150px-TheLoversThe man in Key 6, representing conscious thought, gazes at the woman, representing the unconscious mind, while she gazes upward at Archangel Raphael, the angel of air, representing the superconscious. This triangle of connection reminds us that Truth conveyed by the conscious mind cannot be manifested in the superconscious (and believed) unless it has passed first through the subconscious of true, deep knowing.

Behind the woman is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, bearing fruit of the five senses. The serpent climbs the tree. Behind the man is the Tree of Trefoil Flames of the 12 signs of the zodiac. The nakedness of the couple indicate they have nothing to hide from each other, and from the world. In the background is a mountain of reason and thought, and the river of the unconscious flows below it.

This Key is deeply metaphysical in that The Lovers Key calls for constant connection among the subconscious, the conscious and the superconscious minds. However, I propose that the metaphysical meaning is even deeper and older than this.

For thousands of years before the Judeo-Christian concept of good and evil, here represented by the Tree of Knowledge climbed by the snake, the snake was a symbol of the Great Goddess, Mother and Giver of all life. Herein, perhaps, lies a deeper meaning of The Lovers Key. The snake is an ancient symbol of transformation, of shedding that which no longer serves us, and allows us to be connected to Mother Earth, just as the crawling snake is connected to Her.

The Lovers Key, which can be interpreted to represent divine love between two people, also can be interpreted to represent divine love of the parts of ourselves, as well as divine love of The Mother of us all.

Be blessed,

Deb