Discerning The Keys : The Lovers

Hello All~

After a period of much activity and the introspection of such, my 'silence' on the Web seems to have broken, as I have much I wish to share with other kindred souls and spirits.

I thought I would see how a study of “Tarot of the Spirit” , with my own interjections here and there, would do – wondering what shall unfold from the sharing of such. The companion book to this particular style of Tarot deck was written by Pamela Eakins, PH.D., in 1992 and published by Weiser Books. Her cited work below is denoted by italics. Once my scanner is back at my finger tips, I will more than likely scan the accompanying cards that I believe to be the art of Dr. Eakins sister.

The cards I share here are chosen intuitively – and it is quite fun to see how the cards seem to pull synchronistic events into perspective.

This particular work by Pamela Eakins is a most powerful tool that I highly recommend. I hope her teachings shall aid all those along their Path who read her thoughts and conclusions – as it has mine.

KEY VI – THE LOVERS

Esoteric Qualities -----------------------------------------------------------

Hebrew attribution: Zain, the sword

Astrological attribution: Gemini/Mercury communication

Seventeenth Path: Mediates between Binah (the Eternal Mother Principle) and Tiphareth (spiritual beauty and light manifested on the plane of earth, the Eternal Son Principle).

Essence: The Lovers are the children of god, also referred to as the children of the voice of super consciousness.

Intelligence: The Separating or Disposing Intelligence; in order to join, separation must first be acknowledged.

Veil: Each one of us is a completely separate entity. We are born alone and we die alone, remaining forever disconnected.

Mystery: Separation is essential for evolution; part of the self stays in ascension while part of the self descends into manifestation. We are each a spark of the one flame.

And some of my own thoughts...

Numerological attributes:

2.6.8 and

1.7  = numbers compsing the 17TH Path

2 = Polarity

6 = card number

8 = 17 (17TH Path)

1 = The Creative, Male, Dominant, Alpha, Leader, Ambition,Initiation, Individualism, Self, Arrogance, Aggression,Attainment, Happiness, Fulfillment, Glory, Fame, Birth, Fire, Unique, Omniscience
 

2= The Submissive, Female, Dualism, Cooperation, Consideration, Cooperation, Balance, Mediation, The Other, Love,Flexibility, Adaptability, Grace, Dance, Harmony, Devotion,Obedience, The Subconscious, Water, Soul Mate

6 = The Protector, Provider, Healer, Nurturing, Children,Empathy, Intuition, Sympathy, Quality, Sustenance,Love of Community, Unconditional love, Circulation, Economy, Agriculture, Charity, Balance, Grace, Evolution,Simplicity, Sorcery

7 = The Analyst, Thinker, Science, Learning, Education, Study,The Written Word, Logic, Alchemy, Secrets, Myth, Religion, Ritual, Understanding,Knowledge, Isolation, Chastity,Dignity, The Collective Consciousness, Genius

8 = The Manifesting, Wealth, Power, Riches, Status, Material,Pragmatism, The Ego, Provision, Aggregation, Dictatorship,Multiples, Business, Investment, Employment, Appearance,Customs, Skills, Exchange, Reality, World Transformation.

And I have found for myself -- personally, that the symbolism of Swords, Fire, Crows, Keys, Travel (to name but a few) have been nearly prolific around me at the moment – which I can most definitely see the reflections of such in the interpretation of the card “The Lovers” with recent surrounding events...what fun ;-)

So following is Dr. Eakins' interpretation of “The Lovers”, sharing a harmony of different beliefs and perspectives regarding the cards and the meaning behind the symbols. I believe she provided an amazing depth of insight, connecting and blending a myriad of harmonious beliefs.

Interpretation---------------------------------------------------------------

The Lovers represent the sword that slashes down through the cosmos separation the whole of us into discreet forms. The sword distributed gender and polarity through the universe, creating the tension of opposites. Polarity is the basic principle of manifest existence. It is the antithesis of the nail (see Key V : The Hierophant) The nail binds. The sword cleaves, cuts, divides, separates. The sword of Zain cuts apart and places all that exists into the distinct forms of manifestation. It is the force that takes the limitless substance of the universe and categorizes it [Gemini, Mercury]. It creates form in the formless, name in the nameless. It separates night from day, black from white, female from male, negative from positive, cold from hot, wet from dry, loss from gain, pleasure from pain. Zain, the sword, is the tool that separates the life force into discreet entities; trees of the garden from beasts of the field from birds of the air from man and woman [Adam and Eve, creation story myths].

It is through the sword of Zain that we know ourselves as individual and unique. Through Zain, we understand our separation. The fact of split-apartness causes us great joy as well as great grief. We know the jubilation and the devastation of having descended into manifestation to be ensouled in a physical body. The process of becoming manifest provides us with a tremendous opportunity to create just as it is the source of our frustration. We feel hopeful, but cut off. Therefore, we continually strive to reunite with the great force of the limitless substance, even as we fear that same reunion.

Further, we seek to unite with others just as we seek peace within ourselves. This is the dilemma of the Lovers. The tension of separation facilitates our desire to reconnect. As such, our very separateness becomes the basis of our love. The desire to reconnect is the driving force. We seek the unification of opposites within in order to know inner balance. We seek all that we are missing in order to make us whole.

