EVERYONE RECOGNIZES THIS HAPPY COUPLE: they are the beguiling Eve and her handsome husband Adam, the progenitors of the human race.
While the card usually suggests love and marriage to the uninitiated, it actually illustrates the complexities of relationships-especially between people with opposing world views. The image of the two Lovers hints at the constant give-and-take of attraction and opposition, and it implies an ongoing cycle of conflict and reconciliation. As a writer, you'll see those issues unfold in your own creations.
The Lovers card is also a symbol of choice. After all, Adam and Eve's entire storyline hinges on a single monumental decision, with repercussions that will affect all of their descendents.
Generally speaking, the Lovers card symbolizes relationships and communication. In a story reading, the Lovers may represent a newly engaged couple, a married couple, close-knit siblings, twins, or people in a close, committed relationship.
Key Symbols
Opposition and Attraction. Obviously, the Lovers card can symbolize love, romance, and marriage, as well as peace, happiness, friendship, and cooperation. But the card also illustrates the twin principles of opposition and attraction. In fact, the card symbolizes dualities on every level: male and female, yin and yang, dark and light, thesis and antithesis. Fundamentally speaking, the card illustrates the fact that opposites attract.
Nude Pictures. In most versions of the card, Adam and Eve stand naked and unashamed. They haven't yet been corrupted by the real world. In fact, they're still under the watchful guardianship and protection of Raphael, one of four archangels in the tarot.
The Archangels of Tarot. Raphael is one of seven archangels-and one of just three mentioned specifically by name in the Bible. (The other two, Michael and Gabriel, also appear on tarot cards: Michael is the angel of Temperance, and Gabriel blows his horn on the judgement card. One of the four "unnamed" archangels, Uriel, is on the Devil card.). Raphael's name means "God has healed," and he is the archangel of marriage, healing, joy, happy meetings, and travel.
Sun Protection. Raphael is shielding the unclothed lovers from the overwhelming radiance of the sun-a symbol of God, as well as the burning rays of reality and conscious awareness.
Higher Consciousness. The clouds underneath Raphael represent a higher consciousness, and the veil between heaven and earth.
The Garden of Eden. Walled enclosures represent safety and protection, and gardens symbolize rest and reflection, order over chaos, and refuge.
Philosophical Branches. The Tree of Life is on the right, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is on the left.
Whispered Secrets. A serpent-often a symbol of female wisdom and feminine wiles-is winding its way up the Tree of Knowledge, whispering seductively in Eve's ear.
Forbidden Fruit. The apples on the Tree of Knowledge are the forbidden fruit-the wisdom that comes with experience.
Peaks and Valleys. Distant mountains represent obstacles to be overcome, new heights to be scaled, new challenges, and the promise of accomplishment.
Numeric Significance. The Lovers card is the sixth card in the Major Arcana. The number six historically symbolizes the human being, because man was said to be created on the sixth day. Six also symbolizes the sixth sense-psychic ability-as well as the six directions of space: left, right, forward, backward, up, and down.
Keywords
Upright: Love, romance, attraction, desirability, flirtation, communication, wise choices, partnerships, balance, duality
Reversed: Infidelity, suspicion, jealousy, obsession, abuse
Myth and Legend
The story of Adam and Eve is one of the world's oldest dramas. Some people might see the story as a tragedy: a seemingly a perfect couple, living in a perfect world, succumbs to a momentary temptation-and in the process, they lose everything they once held dear.
In many respects, however, Adam and Eve's experience is a coming-of-age story. Until they took a risk and tempted fate, they were living like children. Once they were out of the garden, they could take responsibility for themselves. It was only in the real world that Adam and Eve could make their own decisions, and rise or fall on their own merits. Ultimately, they didn't fall from grace; they took a leap to another level of reality, and another plane of existence and experience.
Astrological Associations
Astrologically, the Lovers card is associated with Gemini, the sign of the Twins. While most of us associate the sign with sibling relationships, it can also describe any spiritual or soul mate connection between two people.
Gemini rules the third house of the zodiac, where astrologers look for information about communication, neighborhoods, and sibling relationships. Gemini is ruled in turn by Mercury, the planet of speed and communication.
On a related note, Mercury is associated with the Magician card.
Gemini is an air sign.
Literary Archetypes
The Lovers can embody any number of literary archetypes, including the love goddess, the lover, and Jung's syzygy, or divine couple.
The Lovers and Your Writing Practice
Actors, singers, public speakers, and radio personalities typically communicate with thousands-even millions-of people at once. The most successful ones, however, typically don't think of their entire audience when they're performing. Instead, they imagine themselves addressing one person-one friend, one relative, or one smiling face in the crowd.
That's a technique that works for writers, too. When you sit down to write, direct your energy toward just one person-your ideal reader. That way, you'll be one of two people in communication with each other, like the Lovers in the card. In the process, you'll be relating personally to all of your fans, admirers, and readers who will choose your work over all the other books on the shelf-and eagerly await your next release.
