IS LOVE IN THE CARDS?

February is the month we celebrate Valentine’s Day, and the topic of love and romance abounds.  As a pro reader for almost 20 years, I will tell you that questions about love are among the most popular questions that tarot clients have (along with money and health). There are many nuances about how to read love in the cards, but here are some of my favorite cards when doing a reading about love.

While all of the cards in the Suit of Cups, with its context of emotions, can be associated with love or lack of it, some cards that I find most significant are the Ace of Cups, Two of Cups, and all of the Cups Court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, or King). The Ace of Cups is an obvious harbinger of new love as aces signify beginnings. I always think of the Two of Cups as a sort of mini Lovers card with the two figures gazing into one another’s eyes.  There’s an air of imminent romance when this card shows up in a love reading.

The Court Cards in the suit of Cups represent various levels of engagement in terms of love. The Page of Cups, being a messenger, may represent readiness for love and romance or signify some sort of news about love or from a lover. The Knight of Cups is the quintessential Romeo as his quest is for love. (More about knights below). The Queen of Cups is the object of his quest; she is sensitive and romantic but also capable of setting emotional boundaries. The King of Cups can represent a mature version of love.

There are also a few cards from the suit of cups that can signify a situation in the love life that is not ideal. The Four of Cups can show a rejection of love or by a lover and the Five of Cups shows us a person in obvious grief over an emotional loss. Another card that signifies loss in love is the Three of Swords, with three swords piercing a heart.  The Four of Wands shows a celebration and may even signify love that has – or will be - culminated in marriage.

In my experience, when a client asks about whether or not love is coming and any of the knights appear (but especially two or more) there is a strong chance that love is in the air.  Each knight, of course, offers something different.  As we noted earlier, the Knight of Cups is romantic.  The Knight of Wands, on the other hand, is more passionate. The Knight of Swords may court with words or even poetry, and the Knight of Pentacles is likely to offer gifts.

In the major arcana it goes without saying that the Lovers card can represent romantic love. It  represents love through themes of deep connection, harmony, and union, symbolizing a balanced and soulful partnership based on mutual respect, trust, and shared values. It often emphasizes the importance of conscious choices in relationships and aligning with love that honors both passion and authenticity. When the World card comes up in a reading, I tend to view this a sign of good fortune or blessings associated with the questions about love in the reading. If love is the goal, the world card is the triumph of success and completion.

The truth is that every card in the deck can offer useful information about love. A worthwhile exercise is to go through your cards randomly and no matter what you pull, imagine how you would interpret it in a reading about love. The Eight of Wands, for example, can indicate that the timing is good or the possibility for romance is coming in soon.  The Star can advise us to keep the faith, and the Seven of Pentacles can caution the need to be patient.

No matter whether you are looking for love or looking for ways to enjoy the partner already in your life, don’t forget that one of the best ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day is to love and treasure ourselves and everyone important in our lives.

If you would like to learn more about love readings, join us at our February tarot workshop at the Third Eye Mystic Shop in Jupiter, Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 7:00 p.m. Click here for details: https://thethirdeyeinstitute.net/calendar-of-events-and-session