CARD OF THE DAY: December 10, 2021

 

The Lovers

(top) from Lo Scarabeo's Antiche Minchiate Etruria

(bottom) from Universal Waite Tarot, art by Pamela Colman Smith, 

re-colored by Mary Hanson-Roberts

December 10, 2021: Ever have a classic Tarot archetype you've never really connected with? The Lovers is that card for me.

I could never warm up to its well-known Pamela Colman Smith image of an angel looming over bare-assed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Eve--Mother of Life and symbol of the lure of earthly things--stands by her fruitful, snake-coiled tree, the snake poised to hiss devilish temptation into her ear. Socially distanced at the other end of the image, Adam stands by a fire-blackened tree that bears only flaming branches.

The angel-- arms stretched wide, eyes closed in serene patience--appears to be waiting for the pending decision or choice that this card is supposed to predict or advise. Quite a drama.

Personally, I find The Lovers card in Lo Scarbeo's Antiche Minchiate Etruria to be a lot more fun. (It's the fifth--not sixth--Major Arcana card in this deck, which has many other anomalies.) Take a look at this image and where Cupid's bow is aimed! Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, indeed! At least, that's how I see it.

Talk about a card that screams "unintended consequences" and getting way more than you bargained for, and not in a good way.

What does this have to do with love/lovers/loving? Possibly nothing...unless, of course, it does. So, watch your situation--romantic or otherwise.

Are you sure you've set up the necessary conditions for a right, satisfying, and durable outcome? Maybe there's something that needs deeper examination or, even, overturn.

So, yes, you do have some super-smart decisions and/or choices to make. This is not the time to get lazy or scared and overlook or avoid them.