The Lovers (L'Amoureux): meaning of tarot arcanum VI

In brief: number, names and keywords

The Lovers is the sixth card. The name shifts slightly: in Marseille it is “L’Amoureux” in the singular, because the image shows one young man between two women; in Rider-Waite the card becomes “The Lovers”, a couple. This grammatical detail reflects two views of the same place: choice on one side, union on the other.

In some numerological traditions, the number six evokes the balance of two poles, which suits a card of encounter and decision well.

Keywords: choice, relationship, commitment, alignment with one’s values, love in the broad sense.

The image in the Marseille tarot

In Marseille, a young man stands at the centre, between two women. One, older or crowned depending on the edition, rests a hand on his shoulder or on his heart; the other, younger, also touches his arm. The man seems to look now at one, now at the other, or to face us with a hesitant expression.

Above them, in a cloud or a shining disc, a small winged being (Cupid) draws a bow and aims an arrow at the trio. The ground is simple: a strip of earth and a few blades of grass. The image is that of an emotional crossroads, where three destinies meet.

The image in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck

In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, a man and a woman stand naked beneath a large angel with red wings, arms raised in blessing, identified as the archangel Raphael, in front of a sun. The man looks at the woman; she raises her eyes to the angel.

Behind the woman rises a tree laden with fruit, around which a serpent coils; behind the man, a tree bearing twelve flames. In the distance, a peak-shaped mountain. The scene evokes the Garden of Eden, but also an encounter between two poles that recognise each other.

Symbolism of the elements in the image

These are the details that come up most often in traditional readings. They are lines of interpretation, not official definitions.

• The three-way crossroads (Marseille): a choice between two paths or two attachments. Some see in it the old theme of the young hero at the crossroads, torn between pleasure and duty, although this link is not proven.
• Cupid and his arrow: desire, or fate: the decision does not depend on reason alone.
• The angel (Waite): blessing, a union that takes on a meaning larger than the two people.
• The two trees (Waite): the fruit tree and the serpent recall temptation and knowledge; the tree of flames, life and the fire of desire.
• The nakedness: sincerity: showing oneself as one is.
• The sun: clarity: choosing in the light of what truly matters.

Upright meaning

Upright, the Lovers traditionally evoke an important choice, made with the heart as much as with reason. It carries a relationship, an encounter, a commitment, but also, more broadly, the alignment of one’s actions with one’s values. In the Marseille reading, it is first of all the card of fruitful hesitation: one does not choose between good and evil, but between two possible paths.

The card may therefore concern a choice of life, of work, of friendship or of place, as much as a love story. It reminds us that choosing means giving up something else. In Waite’s version, the emphasis falls on a successful union: two people recognise and agree with each other.

Reversed: two schools of reading

School 1: the opposite. Reversed, the Lovers speak of tension, disagreement, a choice imposed on us, an unbalanced relationship or a decision avoided.

School 2: a block. The choice is possible, but paralysed by fear of getting it wrong or of disappointing someone; or one lets the other person decide. The card invites us to clarify our values before acting. Several tarot readers, moreover, read only upright cards.

In common areas of reading

The tarot does not say what will happen: it offers images for reflection. Here, in symbolic terms, is what this card may bring up depending on the theme of your question.

• Personal reflection: asking what truly matters, how to be at peace with oneself. Possible question: which option feels most like me?
• Relationships: encounter, commitment, negotiation in a couple or a friendship. The card does not promise love; it invites us to look at the quality of the bond and the sincerity of the choice.
• Work: a choice between two directions, collaboration, a partnership. Symbolically, a decision to make rather than an event that happens to us.
• Money: weighing two expenses or two priorities, sharing resources with a third party. It predicts no outcome and does not replace an adviser’s opinion.

Combinations with neighbouring cards

A card is rarely read on its own: its neighbour nuances it. Here are a few common pairings, to be taken as starting points.

• The Hierophant (Pope): choice and values: deciding in line with what was handed down, or setting oneself apart from it.
• The Chariot: from choice to momentum: once decided, one sets out with what one has chosen.
• Justice: choice and discernment: weighing the pros and cons honestly.
• The Devil: attachment and desire: distinguishing what binds by choice from what binds by habit.
• The Sun: union and clarity: a relationship or a choice that brings joy, without ambiguity.

To learn how to combine cards, try the three-card spread. To place this card among the 22 Major Arcana, see our guide to the Major Arcana.

Keyword of the day, question and practice

Keyword of the day: Choose. For the day, pick out a small choice that you always leave to others or to chance, and decide it yourself. Notice what changes.

Question to ask yourself: What choice are you trying to make, in line with what matters to you?

Writing (10 minutes). Draw two columns, one for each option of your choice. In each, write what you gain, what you lose and which value it serves. End with a sentence: “If I choose A, I honour…; if I choose B, I honour…”.

Short meditation. Imagine yourself at the centre of the Marseille card. Place your hand on your heart and breathe. What feeling goes with each option? Note it without deciding yet.

History and variants of the card

The oldest Italian tarot decks often showed a betrothed couple under the auspices of Love: the card celebrated union. In Marseille the scene shifts to a trio, perhaps under the influence of popular themes of the time. Some see in it the old image of a decision between two paths; another interpretation reads a marriage of convenience and a love of the heart.

In 1909, Waite and Smith reworked the card and linked it to the Garden of Eden, with Adam and Eve and the archangel Raphael. This choice rests on the Golden Dawn tradition, which links the card to Gemini. It also had the effect of steering the reading towards love, whereas Marseille sees above all the choice. Both readings are valid: they complement each other.

You will therefore find couples, trios, angels or putti, religious or secular scenes: the common thread remains the presence of a relationship and of a decision that commits.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to The 22 Major Arcana, card by card.