When last we consulted with The Lovers, we learned that the card was speaking to us from an enlightened perspective about the nature of our own minds when we are in harmony and balance within. The angel, representing our infinite spirit which is everywhere and understands all (superconscious), is centered between the feminine aspect (our conscious awareness of self) and the masculine aspect (our subconscious mind). The Lovers told us that in this ideal state, we keep our eyes turned upward, focused on the inspiration and ideal potential of our existence, and we allow our subconscious mind to interpret these visions and provide the circumstances and opportunities to transform idea into reality.
For many, this harmonious scene may seem a bit unfamiliar. For instance, many of us may feel that our subconscious mind can not always be trusted. We struggle with repeating patterns of hard lessons. Just when we think we have gotten over that horrible relationship or trauma, here we are recreating it again, and the emotions seem to have no end. Indeed, it is the subconscious mind that regurgitates issues that we have left unresolved, because it can not fulfill its higher purpose until we have acquired the knowledge and wisdom from our experiences.
Fortunately, this often more familiar process is also described to us through the Major Arcana of the Tarot, but we must now descend down the paths of the Tree of Life to the realm of the personality. As above, so below. And it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you the players in our scene: Death, Temperance, and The Devil.
(Dun dun dunnnn…)
Immediately, you can see the similarities when the cards are laid out in the pattern above. In the 13th, 14th and 15th paths, we can see The Lovers again, but in a state of process, rather than in their state of enlightenment.
Temperance clearly resembles the angel in The Lovers. Here on Earth, we humans need the building blocks of material substance to create, and we are affected by the presence of the elements all around us. In order to clear the way to even the slightest perception of our infinite selves, we must first understand the elements and bring them into an active and fluid balance. This is no house of cards, because everything is in a constant state of movement and change. Temperance invites us to attempt the dance of elemental balance.
The Devil may not remind you much of the beautiful naked woman from The Lovers, but if we look just to her left, we see The Devil in snakes clothing, tempting our “Eve” to taste the fruit of The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Devil card is showing us that we have a limited perspective, and that our conscious awareness tends to perceive only what we choose to focus on. The animal/human hybrid beings are chained to the half-cube where the devil perches. If they were paying more attention to the situation they would realize that the chains that bind them are just loose enough to pull over their heads. But instead, they are chained by their inability to see with enlightened eyes.
Death may not resemble the handsome naked man in The Lovers either, but again we can look just behind him to see a black tree ablaze. In the Death card, what we see growing out of the ground are the arms and legs of people. Are they dying, or growing out of the earth from death like a sprout from a seed? In nature it is Death that brings life. All living things must consume to exist, and so our subconscious mind must be fed. As mentioned before, we can feed it our misgivings, fears, and unwanted memories. What then grows are the repeating lessons which are the fruits of those seeds.
What would happen if we could become aware of our chains and remove them? We could look up and then concentrate on balancing the elements around us to see the infinite. Then, with our gaze upturned, we would sow different seeds in our garden, and through letting our present understanding of self die, a new self may be reborn.
Thank you Lovers for sharing this very important message with us who seek your wisdom. We also thank your partners: Death, Temperance, and The Devil for the parts they play in our unfolding.
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If you would like to go further with the Kabbalistic Tarot, please consider the BOTA system and “Tarot” by Paul Foster Case.
If you missed out on Part 1 of this series, you can find it here:
Advanced Kabbalistic Tarot: The Lovers (part 1)
If you would like to experience deeper teachings like this in a classroom setting, please contact me by email, or RSVP to an event on our events page.
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