Tarot Love Reading Card Meanings

January 9, 2024

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The tarot is a deck of 78 cards that can provide deep insights into love, relationships, and the heart. A tarot reading can reveal so much about the energies, challenges, lessons, and gifts present in any romantic connection. When doing a love reading, each card takes on special significance in illuminating the bonds we share.

Table of Contents

Major Arcana Love Cards

The Major Arcana cards deal with life’s bigger themes and turning points. When these cards show up in a love reading, it often indicates fundamental energies shaping the relationship.

The Lovers

Represents love, passion, romance, relationships, values alignment, and choice
A very positive sign of strong mutual attraction and deep bonds
Can indicate a need to balance logic and emotions in romance
A choice may need to be made about starting a new relationship

The High Priestess

Embodies intuition, mystery, wisdom, secrets, patience, and listening to one’s inner voice
In love, this card reflects deep connections that transcend the physical
It may point to hidden feelings, fears, or insecurities that need acknowledging
Suggests a need for introspection to understand oneself and one’s needs

The Empress

Symbolizes”,”completion”:”, beauty, nature, romance, fertility, luxury, and indulgence
In a love reading, points to passion, desire, affection, and appreciation for your partner
Can indicate pregnancy, birth, nurturing, starting a family, or motherhood
Suggests enjoying romance and treating yourself and your lover

The Emperor

Represents authority, structure, rules, fatherhood, protection, stability, and logic
In love, points to commitment, marriage, building a life together, and taking leadership
Can indicate controlling behaviors that need to shift to openness and flexibility
Suggests logically planning for the future and setting healthy boundaries

The Hierophant

Stands for tradition, conformity, morality, ethics, commitment, devotion, and loyalty
In romance suggests shared beliefs, values, and customs that bond a couple
Can point to marriage, ceremonies, or aligning on spiritual matters with a partner
Indicates a need for greater trust, vulnerability, and honesty in a relationship

Cups Love Cards

The suit of Cups is connected to emotions, relationships, and matters of the heart. When Cups cards turn up in a love reading, they reveal how you and your partner are emotionally relating.

Ace of Cups

Represents new love, romance, falling in love, affection, intuition, and spiritual connection
A very positive sign of fresh emotional beginnings, being open to love, and sacred unions
Can indicate renewed intimacy, trust, tenderness, and optimism in an existing romance
Suggests listening to your heart and intuition when it comes to matters of love

Two of Cups

Symbolizes mutual attraction, passion, partnership, proposal, connections, and balanced relationships
In love points to finding your match, deep bonds, friendship, and understanding
May indicate coming together in romance, engagement, commitment to each other
Suggests compromise, reciprocation, and creating harmony in a relationship

Three of Cups

Stands for joy, celebration, friendship, creativity, collaborations, and community
In romance points to enjoying time together, having fun, and building memories
Can indicate reunions, proposals, weddings, holidays, parties, and milestones
Suggests injecting more playfulness, lightheartedness, and socializing into love

Four of Cups

Represents contemplation, apathy, emotional withdrawal, disappointment, and boredom
In love reflects disconnection, disengagement, dissatisfaction, and ambivalence
May point to “grass is greener” feelings, restlessness, or complacency in romance
Indicates re-evaluating what you want and communicating more openly

Five of Cups

Symbolizes loss, grief, regret, breakups, heartbreak, rumination, and lingering pain
In a love reading points to difficult emotional transitions and letting go
Can represent betrayal, rejection, tears, loneliness, self-pity, and focusing on the negative
Suggests allowing yourself to process and heal before opening up to love again

Wands Love Cards

The suit of Wands represents action, passion, inspiration, and enterprise. Wands cards in a love reading illuminate the energy, vitality, and growth present in relationships.

Ace of Wands

Symbolizes beginnings, creativity, excitement, adventure, sexual attraction, and confidence
In romance points to new sparks, chemistry, and passion in relating
Can indicate rekindled desire, spontaneity, and playfulness between partners
Suggests bravery in taking risks, trying new things, and injecting thrills into love

Two of Wands

Represents planning, direction, discovery, options, ambition, and taking leadership
In love reflects making plans, setting goals, and building a future as a couple
May point to travel, relocation, education, or exploring passions together
Indicates boldly visualizing and taking tangible steps towards relationship dreams

Three of Wands

Stands for foresight, expansion, growth, entrepreneurship, overseas travel, and enterprise
In romance points to leveling up commitment, moving in together, engagements
Can represent discovering new horizons, deepening intimacy, and adventures together
Suggests opening up to new possibilities and frontiers in relationships

