VI · The Lovers
Key points of this lesson
Roman numeral VI
The number 6 stands for harmony, balance and choice. To the Pythagoreans 6 was the first perfect number — the unity of opposites and a sacred joining.
Archangel Raphael
Raphael, angel of air, stands for healing and communication. Arms open above the lovers, he is the divine blessing and the waking path from the subconscious to the superconscious.
The same symbol also appears in
- XIV Temperance · angel · Another angel, again for spiritual blending and guidance.
- XX Judgement · angel · The angel sounds the trumpet — a summons from a higher level.
Purple robe
Purple is the colour of spirit and of royalty, marking the angel's sacred authority. It hints that the union of the lovers is not only of the body but a lift of mind and soul.
Purple = spirit and sacred connection
Yellow background
Bright yellow stands for consciousness, light and sacred wisdom. It builds an air of hope and clear awareness: the choice should be made under the guidance of reason and light.
Yellow = the light of consciousness and wisdom
The same symbol also appears in
- XIX The Sun · background · The same broad yellow, for abundant vitality and clarity.
Tree of knowledge and serpent
Behind the woman, the serpent coiled on the tree stands for temptation and sensual desire. The five apples stand for the five human senses — the trials and experience of the material world.
The same symbol also appears in
- XV The Devil · tails · The couple in the Devil have grown tails: sensual desire has bound them completely.
Tree of life and flames
Behind the man, the tree bears twelve flames for the twelve signs of the zodiac. It stands for action, willpower and the cycling vitality of life through time.
Towering peak
Rising in the distance between the two figures, the peak stands for the challenge that cannot be walked around, and for masculine energy — high ground the lovers must climb together.
The naked couple
Nakedness stands for honesty, innocence and holding nothing back. The man looks to the woman (consciousness to the subconscious), the woman to the angel (the subconscious to the superconscious) — a complete path of knowing.
The same symbol also appears in
- XV The Devil · the couple · The Devil is the dark mirror of the Lovers: the same union, with freedom gone.
The great sun
The sun above the angel stands for the energy at the source and for absolute truth. It powers the scene below: every choice is made under a divine gaze.
The same symbol also appears in
- XIX The Sun · the sun · The sun as core symbol — truth becoming visible.
Element of air
The Lovers answer to Gemini, an air sign. This stresses communication, exchange of ideas and the work of weighing options and choosing rationally.