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The Lovers
Tarot Card Meaning

Sacred union, meaningful choices, and alignment of values

The Lovers tarot card from Rider-Waite deck showing man and woman beneath Archangel Raphael

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The Lovers at a glance

Card Number: 6

Suit: Major Arcana


Element: Air


Keywords: Love, choice, union, harmony, values, partnership, alignment, divine blessing


Upright Meaning: The Lovers represents meaningful choices aligned with your values, harmonious partnerships, and the union of opposites.


Reversed Meaning: The Lovers reversed signals misalignment of values, difficult relationship choices, inner conflict, or choosing short-term pleasure over long-term fulfillment.

What to know about the Lovers

The Lovers tarot card represents the power of choice, sacred union, and alignment with your deepest values. This card often appears when you're facing an important decision that will shape your future direction. The Lovers signals that the universe is asking you to choose from the heart while honoring your authentic values. The Lovers reminds us that every choice is an act of creation, and the most fulfilling partnerships are built on mutual respect, shared values, and genuine connection.

Symbolism

This description is based on the Rider-Waite deck.

 

A naked man and woman stand beneath the blessing of Archangel Raphael, the angel of healing and communication. Their nakedness represents vulnerability, innocence, and the soul stripped of pretense. Behind the woman stands the Tree of Knowledge bearing fruit and a serpent, symbolizing temptation and wisdom. Behind the man rises the Tree of Life with twelve flames representing the zodiac and passion. The mountain between them suggests challenges that must be overcome.

Upright meaning

When the Lovers appears upright, it signals a significant choice or decision that requires you to align with your core values and authentic self. This card represents harmony, partnership, and the integration of opposites. The Lovers asks you to examine what truly matters to you and make decisions that honor your integrity. It's about choosing love over fear, connection over isolation, and authenticity over conformity.


Love & Relationships:

In love readings, the Lovers is one of the most positive cards, indicating deep soul connection, mutual attraction, and relationships built on shared values. This card can signal the beginning of a significant romantic relationship, a deepening commitment, or a renewal of passion in an existing partnership.


Career & Finances:

The Lovers in career contexts suggests important professional decisions that must align with your values and life purpose. This card emphasizes collaboration, finding work that reflects your authentic self, and partnerships that are mutually beneficial. It can also indicate creative collaborations or joining forces with someone whose skills complement your own.


Personal Growth:

On a personal level, the Lovers represents integration of different aspects of yourself—healing internal conflicts and finding harmony between your desires and your values. This card asks you to develop self-love and accept all parts of who you are. It's about making choices that honor your whole self rather than fragmenting yourself to please others or meet external expectations.

Reversed meaning

The Lovers reversed indicates misalignment between your choices and your values, or difficulty making an important decision. This card can also suggest that you're making decisions based on external pressure, lust, or infatuation rather than genuine connection and shared values. The reversed Lovers asks you to examine where you're compromising your integrity or avoiding necessary choices.

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Love & Relationships:

When reversed in love readings, the Lovers suggests relationship challenges, misaligned values, or choosing partners who don't truly suit you. This card can indicate communication breakdowns, growing apart from a partner, or realizing that you want different things from life. It's a call to be honest about whether your relationship truly honors both people's authentic selves.


Career & Finances:

The reversed Lovers in career contexts signals choosing money or status over fulfillment, or working in environments that conflict with your values. This card can also indicate partnerships or collaborations that aren't working due to mismatched goals or values, or compromising your ethics for professional gain.


Personal Growth:

Reversed, this card represents internal fragmentation, self-judgment, or difficulty accepting all parts of yourself. You may be at war with your own desires, suppressing aspects of your personality, or making choices that create cognitive dissonance. The Lovers reversed invites you to heal the relationship with yourself first before seeking external validation or partnership.

Common questions about The Lovers

Does the Lovers card always mean romantic love?

No, while the Lovers often appears in romantic contexts, it fundamentally represents choice, values alignment, and the union of opposites. The card is about choosing what truly aligns with your soul, whether that's a relationship, career path, or way of being in the world.

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Can the Lovers indicate a soulmate connection?

Yes, the Lovers is one of the primary soulmate indicators in tarot. It represents deep soul recognition, spiritual connection, and partnerships that help both people grow and evolve.

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What does the Lovers mean if I'm single?

For single people, the Lovers often signals that you're ready for a significant relationship and that love may be on the horizon. However, it primarily asks you to cultivate self-love and clarity about your values first. This card suggests being clear about what you truly want in partnership and making choices that honor your authentic self.

Interpreting the Lovers

The best way to understand the Lovers card is to examine the choices before you and ask whether they align with your deepest values and authentic self. What symbols really stick out to you in the imagery? Do you relate more to the man looking at the woman, the woman looking to the angel, or the angel offering guidance? What does your intuition tell you is ready for integration or union in your life? The Lovers asks you to consider not just what you want, but who you're choosing to become through your decisions.


If you've drawn the Lovers card in a reading and want deeper insight into how it applies to your specific question, try our interactive tarot reading tool. This tool is designed to help you find the balance between the card's meaning and your intuition to answer your specific question.

Related cards & further learning

Similar Energy Card: Two of Cups

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Opposite Energy Card: The Devil

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Next Card in Sequence: The Chariot

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Tarot Card Type and Meanings

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How to Read Tarot Guide

At a glance
What to know
Symbolism
Upright
Reversed
Common Questions
Interpreting
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