Tarot Readers Share How To Interpret The Lovers Card

Doing a tarot reading is a fun and mystical way to tap your intuition and dive into your subconscious. Each of the 78 cards in a tarot deck has a specific meaning—and it's not always one you'd expect.

As tarot reader and founder of Witchy Wellness Leah Vanderveldt explains to mbg, the Lovers is a complex card. "Ruled by Gemini, it's a card about connection and the possibilities of deep intimacy. When this card shows up, we are usually giving our power away to something outside of ourselves. Sometimes it's a relationship; other times it's a title, job, or something material," she adds.

Blaire Porter and Britt June with tarot company Threads of Fate add, "The Lovers card represents relationships and choice—and though not exclusively, it is typically about romantic relationships."

You would think a card called the Lovers would be a foolproof sign of luck in love, but that's not always the case. "Love is always a choice," Porter and June say, "and it is much more about ourselves than other people. To have the types of relationships we want to have [...], we must be clear about who we are and what we want to call into our lives."

In some cases this can mean knowing when to end a relationship that doesn't serve you, or checking your own toxic or unhealthy behavior. As Vanderveldt adds, when you pull this card, "Ask yourself: How are you aligning with your values within your relationship? You're finding a balance that's right for the both of you; what does that look like?"

The card asks you to explore what your relationship is bringing up for you and how you can generate that love from within, she says.

To pull the Lovers in reverse indicates disharmony and reluctance. There may be a "sense that this other person is 'too good' for you," Vanderveldt says. "It's a conflict between the head and heart that causes an imbalance." You may also be stuck in unconscious patterns, Porter and June note, "causing you to act out of alignment with your truth." (For example, feeling triggered and shutting down, or unconsciously rejecting your partner out of fear.)

If you pull the Lovers in a reading about your career or finances, it could represent a new partnership within your career, or even a different, more fulfilling career path, Porter and June say. "The choice aspect of the Lovers may also be highlighted. Are you wanting to find a new job? Are you looking for new opportunities?"

To pull this card in reverse in a career reading would again indicate some sort of conflict or disharmony. "You may feel unfulfilled or are perhaps dealing with negative co-workers," Porter and June note. "Financially, you may be in an unconscious pattern." Ultimately, the card is inviting you to take a closer look at the situation to figure out what you need.

As time goes on and new decks are made, creators have the opportunity to put their own spin on this card. For June, who illustrates Threads of Fate's decks, "Duality and balance are heavily at play" in her version of the Lovers, she says. "The hands on our Lovers card balance each other through position and symbolism. [They're] co-creating, and whether they symbolize hands from one person, two people, or someone and a situation, they are choosing to co-create." It raises the question, What are you creating?