The heart is a thousand stringed instrument that can only be tuned with love. (Persian philosopher Hafiz). Love, passion, self love and sex are words often used erroneously. The lovers tarot card symbolizes attraction, choices, commitment, partnerships, communication, mental activity in it’s upright, light positive form. Reversed it signifies disharmony, imbalance, misalignment of values, self love. The word relationship is misconstrued by many and these days a situation ship is becoming the standard. Many embrace the darkness, wear black clothing, dabble with occult energies and know not what it is. This usually occurs in a phase of their life when their primal energies, hormones; chemical messengers are imbalanced. These same hormones reside in the brain and in the abdomen especially around the navel chakra power centre.
The heart is fed by the solar plexus chakra beneath the heart per se. The element of fire abides there with the primary quality of passion. Passion and love are different energies, Love is not sex. The definition of sex is separation used by the unenlightened to relieve the shadow self depicted by the devil card. It is a weaponized, monetized, control tool for many companies, businesses, religious and group dynamics world wide. Targeting specific genres and genders.
The devil card has similar energy as the lovers card with two figures yoked together. However this card is not all negative. It shows that it is time to break free from attachments, things that bind. Unhelpful habits even sex it self, abandon excess. It shows temptation, the inner demons, the primal urges and desires, materialism. Those inner demons that tell us we need ‘things’ to make our self more beautiful, attractive, successful, popular, good, accepted. There is more to life than the physical world.
Self love is a vital choice especially when at the crossroads of confliction. It may be a choice of which path to take, what to believe in, choices of a partner be it business or personal relationships. Whatever the choice it should not be made lightly, or in haste; the choice between long term or short term pleasure, the ramifications will be lasting. Don’t let sentimentality spoil your judgement. Finding balance within ones self is crucial that is when self love is an important priority. In a relationship or the now prevalent situation ship the one desiring to detach from the present union is often gas lighted, made to feel selfish by the other. This is not love it is emotional abuse. Self love is equally yoked with the divine or higher self. Ecstatic dance, some practice yoga, tantra white, black and red. Others twirl like Sufi mystics, tai chi. Salome danced clearing the 7 veils; her chakras.
The devil card signifies abuse, living in fear, violence, sexual assault, deception, envy, jealousy, dominance, feeling trapped in a situation, temptation. Stockholm syndrome can take yeas to recover from as with any trauma experienced by an individual or group. History is well documented with groups, religions led by hormonal deranged masters and gurus. The libido of the human being can be deranged, flow in erratic ways and science has named it as a dis-ease. (The song by Queen, under pressure conveys a lot of this sentiment)
The Sufi mystics celebrate the divine love which is inner union of the conscious, subconscious and what some call super conscious mind. In poetry, Rumi is well known but there are many more. Ecstatic dance like twirling, most forms of dance can lead one to a higher vibrational state. That is why some immature brains take mood altering dependant substances. This has been noted in empaths who feel others feelings and have not integrated there shadow aspects and become masters of their feelings, primal energies. Not recognizing their innate potential, superpowers, they are victims of their own energies and prey for narcissistic individuals who constantly change the rules as they are in tragic times themselves and do not recognize it.
(Unconditional love movie a sensitive look at different relationship. Love un-conditionally British movie about a very young relationship) The reincarnation of Peter Proud 1975 is an older movie about existential crisis, reoccurring dreams, reincarnation, parapsychology. Episode 16 of creature features based on a book by Max Ehrlich on you tube.
In The Sufi Tarot the lovers card #6 is called Aashiqan. Love is not seen as a distraction from the divine, it is a ladder to the divine. When we love someone a bridge of energy is created between the two hearts and there is a dissolution of form, burning away all appendages that they have. A union of opposing forces that can bring the entire being created (the union) into balance. Yin and Yang in Chinese parlance, The lover and the beloved is a higher vibrational balance.
The Babylonian Tarot the lovers card #6 is designated by the Mesopotamian story of Ishtar and Tammuz. In The Cathar Tarot lovers card #6 I quote “Love blooms when there is equality, balance and honesty” The Cathar or Bon Hommes saw things from a different perspective than most in their time. Their attitude toward love and sex was remarkable when most Christians were polarized toward asceticism they practised was self less like free love. Not as it is known today or practised in the 1960s hippy culture. It was more akin to the Sufi mystic expression of the lover and divine beloved. This self less attitude toward love encompassed family, work, music, books, balance, sharing, equality.
Regarding LOVE In Greek philosophy the conversation between Socrates and DIOTIMA is worth contemplation. Hermodorus Lacedaemonius has a great you tube site and he is very aligned with Greek philosophy. PLATO complete works edited by John M Cooper, Hackett Publishing Company is another good resource.
Songs of love and songs I love.
Sugar sugar by the Archie’s. I like to move it from the movie Madagascar. I gotta feeling by Black eyed peas. Behind a Painted smile by Smokey Robinson. Crazy frog. Adventure of a life time by Coldplay. What’s love got to do with it by Tina Turner. Private dancer by Tina Turner. Songs by Love Unlimited Orchestra. Roxy music by Brian Ferry. There are many more you can add your own to the list or make your own list like a journal.
The Relationship Runes book by Ralph Blum and Bronwyn Jones is very informative on relationships and love.