Each of us literally chooses, by his way of attending to things, what sort of universe he shall appear to himself to inhabit.
William James

If you’re just now stopping by, be sure you don’t miss Part One from yesterday, which explains what a Tarot Year is and how this year we are likely to see a fundamental shift from the past two years. We also took a brief dive into the symbolism in the Waite-Smith card’s imagery.

Today, let’s talk about how a Lovers Year may affect you personally.

Turns out that the people you associate with, and to whom you give your love, time, and devotion, reveal much about your own self-image.

When you are needy, immature, or selfish, you will tend to draw people into your life that feed and mirror those attitudes. When you are in balance with your highest, most courageous, and loving path, you attract and appreciate others whose lights also shine brightly.

In other words, the healthier and happier you are, the healthier and happier are those to whom you gravitate.

This is the core truth in the old saying that you cannot love another more than you love yourself. The love you may seek from someone else will never compensate for the self-respect and love you do not already give to yourself.

Aligning With Love

In a Lovers year, you (or your community, or your country) are called upon to make an important choice — one that will challenge you to be as authentic and accessible as you can.

Besides the preferences you have regarding people, this may involve choosing between work you love vs. work that pays the bills, yet wounds your spirit. How does fear keep you stuck? What might you do differently if you knew you could not fail?

By the way, let me emphasize that The Lovers does not offer the same guidance as, say, The Fool. This is not about taking a blind leap, but instead, suggests that if you would only have the eyes and heart to see it, you would realize every moment of your life, yes, even the most difficult, offers a blessing. You are truly a child of the multiverse, and were never condemned to eternal divine punishment.

Knowing that you are supported in every choice you make that comes from your truest inner knowing, how would your life change? What might your path be if you were to navigate your life as though the world is conspiring, not to trick or harm you, but to shower you with blessings?

This year, open your heart: life’s beauty and innate goodness are waiting for you.

The Lovers is not a Pollyanna message that nothing ever goes wrong, or that lemonade can always come from life’s lemons. It does not mean everything is peachy, all sunshine and unicorns. It especially does not mean you are always comfortably in control. Quite the contrary.

But as you journey through this year, you can expect steady reminders that, whatever twists and turns may come along, Love is the Source that endures.

Your Heart Circle

This year, you might need to reflect on who you have allowed into your inner world and why. This is not an invitation to pass judgment on them (unless it is to hold them accountable to the law), but to consider how they do or do not reflect your truest values or support your better nature.

Rather than figuring out what motivates or excuses people, simply notice how you are feeling about yourself after you’ve been exposed to them. Relaxed or tense? Upbeat or haunted with self-doubt?

With whom, like the couple in the Garden, can you be uninhibited, vulnerable, and innocently open about who you really are?

Are there family members and/or friends that bring out your best and inspire you? Or do you find yourself resentful, confused, off-balance, or constantly trying to prove your worth? Even more telling, are there people in your life around whom you find yourself slipping into unwholesome or destructive behavior patterns?

There are those who believe in us but may also challenge us out of our comfort zones. Their support may be just the kind of tough love we need, in order to stretch and grow. This will ultimately feel uplifting and healthy.

But then there are the individuals whose influence or drama just leave us feeling drained. Or angry. Or wondering if we’re crazy.

It doesn’t matter why, and it can be wasteful, even perilous, to attempt to psychoanalyze, make excuses, or assign blame. If, as a result of being in someone’s orbit, you find yourself with that “uh-oh” feeling or worse, just chalk it up to weird chemistry and leave it at that.

Because chemistry is a funny thing — ammonia and bleach are perfectly fine and useful by themselves, but if you mix them together, the results are deadly. The same is true of certain people and circumstances in your life.

So, if unhappiness, volatility, or self-doubt seem to keep creeping into some important aspect of your life, perhaps it’s time to wish that scenario peace, and step away.

Which Reality Will You Choose?

As most students of the Tarot know, based on its numerology as well as the birth cards’ relationships, The Lovers’ opposite card is The Devil.

In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck you can see it is the same couple in both cards.

The Devil of the Tarot teaches how we may be enslaved through fears, unconscious habits, and self-sabotage. The goat-headed creature makes a sign of blessing, but the couple stands frozen in loose chains. The gifts of the Tree of Life and the Tree of Wisdom we discussed in Part One have been diminished into tails, distorting the couple’s humanity.

The Devil is how we give away our power, refuse growth, play it safe, and prefer our familiar suffering, rather than risk the unknown.

In The Lovers, the presiding magical being also offers his blessings. In its case, the couple is aware and receptive. They see life as a beautiful garden, not a pit of condemnation and despair.

Which do you believe most in? How might those beliefs be shaping your reality?

We can make a conscious decision to align with The Lovers. When we do, we open our true, passionate hearts, and connect to the world around us. When we are in Oneness, there is no “other” to disparage, fear, or hate.

Thus, we understand we are always safe, even unto the end of life itself, for we are held in grace by Love.

With that to consider, let us next examine what a Lovers Year might look like for our troubled world. I’ll be posting that final piece tomorrow.

Thanks for your thoughts and encouragement.