Writing Prompts
Write about:
• a doomed relationship
• an ancient tree
• a garden
• a talking serpent
• an angelic messenger
• a healer
• twins: identical, fraternal, conjoined, or separated at birth
• adultery
• a nudist colony
• a woman who knows too much
THE CHARIOTEER IS A MAN on the move, and he's in the driver's seat-both literally and metaphorically. He knows where he wants to go, and he doesn't need to ask for directions.
The Chariot is a card of forward motion and change. It depicts the timeless quest for exploration and conquest. It also embodies a certain contradiction: while the charioteer stands in place, he moves ahead. He can also see the world from the comfort of a home on wheels.
Generally speaking, the Chariot card symbolizes travel and adventure. It hints at an unstoppable chain of events that have been set into motion, and a destiny that can't be avoided. In a story reading, the Chariot card may represent a traveler, soldier, warrior, driver, explorer, or a person on a mission.
Key Symbols
Get in the Car. Chariots were developed as weapons of war, but also as tools of exploration and a pathway for trade and international relations. They symbolize both the positive and the negatives that result from travel and exchange with other groups of people. Historically, triumphant warriors would parade upon their return from battle, often displaying the spoils of war.
Buckle Up. The belt around the charioteer's waist is the zodiac belt-the circle of constellations and signs that embrace the sun.
All-Steel Construction. The charioteer's armor signifies that he is both prepared for battle and protected from harm.
The Riddle of the Sphinx. The chariot isn't pulled by horses-it's pulled by a mysterious team of Sphinxes, who pose riddles for travelers before they are permitted to pass into new territory. The Sphinxes are both a combination of four creatures-a human's head, a bull's body, lion's feet, and eagle's wings-that represents all four elements.
Opposition Party. The Sphinxes have litt
le in common: one is black, while the other is white. The colors symbolize the opposition and duality of light and dark, male and female, and action and reaction. The Sphinxes may seem to be at odds with each other, but the charioteer can control his team even when they seem headed in two different directions.
Power Steering. One symbol is noticeable for its absence: there are no harnesses to tie the Sphinx to the chariot, and no reins to connect them to the charioteer. Instead, the young man guides his team with the power of his words and the tone of his voice.
Moon Roof. A canopy of stars serves as the chariot's roof. It's blue and dotted with a map of the constellations, to symbolize the protection of heaven and the guidance of the universe.
GPS Navigation. The canopy is held up by four posts that represent the four Hebrew letters in the name of God (Yod, Heh, Vau, Heh), as well as the four elements, the four seasons, the four directions, and the four suits of the Minor Arcana.
Hood Ornament. The shield on the front of the chariot depicts a yoni and a lingam, two Hindu symbols that represent the union of male and female. The shield is topped with a winged solar disc, which represents Horus, the Egyptian god of the midday sun.
Off-Road Ability. The walled city behind the charioteer symbolizes civilization. The fact that the charioteer is leaving the city indicates that he is willing to leave the safety of a fortress in order to protect and defend those he leaves behind.
Numeric Significance. The Chariot is the seventh card in the Major Arcana. Seven is a mystical, magical number. Classically, there were seven days of creation. There are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear. There are seven deadly sins: envy, sloth, gluttony, wrath, pride, lust, and greed. There are seven virtues: faith, hope, charity, fortitude, justice, temperance, and prudence. (You can see most of them in the Major Arcana.) Alchemists had seven metals: gold, silver, iron, mercury, tin, copper, and lead. There are seven visible planets: the sun, the moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. There are seven days of the week, seven notes in a musical scale, seven colors of the rainbow, and seven chakras. Because the seventh day is a day of rest, seven is the number of self-reflection and philosophy. To fully randomize your tarot deck before a reading, shuffle it seven times.
Keywords
Upright: Movement, forward motion, travel, speed, war, warriors, battle, conquest, triumph, victory, parades, will, control, direction, independence, drive, spirit
Reversed: Delays, opposition, stasis, entropy, parking and traffic violations
Myth and Legend
The charioteer is sometimes compared to the Greek god Apollo, who drove the chariot of the sun, or the prophet Elijah, who was carried to heaven in a chariot of fire. In many versions of the card, the charioteer wears the two faces of Janus as emblems on his uniform. Janus was the Roman god of gates and doors, beginnings and endings, and transitions-particularly the transition of the past to the future, youth to adulthood, and between peace and war.
The charioteer closely resembles Oedipus Rex, the hero of the classic Greek tragedy written in 430 B.C. When Oedipus was born, his father-King Laius-went to the Oracle of Delphi to inquire about the baby's fate. The Oracle told him that Oedipus was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. As a result, King Laius left the baby in the wilderness to die. Happily, a shepherd discovered the abandoned infant and brought him to the childless King Polybus to raise.
Oedipus grew. Eventually, he learned that he had been adopted, and he headed off in his chariot to find his biological father. Along the road, he met King Laius. The two men didn't recognize each other, of course-and after an ugly confrontation, Oedipus killed the traveling king.
Oedipus continued on his way, completely unaware that he had just murdered the man he was looking for. Before long, Oedipus happened to encounter a Sphinx, who refused to let him pass unless he could answer a riddle: What is it that goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening? The answer, of course, was man, who crawls on four legs as an infant, walks on two legs as an adult, and walks with a cane in his old age. Enraged at Oedipus' cleverness, the Sphinx turned to stone.
