to the human experience. Themes such as balance, opposing forces, and enlightenment recur through the cards. The strength of tarot cards lies in the fact that they are not just a collection of images but a complete system. This system influences meanings as much as the images themselves. The cards are in dialogue with one another. Wisdom can be accumulated by understanding the communication between different cards. Pairings between cards can be found based on visual similarities. One intriguing pairing is The Lovers and The Devil.
The relationship between The Lovers and The Devil is strengthened by their numerological connection. The Lovers is card 6, and The Devil is card 15 (1 + 5 = 6).
The number 6 is symbolized by the Star of David, with two triangles in perfect balance. It represents masculine strength and determination combined with feminine softness and persuasion, uniting matter and spirit. It is the number of creation, indicating unity, combinations, marriage, harmony, and happiness. It is associated with aesthetics, symmetry, and coordination. The number 6 is linked to the planet Venus, the goddess of beauty and love.
People with the number 6 are talented, stable, helpful to others, family-oriented, and trustworthy. They value social life and friendships, maintaining their individuality. Justice is important to them, and they seek completeness, unity, and harmony. They are loyal, romantic, and process-oriented, with a love for music and art. However, they can also be hesitant, struggle with decision-making, and be prone to vanity and dramatizing problems.
Astrology
Capricorn (The Devil) – Sophisticated, ambitious, and relentless; driven by the need to possess and achieve; always competitive, with every gain matched by an equal loss, practical and self-satisfying.
Gemini (The Lovers) – Youthful, fresh, and curious; fascinated by life and its possibilities, finding joy in sharing.
Prominent symbols and similarities between The Lovers and The Devil include:
Large, non-human central figures
Angelic gestures – The Devil's hand is open in a gesture of priestly blessing, while the angel in The Lovers holds an open hand in a blessing similar to Raphael's.
Two small human figures – A male and female, both exposed.
Apples and grapes related to the feminine element.
Fire related to the masculine element and the mountain as a phallic symbol.
Notable differences include:
Angel versus fallen angel.
Day versus night.
Sun versus inverted pentagram.
Freedom versus bondage.
Common themes in these two cards involve the relationship between two individuals with opposing elements, such as gender, talents, and agendas. They are connected by a force greater than themselves.
In The Lovers card, the angel and the sun represent spiritual truth and higher understanding. The cloud, associated with the sky and air, signifies truth, conscious decisions, and understanding. The cloud is transient; it cannot hold or bind anyone, although it can obscure truths that might guide one’s direction even when the way is not visible.
The Devil card, and the inverted pentagram, represent the dominance of the physical world over the spiritual. The cube upon which the Devil sits is stable and capable of holding or binding things within or to it via the chains attached. The decisions made or actions taken are not governed by conscious awareness but driven by instinctive impulses or unconscious drives. The trees in The Lovers indicate that the material world rises to the spiritual realm and is nourished by it. The tails in The Devil card suggest that people have completely identified with the material world and have forgotten the spiritual realm.
In The Lovers card, the angel Raphael (the angel of healing) blesses both the man and the woman. The male figure represents the conscious mind, while the female figure symbolizes the subconscious. The archangel Raphael represents the higher consciousness. Notice that the man looks at the woman, and the woman gazes at the angel, who, in turn, blesses both of them. To reach higher consciousness, the conscious mind represented by the naked man must pass through the subconscious represented by the naked woman.
In The Devil card, the figures have horns, hooves, and tails to symbolize their pursuit of sensory pleasure in a primal manner, rather than seeking divine guidance. The Devil misleads them, suggesting that what they see is all there is. The figures are depicted in a way that suggests they could easily remove the chains, ropes, or other bindings holding them, yet they are unable to see that they are free. They are entirely focused on darkness. The man and woman do not look at each other, indicating that they are absorbed in their own desires, showing a lack of synchronization between their conscious and subconscious minds in guiding them towards higher truth.
In contrast, the choice of fruits in The Lovers card serves as symbols: the apples are associated with knowledge and conscious understanding of good and evil, while the grapes are linked to Dionysus, representing wine and intoxication. Dependence on these symbols can cloud conscious awareness and understanding, leading to decisions based on physical desires while neglecting spirituality and rational thought.
In both cards, The Lovers and The Devil, fire is depicted. In The Lovers card, the burning tree evokes the image of the burning bush, symbolizing direct communication with the divine. In The Devil card, however, the spiritual passion and willpower are replaced with mere bodily desire.
Traditionally, The Lovers card is associated with choices and clearing the path rather than with love and romance. The theme of choice is indeed a common thread in the communication between The Lovers and The Devil. How does one perceive and make choices? What influences the decisions?
Together, The Lovers and The Devil cards understand all the secrets of the visible universe and can offer the gift of harmonious power.
Orit Raphael, Tarot Reader for Personal Guidance, Insights, and Messages
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