Summary of the Lovers Tarot Card Meaning

After the Fool finds a place of belonging and has a stable foundation of who they are, they begin searching for connections beyond their own community. They gradually discover the desire for companionship, that their lives are made richer and fuller through relationships and experiences with others who are different to themselves. They find wonder and awe in people whose beliefs, ideas and perspectives are distinct, but complementary. They recognize that union with others can bring a feeling of wholeness that they were lacking before.

Light: Union, balance, harmony, love, choice
Shadow: Rejection, disharmony, imbalance, indecision

To learn more, read the full Lovers tarot card meaning.

About this Lovers Tarot Card Spread


The Greeks had 8 different words for love, each denoting a specific feeling. This spread is meant to explore these types of love, and expand our gratitude for these different types of love in our lives. Just so you understand the basis of this spread a little better, we’ll go through a short summary of these different aspects of love.

Types of Love

Philautia: Self Love
This kind of love is the compassion you have for yourself. It is your sense of self-worth and acknowledgment of your own needs and desires. Without this, it is difficult to express other types of love. The foundation of this love is the soul.

Philia: Affectionate Love
This is platonic love; like the love between friends and family. It is fostered by trust, understanding, mutual respect and having similar perspectives and values. The connection is thought to be mental.

Pragma: Enduring Love
This is a kind of love that grows over time, like when a couple shares a deep commitment to each other. There is a certain amount of effort, work and dedication to reach that state. Sometimes all that is needed is to just be there for the other person, through thick and thin. The connection is thought to be subconscious.
 
Storge: Familiar Love
This kind of love is often found in childhood friends and family. Its foundation is pure acceptance of one other. The connection is founded on memories.

Eros: Romantic Love
This kind of love is thought to be primal and instinctual; it is the lust for another person’s touch. The connection is thought to be physical.

Ludus: Playful Love
This love is flirtatious and is often found in romantic relationships that are just starting to form, but can also be found in long term couples. The bond is thought to be emotional.

Mania: Obsessive Love
Obsessive love is connected to feelings of jealousy and possessiveness. It arises when one lover’s sense of self is entirely reliant on another person. The connection is thought to be founded in survival.

Agape: Selfless Love
This love is the highest form of love we have; it is a kind of love that gives without expectation of anything in return. It is the choice to love and be compassionate despite any upsetting, or painful situations. This type of love is spiritual.

The Lovers Tarot Card Spread

1. Underlying Issues - What stands in the way of love? What blocks you from receiving or giving love openly?
2. Work - What inner work has to still be done in order to open yourself to love more fully? Or what work has to be done in order to maintain love?
3. Philautia: Self - How do you perceive yourself? This creates the foundation for all the other cards. What is your relationship to yourself?
4. Philia: Affection - How do you relate platonically? What is the state of your friendships?
5. Storge: Familiar - How do you relate to family? What are the common dynamics within your blood or chosen family?
6. Eros: Romantic - How do you relate to a romantic partner? If you have a partner, how would you describe your relationship? If you’re single, how do you relate to the idea of a partner?
7. Pragma: Enduring - How do you feel about commitment?
8. Ludus: Playful - How do you feel about dating? How do you flirt?
9. Mania: Obsessive - When does your love go overboard? When have you caused harm with your love?
10. Agape: Selfless - How do you express selfless love? What do give to others freely without expecting anything in return?

A Note on the Fool's Journey Tarot Spreads: This is part of a series of tarot spreads inspired by the lessons of the Fool’s Journey, represented by the major arcana of the tarot. Since each major arcana card embodies a stage in one’s life journey, a lesson, or an archetype, we can use them as the foundations to explore moments of our own personal journeys. They also happen to be great ways to explore the meanings of each of these tarot cards in a very personal way.

For more of these spreads, please head here.

And if you'd like to purchase the deck depicted in these spreads, you can click here to purchase it! You can also purchase its Marseille cousin.