The illustration on most versions of the Chariot card depicts Oedipus at that pointyoung, smart, strong, and in search of his heritage and his birthright. He doesn't yet realize that he has already begun to fulfill his monumental destiny.
Astrological Associations
The Chariot card corresponds to Cancer, the sign of home and family. At first glance, it's an odd combination, because the warlike charioteer is clearly not a homebody. However, the charioteer does travel in a home away from home-much like the Cancerian crab, who travels with his home on his back. And while he may be a world-weary veteran on the outside, he's an old softie on the inside-also like the crab, whose tough shell conceals a soft, tender creature.
Cancer rules the fourth house of the zodiac, where astrologers look for clues about home and family life, as well as maternal influences. Cancer, in turn, is ruled by the moon, the planet of reflection, intuition, and inspiration.
On a related note, the moon is assigned to the High Priestess card.
Cancer is a water sign.
Literary Archetypes
The Chariot card can embody any number of literary archetypes, including the animus, the herald, the hero, the messenger, the outlaw, the prince, the psychopomp, the rebel, the rescuer, the son, the ubermensch, the wanderer, and the warrior.
The Chariot and Your Writing Practice
To an observer, a writer at work doesn't seem to be doing much-but when you're sitting in your chair, chewing on your pen, and gazing motionless out your window, the wheels are spinning in your head. The writer's journey is marked by flights of fancy and voyages of imagination.
Like you, the charioteer in the Chariot card is a driving force-and he's determined to move forward. He'll follow his dreams, no matter how far they lead. Girded in armor, ready for battle, he is a warrior and adventurer, king of the open road. He's ready to help you blaze new trails across a blank page, too.
Writing Prompts
Write about:
• a traveler
• a road trip
• a mobile home
• the contents of a glove compartment
• a traffic accident
• an armchair tourist
• a journey to a foreign land
• a soldier
• a conqueror
• a homecoming or victory parade
EVERYONE LIKES THE STRENGTH CARD'S depiction of courage, willpower, and self-control, as a young woman demonstrates the patience and presence of mind it takes to tame a lion.
In the earliest tarot decks, the card was called Fortitudea word that describes the willpower and spiritual strength we need to endure long periods of adversity. That's probably the real reason people like the card so much. On some level, we can all identify with the woman in the card, and we all aspire to have the courage of our convictions.
Fortitude is one of the four cardinal virtues. Two others, Justice and Temperance, make an appearance in the tarot, but their sister Prudence is missing from the deck.
In some tarot decks, Strength switches places with justice, which makes it card 11 instead of card 8. The change does not affect the meaning of the card.
Generally speaking, the Strength card signifies bravery, self-discipline, determination, and force. In a story reading, Strength may represent a pet owner, animal lover, animal trainer, veterinarian, or middle-school teachers.
Key Symbols
Work Clothes. The young woman wears servants' clothes, to demonstrate that she's not a member of royalty or high society: she is an ordinary person with courage and self-control, and she stands for confidence and liberation from fear.
Control Freak. Your impressions of the woman's gesture will probably change, depending on your mood and attitude. Is she closing the lion's mouth, or forcing it open?
Wild Child. The lion symbolizes humanity's animal nature-our wild, untamed instincts and desires. In fact, the lion could suggest humanity's most primal needs, for food, sleep, procreation, and self-preservation. Of course, the image could be a metaphor. The two figures in each image may actually be two separate aspects of a single personality. One is civilized; the other, an example of the most primal creatures on earth.
Lemniscate. Those animal drives are perpetual and ongoing, symbolized by the lemniscate-a symbol shaped like a figure eight, which symbolizes infinity. The lemniscate seems to float just above the woman's head, constantly in range of her consciousness.
Leader of the Pack. Lions have a social hierarchy of their own that rivals many human societies.
Castle Walls. In the background, the fortressed castle walls symbolize watchfulness, refuge, royal sovereignty, and divine guidance. The young woman in the card, however, is strong and self-assured, daring enough to stand outside the safety and protection of the castle in the background.
Numeric Significance. The Strength card is the eighth card in the Major Arcana. Eights represent infinity, because they resemble the lemniscate, the sideways symbol of infinity. There are also eight points on the wheel of the year. To Christians, eight is a symbol of baptism and spiritual rebirth; many baptisteries and baptismal fonts have eight sides. Eight also represents the eternal spiral of regeneration.
Keywords
Upright: Strength, power, energy, force, fortitude, heart, lust, life force, will, selfcontrol, self-esteem, self-preservation, animal nature, instinct, heroism, ability, mastery, courage, self-control
Reversed: Weakness, cowardice, fear, embarrassment, self-criticism, shyness, reluctance
Myth and Legend
The Strength card could remind you of a number of myths, legends, and stories about lions. It could suggest the fable of Androcles, the runaway Roman slave who pulled a thorn from a lion's paw. Years later, he was captured and condemned-but when he was thrown to the lions, the animal he saved spared his life, too.
Tarot for Writers Page 13
