Sage Leaves: The Lovers, Jungian Archetype
Healing Ancestral Wounds Through Tarot
🌿 This week in Sage Leaves… 🌿
We’re kicking off a new exploration of The Lovers card, taking a closer look at its role as a Jungian archetype. In the coming weeks, we’ll continue this journey, weaving in its place within the Heroine’s Journey and how it shows up in readings around generational wounding. I’m excited to begin unfolding these deeper layers with you.
We’ve also got a fresh Tarotscope for the week of May 6–12, 2025, offering insights into the energetic patterns shaping the days ahead.
And as always, throughout the week I’ll be sharing little extras—sometimes it’s an article sparked by a reader’s question, other times it’s an herbal recipe or a bit of plant wisdom. I’ve spent years studying and working with plant allies—from their scientific properties to their healing traditions—and it’s a joy to pass along that knowledge when something feels timely or helpful. I think we could all use a little more of that kind of care right now.
Thank you for being part of this unfolding conversation. I’m so glad you’re here.
Spotlight on a Jungian Archetype: The Lovers
✨ The Lovers Card: A Jungian Journey of Choice and Wholeness
When you first pull The Lovers card from the Tarot deck, it might seem simple—romance, attraction, maybe even the image of two people standing under an angel’s blessing. But under the surface, this card holds a much deeper story. From a Jungian perspective, The Lovers isn’t just about falling in love with someone else—it’s about falling in love with your whole self.
Carl Jung, the famous psychologist, talked a lot about something called the “integration of opposites.” He believed that inside each of us are opposing forces: masculine and feminine, light and shadow, conscious and unconscious. The Lovers card shows us a moment where these different parts come together. Imagine you’re standing at a crossroads, with two different paths calling to you. The Lovers represents that inner dialogue, that need to make a choice—not just about love, but about identity.
In the Rider-Waite deck, you’ll notice a man and a woman standing beneath an angel, with the Tree of Knowledge and the serpent behind them. This scene isn’t just about romantic bliss—it’s a nod to the biblical story of Adam and Eve. It reminds us that choices have consequences. Jung would say this card speaks to a critical moment in your personal development: when you’re being called to unite your desires, your responsibilities, and your deeper truths into a more authentic whole.
In Jungian psychology, we all carry an anima (inner feminine) and an animus (inner masculine) within us, regardless of gender. The Lovers card can symbolize the meeting of these two forces inside your psyche. Maybe you’ve been too focused on logic and reason, and this card invites you to open up to emotion and intuition. Or perhaps you’ve been living in dreams and ideals, and it’s time to ground yourself in action and clarity. Either way, The Lovers encourages you to balance and embrace both sides of yourself.
But here’s the catch: The Lovers isn’t always about perfect harmony. Sometimes, it shows up when you’re facing a tough decision—when your heart and your head don’t agree. Jung believed that this tension is necessary. He called it the “creative conflict” that helps us grow. Instead of choosing one side and rejecting the other, The Lovers asks: How can you hold both truths at once?
There’s also a playful energy here, a reminder that love and attraction aren’t always neat or predictable. The Lovers invites us to explore desire—not just physical desire, but the desire to connect, to know, to belong. And sometimes, it points to the ways we project our ideals onto others, only to discover those qualities were within us all along. As Jung might say, the people we’re drawn to are often mirrors for the parts of ourselves we haven’t yet claimed.
So, what does it mean when The Lovers appears in your reading? It could be a signal that a relationship in your life is bringing you closer to your authentic self—or challenging you to face your deeper truths. It might point to a choice that requires courage and honesty. Or it could be a gentle nudge to fall in love not just with someone else, but with your own complexity.
In the end, The Lovers card is a beautiful, complicated invitation. It asks you to weave together all your pieces—the known and the unknown, the light and the shadow—into a fuller, truer version of you. And maybe, just maybe, to choose love, even when love asks you to grow.
🌿 Sage Leaves Weekly Tarotscope:
🌿Angels Among the Rubble 🌿
This is a reading for the energetic influences at play for the week of May 6-12, 2025.
You begin this week with joy in your heart, a lightness you haven’t felt in a while. On Tuesday, the 3 of Cups opens the stage as Venus in Aries sextiles Pluto in Aquarius, encouraging a celebration of your connections. Friends gather, laughter spills into the air, and there’s a sense that shared moments are more potent than usual. You may find yourself reconnecting with old companions or deepening bonds with your current circle. There’s magic in camaraderie. Let yourself enjoy it—you’ve earned this oasis of joy. But beneath the cheer, Pluto whispers: transformation comes, even in delight.