Four of Wands

Symbolizes community, home, celebrations, marriage, receptive creativity, and relaxation
In a love reading points to commitments, settling down, and establishing stability
May indicate proposals, weddings, buying a house, feeling at home with someone
Suggests appreciating what you’ve built together and balancing work with play

Five of Wands

Represents conflict, tension, competition, disagreements, rivalry, and obstacles
In romance points to arguments, power struggles, miscommunications, ego conflicts
Can indicate controlling behaviors, lack of trust, heated debates, clashing perspectives
Suggests more openness, patience, compromise, and addressing core issues

Swords Love Cards

The suit of Swords represents the mind, thoughts, challenges, and communication. Swords cards reflect the mental energies present in romantic relating.

Ace of Swords

Symbolizes new ideas, breakthroughs, clarity, focus, decisiveness, and cutting through illusions
In love reflects renewed mental energy, seeing the truth, and breaking negative thought patterns
May indicate constructive communication, intellectual connections, and mental sparring
Suggests speaking your mind plainly, setting clear boundaries, and breaking free from doubt

Two of Swords

Represents indecision, truce, stalemate, balance, denial, and blocking emotions
In romance points to being at a crossroads, internal conflicts, compromising values
Can indicate avoiding issues, pretending to be fine, struggling to communicate openly
Suggests honestly facing problems, listening to your heart, and making a choice

Three of Swords

Stands for heartbreak, grief, loss, betrayal, rejection, sadness, and separation
In a love reading reflects painful partings, breakups, infidelity, and emotional wounds
May point to bitterness, tears, arguments, or blocked communication after a split
Indicates allowing yourself to process loss before moving forward with lessons learned

Four of Swords

Symbolizes rest, retreat, contemplation, recovery, meditation, and solitude
In romance points to needing space to process, reflect, and find peace of mind
Can represent healing after loss, recharging intimacy, or going on a retreat together
Suggests taking a mindful pause to regain perspective before reconnecting

Five of Swords

Represents conflict, sneakiness, win-at-all-costs mentality, hostility, and unhealthy competition
In love reflects manipulation, mind games, selfishness, and power dynamics needing rebalancing
May indicate blocking compromise, sabotaging the relationship, or intellectual sparring
Suggests shifting to openness, finding win-win scenarios, and fighting fair

Pentacles Love Cards

The suit of Pentacles reflects prosperity, security, resources, and matters of the physical world. Pentacles cards in a love reading point to real-world factors shaping the relationship.

Ace of Pentacles

Symbolizes wealth, abundance, prosperity, security, new opportunities, and groundedness
In romance reflects strengthened resources, financial blessings, nesting, and providing
May indicate moving in, engagements, pregnancies, increased commitments, and building a life
Suggests appreciating material comforts while staying emotionally connected

Two of Pentacles

Represents balancing, adapting, multitasking, organization, adjustments, and flexibility
In love points to juggling priorities, work-life balance, scheduling quality time, and compromising
Can indicate joint finances, shared resources, coordinating as a team, and finding harmony
Suggests staying nimble, communicative, and gracious when navigating change together

Three of Pentacles

Stands for teamwork, collaboration, initial fulfillment, handiwork, and job well done
In romance reflects co-creating, establishing foundations, and building something special
May point to demonstrable commitment, engagements, division of labor, and joint efforts
Indicates valuing what you’re building, compromising, and celebrating milestones

Four of Pentacles

Symbolizes security, control, discipline, stinginess, consolidation, and risk aversion
In love points to dependability, loyalty, stability, and establishing structure together
Can represent holding on too tight, stubbornness, protectiveness over money or time
Suggests balancing safety with vulnerability, and security with openness and flow

Five of Pentacles

Represents hardship, lack mentality, isolation, worry, poverty, and financial issues
In romance reflects instability, stress over money, disconnectedness, or materialism
May indicate problems around shared finances, unemployment, or loss of a home
Suggests coming together, seeking help, opening up about difficulties, and renewing hope

Common Love Card Combinations

When certain cards appear together in a love reading, they create powerful combinations that provide deeper insights about romantic energies. Here are some notable combinations to look for:

The Lovers + Two of Cups: A profound soulmate connection, with passion, mutual understanding, and commitment.
The Empress + Ace of Cups: Abundant affection, sensuality, and creative new love.
The Devil + Five of Swords: Obsessiveness, power struggles, temptation, and unhealthy attachments in romance.
Three of Swords + Five of Cups: Heart-wrenching loss, grief, and deep pain after a breakup.
Four of Wands + Ten of Cups: Joyful celebrations, fulfillment, and harmony in an established happy marriage or partnership.
The Tower + Three of Swords: A relationship ruptured by lies, betrayal, irreconcilable differences, and trauma.
Judgement + The Lovers: Major soulmate reconnection or breakthrough, with deepened spiritual bonds.
The Star + Two of Cups: Healing, renewed hope and emotional intimacy after a period of disconnection.
Ace of Pentacles + Ten of Cups: Love, marriage, fertility, and abundant financial blessings.

