Relationships are the main motif of this card, which is immediately clear from its imagery. This card is connected to the theme of The Lovers card, but not on the same level. While The Lovers shows more of a cosmic duality of principles and the possibility of their reunion, this is a more down-to-earth relationship between two incomplete living beings. On another level, this is a relationship between different parts of ourselves. Do we live in peace with ourselves; are we able to embrace every part of ourselves? If not, this card can indicate the first step in accepting some unwanted part of our personality. First we must become whole before we can create relationships with other people. So this card speaks of both external and internal relationships. We could say that this card is about the bonding of people, ideas and concepts, of different facets of ourselves and, generally speaking, about partnership of any kind. The winged caduceus floating in the air speaks of the power of unity, and the lion's head recalls the Strength card and its emphasis on love as the true strength.
On the card
A young man and a young woman stand facing each other, each holding a cup. They seem to be pledging themselves to one another: he reaches towards her cup while she holds hers out to meet him. Both wear wreaths on their heads. Above them, between their cups, floats a caduceus, the staff of Hermes with two serpents twined around it, crowned by a winged lion's head. Behind the couple lies a gentle green landscape with a house on a hill.
The two figures are equals. Neither stands higher than the other, and their gestures mirror each other, which is the heart of this card: a meeting in which something is given and something is received in return. The caduceus has long been a symbol of healing and of opposites brought into harmony, the two serpents winding around a single staff. The lion's head with its wings adds passion and strength to the bond, but raised up and made light, as if desire had been lifted into something higher. The quiet house in the distance hints at what such a bond can grow into: a home, a shared life, a place of peace.
Upright
Healing of a damaged partnership, harmony, love, resolving differences, understanding, accepting oneself.
Reversed
Quarrels, opposition, divorce, end of the relationship, infidelity, betrayal, differences of opinion, confusion.