By Wednesday, the mood shifts sharply. The Tower strikes again—yes, that same card you’ve seen before, now returning under the skies of Moon in Virgo trine Uranus in Taurus. This is disruption with precision. Sudden truths crack foundations you thought were solid. It may not be dramatic on the outside, but inside? Oh, you feel it. An unexpected revelation, a broken expectation, or a jolt to your plans leaves you reeling. Yet, this lightning isn’t here to destroy for destruction’s sake—it clears the debris so something stronger can rise. You stand amid rubble, blinking, wondering: What do I rebuild?
Thursday hands you a sharp tool: the Ace of Swords. Under the Moon in Libra sextile Mars in Leo, clarity slices through the fog left by the Tower’s collapse. You see with fresh eyes. There’s a new idea, a truth you can’t unsee, a decision forming like crystal in your mind. This is a sword of discernment—you are being called to cut away illusions, to name things as they are, not as you wish them to be. Courage will be required. But with this clarity comes power. The power to choose differently.
On Friday, you channel this clarity into bold action. The Queen of Wands arrives, her gaze steady, her staff alight. No planetary aspect overshadows her—she stands in her own fire. This is your invitation to own your charisma, your creative fire, your unapologetic self. You’re not hiding anymore. Whether it’s in your work, your relationships, or your passions, you radiate confidence. People are drawn to your warmth, your vision, your spark. You lead not by command, but by shining so brightly others want to follow.
But on Saturday, the energy softens. Temperance appears as Mercury enters Taurus, asking you to blend, balance, integrate. After a week of emotional highs, shocking truths, and bold moves, you’re reminded: wholeness takes patience. Temperance invites you to step back, stir your ingredients carefully, and allow what’s brewing within you to come together in harmony. Don’t rush the alchemy. The middle path isn’t a compromise—it’s wisdom. Let the pieces fall into place in their own time.
And then, Sunday dawns with a choice. The Lovers card emerges under the intense skies of Moon in Scorpio square Mars in Leo. This isn’t just about romance—it’s about alignment. A choice between head and heart. Between the known and the wild unknown. Between safety and risk. You may find yourself standing at a crossroads, wondering which path honors your deepest truth. The pull toward desire will be strong. Mars and Scorpio stir your passions. But the Lovers remind you: love is not just a feeling; it’s a commitment to union, within and without. What are you ready to pledge yourself to?
Finally, on Monday, the week culminates in the Judgement card under the potent skies of Mercury in Taurus square Pluto in Aquarius and a Full Moon in Scorpio. This is no ordinary Monday. This is a reckoning. A soul-call. Judgement asks you to rise, to hear the trumpet, to step into the next version of yourself. It’s time to let go of guilt, regrets, and fears that have chained you. The full moon illuminates what must be released so you can ascend. Pluto’s retrograde turns the transformation inward—you’re facing your shadow, your buried truths, your hidden power. But Judgement doesn’t condemn—it liberates. You are being summoned to step into your higher purpose.
And through it all, a thread weaves quietly: the angels. Did you notice them? Three of the Major Arcana—The Lovers, Temperance, Judgement—are all watched over by winged figures, their arms open, their gaze lifted skyward. Even the Tower, though fierce, is topped by lightning that comes from above. This is a week of divine intervention, of celestial guidance, of unseen forces shaping your path.
It’s not always gentle. But it is holy.
This week, you walk a path of celebration, collapse, clarity, courage, integration, choice, and awakening. Let the angels guide you. Let the fire transform you. Let the call lift you.
You are not who you were at the beginning of this week.
And that is the point.
💫 Would you like a more personalized glimpse into your journey? If you'd like a tarot or Lenormand reading tailored just for you, I invite you to reach out. I’m honored to hold space with you as we explore the symbols and stories of your own unique path. You can connect with me directly:
✨ Until next week, may the cards guide you gently,
—Dr. Winkler
That’s it for this week! Look for Sage Leaves in your inbox on Tuesday afternoons (North American time.) We look forward to exploring more about Tarot, Healing and more! Take care, be well, and good-bye for now!