Timing with Tarot Court Cards

The court cards can suggest helpful timeframes for events indicated in a love reading:

Pages – Days, up to 2 weeks
Knights – Weeks, up to 2 months
Queens – Months, up to 1 year
Kings – Years

So if say the Page of Wands shows up with the Two of Cups, exciting new romance may arrive within two weeks. If instead the King of Cups arrived with the Two of Cups, a serious commitment could culminate within the year.

Love Questions to Ask the Tarot

When preparing to do a love reading, keep your questions focused. Here are some productive questions to consider:

What are the core energies shaping this romantic connection?
What do I most need to know about this relationship right now?
What hidden factors or subconscious patterns influence this partnership?
What is the likely future trajectory of this romance if our behaviors/patterns remain the same?
What lessons, gifts or growth opportunities exist in this relationship?
How can we best nurture, deepen, and strengthen the bonds we share?
What blocks or obstacles stand in the way of this relationship thriving?
What practical actions and shifts in perspectives or behaviors would be most helpful for this romance?
What guidance does spirit/the universe/my highest self have for me about this relationship?

By asking focused questions, you elicit detailed guidance from the cards about the essential themes, energies, and dimensions of the romantic connection. Let the reading reveal insights to reflect upon.

Pulling it All Together in a Love Reading

When conducting a complete love reading, synthesize the cards that appear in a layered, holistic way. Look for connections between the cards, repeating numbers, suits, court cards, and reversals. Reflect on how the different cards interact, building on each other energetically. Let the reading tell a story about the relationship as you piece together all the guidance and symbolism. Then summarize the core insights, themes, and advice that emerge about nourishing love.

Conclusion

A tarot reading provides mirrored guidance to help you understand the soul of any romantic connection. By turning over the cards with clear intentions, you open a window into the relationship’s magical possibilities and hidden wisdom. Each card offers clues about how to walk the path of love with more awareness, healing, and grace. Approach tarot readings with an open heart, and let them reveal insights to support your highest unfolding.

FAQs: Tarot Love Readings

What are the best tarot cards for love?

Some especially auspicious cards for love include The Lovers, Two of Cups, Ace of Cups, Ten of Cups, Ace of Wands, Four of Wands, Ace of Pentacles, and all the court cards (Pages, Knights, Queens, Kings). Cards like the Devil, Tower, Five of Swords, Three of Swords, and Five of Pentacles can reflect challenges in love to overcome.

How do you do a basic tarot love reading?

Shuffle the cards, take a few deep breaths, and clearly set your intention. Draw 3-5 cards depicting the past, present, and future of the relationship. Interpret each card, reading both upright and reversed meanings. Connect the narrative across the cards and summarize insights. Close by clearing your mind and giving thanks.

What tarot card combinations indicate love?

The Lovers + Two of Cups reflect profound soulmate bonds. Ace of Cups + Ten of Pentacles can point to fertile new beginnings. The Fool + Page of Cups indicates fresh romance and following your heart. Justice + Four of Wands can represent marriages or ceremonies. The Empress + Three of Cups reflects joyful sensuality and creativity.

What do major arcana cards mean in love readings?

When Major Arcana cards appear in a love reading, they reveal significant soul lessons, karma, transformations, and destinies unfolding through the relationship. For example, the Lovers reflects profound love and partnerships, the Tower indicates upheaval, Death points to major transitions, and Temperance represents harmony.

What does it mean when cups keep appearing in love readings?

When Cups cards dominate a reading, it highlights deep emotions as central to the connections. The suit of Cups rules love, relationships, feelings, creativity, and intuition. Repeated Cups suggest keeping an open heart, embracing vulnerability, and nurturing bonds on a soul level.

How accurate are tarot card readings for love?

With practice and intuition, tarot readings can provide remarkably accurate and helpful insights around love and relationships. Approach readings with an open mind and heart, and trust the guidance that emerges. Remember, the cards reflect potential energies and patterns, but ultimately, you have free will to shape your romantic destiny.