6 the Lovers
| 6 the Lovers (letter Zayin 7, sword, axe, mazon: food) Path 17 from Binah to Tiferet. Gemini, the twins, ruled by Mercury. Adam and Eve, the brothers Cain and Abel. They are illuminated by a fiery angel, the Sun (on microscopic tree of life sepirah 6: tiferet the heart chakra the sun). Venus/Mars creative love. The lovers card is the impulse that drives humans out of the garden, towards adulthood. The impulse of curiosity (Eve, Pandora) or sexuality. |  |
Path from Binah (Saturn) to Tiferet (sun), death to life: Saturn as lord of the rings plays an important role in weddings, the groom is Saturn who gives his bride the ring of Saturn, restricting her. With the Lovers, the Fool has to make intelligent decisions or choices about the path ahead. The Lovers is about duality and purification of parts which is the sacrifice that is made when the Fool embarks on his journey out of ignorance. Zayin: sword, seperation, opposite of vav, uniting.
As a point in cycle of the sun, the lovers is high noon, consciousness
at fullness. Trees bearing fruit. Linked and contrast with
the Devil 15 (1+5=6) where the fire has become destructive and the
lovers are chained to the rock of the devil, addicted to sensual
pleasure. The card represents the choice and the decision or inability
to make a decision between the two. Egyptian tarot: Indecision, dilemma
between the virgin and the whore, self and ego, white and black moon,
choice of the will (Jackie-Marilyn,
Diana-Camilla, Hilary-Monica,..).
| Toth deck: A hooded figure, Merlin, son of the devil and the magician of king Arthur making the first NOX sign of Horus the Enterer, projecting the force of creation. He is a form of the Hermit who seeks isolation in the cave (of Plato, of ideas and creation), the Arch of swords under which the royal chemical marriage of sun and moon takes place, of the Black or Moorish King with a golden crown, and the White Queen with a silver crown. |  |
Emperor and Empress active passive (based
on chemical wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz, human soul bride union
with God, the universal world soul as bridegroom).
The Black king is Osiris, the black sun Saturn, Pan, the All. Alchemical symbols of red lion
(sulfur) and white eagle (mercury). The
Red King is sulfur, the active, volatile and fiery principle and the
White Queen is mercury, the material, passive, fixed principle. Mercury
has substance, but it has no definitive form on its own. It needs an
active principle to shape it. The Magus represents alchemical Mercury
which unites Sulphur (Emperor) and Salt (Empress).
As symbol of the Silver Gate of Gemini, it is linked to the Art
card (the Golden Gate of Sagittarius)
solve et coagula, solve and diffuse, analysis and synthesis. Above the
magician is Cupid, shooting his arrow, also linked to glyph of the arrow
of Sagittarius of Art card. Two brothers Abel and Cain,
Cain, the child of Eve and Lucifer, holding hammer of Thor. The meeting
of opposites, black/white, adult/child, human/animal, known/unknown,
meeting the shadow. Below is the cosmic egg with the serpent (egg
essence of life formula male-female), the card represents creation of
the world. The birth of Apollo and Athena. The key of Solomon to split
the mind and create twin alters. Cain with the mark upon his brow, the
mark of the Beast spoken of in the Apocalypse, and sign of Initiation. A
person is comprised of three separate components: body (material), soul
(spiritual), and spirit (bridge between the two). The white dove is a
common symbol of the Holy Spirit in Christianity, in comparison to God
the Father (soul) and God the Son (body). Here the bird offers a third
rose, attracting both lovers together and acting as mediator.
Dissolution and coagulation are The Lovers and Art. Together, they
describe the process of breaking down a substance (dissolution) in order
that it can be combined with another (coagulation) to create a third,
superior substance.
In the formula YHVH, the marriage, the union of the bride (unredeemed
virgin malkuth, nefesh the subconscious) and groom (son tiferet)
impregnates the mother (binah) unites with father, becomes absorbed in
the crown. The first task of the Great Work is reconciliation of the
conscious ego (Vav) with the subconscious mind
(final Heh), thus establishing an equilibrium. This marriage results in
the impregnation of the Mother (first Heh), which is an achievement of
Understanding (via Binah). Only through Understanding (Binah) can Wisdom
(via Chokmah) of the Father (Yod) can arise within the human. The union
of two principles, the mildness of Abel directing the activity of Cain,
man guided by the inspirations of woman, debauchery conquered by lawful
marriage, pride subjugated by love, science in unison with faith.
Zayin: Sword, sickle, weapon, hoe, mattock, axe, nourishment, food,
crown, strife, completion, to sustain, to cut.
Example: diner scene in Pulp Fiction.