The polarity of the Lovers can be understood on several levels. On one level, the Lovers can be taken literally to refer to sexual and sensual unity. This aspect of the Lovers involves attraction and approaching. It is the recognition of the Self [the Soul] divided from the whole. The Self feels removed and yearns for that which is beyond. This is the desire to connect intimately with another and experience completion. This urge is beautifully expressed in the...interchange from the Song of Solomon in the Bible...

In many tarot representations of the Lovers, they are depicted as nude figures. Their nakedness demonstrates the innocence of their love. In their nakedness, they are clothed only by the holy spirit of their love. The Lover, in purity and innocence, mirrors aspects of the Self and completes that which is lacking.

On another level, Key VI symbolizes a royal or exalted marriage. This is the marriage [or alchemy] of the Emperor (Key IV) and the Empress (Key III). The marriage of yang and yin, animus with anima, heaven with earth, force with form. Their love conveys the delicate balance of equally-weighted opposites.

On the Tree of Life, this is the marriage of Chokmah and Binah, the Eternal Father with the Eternal Mother principles. This marriage unifies, even as it defines and separates, Fire and Water, The two primary elemental forces. Through the marriage, [or combination of energies] the son is born. Thus, Key VI is the path the connects the Universal Mother with the Universal Son [Christ and the virgin Mary]. Paternity is, once again, the hidden cause of this connection.

In the tarot, the Lovers has several layers of meaning. The meaning has been in debate for centuries. Who, really, are the Lovers? Some say the Lovers are man and woman. Some say they represent balance within the Self, the divine inner marriage which results from Self-love. Still others say the Lovers represent the connection between Self and God. Finally, Key VI is said to represent brotherhood [Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table] or sisterhood [a Coven or Priestess-hood]. Brotherhood, for example, refers to an association of people who are united in a common interest such as a belief system. This, too, is union.

Just as the meaning of the Lovers in the tarot has been widely debated, the identification of the Lovers in Song of Solomon has always been in dispute. Suffice it to say, the Song works on many levels. Some see the Song as a genuine love story conveying a true and genuine affection between two people. Others say the male is is God and the Female represents the People of Israel. Others claim that the man is Christ and the woman is the Church.

...I would say it is not a matter of one over the other, but more so that it is unique unto each experience and each individual, and I think that is what Eakins points to in the information she has chosen to share and expound on.

A good symbolic representation works on many levels at once. As a spiritual symbol, the Lovers represents the unification of the levels of consciousness within the Self. It refers to the true merger of the three modes of mind: the super-conscious (higher consciousness; the light), the waking consciousness and the subconscious (the dark). In linking these layers of consciousness, the link between the individual and the holy guardian angel is formed. This link is the link between the individual and the spirit as well as between the individual and the personality.

Through separating out and understanding the true relation among the three modes of consciousness – and thereby beginning to ascertain clear the messages of the universe – we begin to attain a knowledge of our individual purpose on a higher level. Understanding this entails a complete transformation on four planes, a transformation which is told in the original stories of creation. So then, the Lovers is also the key of creating a new universe [emphasis mine]. Key VI separates out and recombines. It leaves us with the questions: of what are things composed; how shall we recombine them [the Art of Alchemy]?

Once we have heard the messages of the universe clearly and begun to perceive our calling, we must retain faith in our perceptions. Taken even further, the Lovers is the experience of faith in the higher self. Part of this faith is the understanding that in order to grow, we must let go, or separate out, that which no longer fits. This is the experience of giving birth. One must surrender to the fact of birth in order to experience the new life that is emerging. On the spiritual plane, the new birth can be seen as the birth of light and faith.

The Lovers is the Seventeenth Path on the Tree of Life. This path mediates between Binah...and Tiphareth...The separation of Binah and Tiphareth contains the magical image of the power of surrender (see the Three of Wind). In the Lovers, you learn that you must give up one form in order to gain another. You must surrender in order to achieve victory. You must understand your sense of sorrow and separation even as you recognize your oneness with all things.

In all cases, the Lovers is the experience of the agony of separation and the bliss of union. We learn that there is a certain ecstasy in separation and that is the triumph of individual achievement. There can also be a terrible agony in union. Union, without a sense of oneness, can feel like unfulfilling bondage.

The fact of separation contains union and union contains separation and these two concepts repeat infinitely within each other. Knowing love is an opportunity and a curse. The object of the Lovers is to tune into basic goodness, to attune to pure unconditional love, both on the inner and outer levels. Key VI tells us that unconditional love is the driving force of the universe. The secret of Key VI is the knowledge that things of matter in the universe are separated by the boundaries of matter and that love is the glue that binds all things. As we learn this lesson, we understand that Key VI represents the emergence of the Christ-consciousness [Buddha, Quan Yin] on the physical plane.

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As always, I welcome and embrace any discussion, as I believe we have so very much we can learn and teach one to the other. 

Be safe and blessed amidst your adventures...and may your thoughts be those of Clarity, Truth and Wisdom.