The Lovers - Six

This adorable card shows a bare-bottomed Cupid eclipsing the sun as he prepares to shoot an arrow at a couple who have come before a witness to make their vow of marriage. By a wonderful conjunction of mathematical coincidences, the number six is both the sum (1 + 2 + 3) and the product (1 × 2 × 3) of the first three numbers. It is therefore considered “perfect.” This card represents the "perfection" produced by the union of two halves. The perfection of the number six is told of in the Bible, as it takes God six days to perfect his creation before he takes one last day to rest. This story is of course derived from Chaldean and Sumerian mythology. Six was considered the number of completion, harmony, love, creativity, and the physical senses. Psychic perception is sometimes called the "sixth sense". Psychic simply means "of the mind" as "psyche" is Greek for "consciousness". There is a classic tale where Psyche personified falls in love with Cupid (the personification of love) and must face several challenges in order to be united with her beloved.

The story of Cupid and Psyche is found in a Latin novel known as the Metamorphoses of Apuleius, written in the 2nd century CE. Psyche is beautiful princess who is rumoured to be the second coming of the goddess Venus, the personification of creativity or fertility. Venus is jealous of Psyche and offended by the rumours about her, so instructs her son, Cupid, to prevent her from finding any mortal lover. Realising that nobody will agree to marry their daughter, Psyche's parents seek the advice of an oracle. They are told that Psyche's fated husband will be a winged creature who is feared by even Jupiter himself and all the inhabitants of the underworld. Convinced that this is the only husband she will find on Earth, her parents lead her in a marriage procession to the peak of a rocky crag. The personification of the western wind, Zephyr, lifts Psyche up into the air and carries her off to a lovely meadow. Overwhelmed, Psyche passes out, and wakes up to find herself at the edge of a cultivated grove. Exploring the area, she comes across a beautiful house with golden columns, carved ceilings, embossed silver walls, and jewelled mosaic floods. A disembodied voice greets her and she is entertained by singing to an invisible lyre, and fed by a feast that serves itself. As the sun sets, she is lead to her bedroom, and in the pitch black of night she meets her husband. He is kind and gentle so she agrees to be his wife, despite not being able to see him in the dark. He tells her that she may never look upon him, and he must always leave before sunrise. After living with her new husband for some time, Psyche becomes pregnant.

Psyche's parents are concerned and want to know how she is doing in her new home. Zephyr agrees to take Psyche's two sisters up to visit her. When the sisters arrive at the beautiful house they become incredibly jealous, and decide to tell Psyche the rumours they have heard about her mysterious husband. They tell Psyche that the reason her husband doesn't let her see him in the light is because he's a hideous monster who intends on devouring her unborn child. The sisters give Psyche a lamp and a dagger so that she may defend herself from the beast. Psyche is a little skeptical but decides that she better find out who exactly her husband really is. One night, while he is softly sleeping next to her, she lights the lamp and beholds her lover. Dazzled by his otherworldly beauty, she finds Cupid in her bed. Consumed by an orgasmic passion, she quivers feverishly and spills hot oil from the lamp. Cupid is struck by the oild and recoils in horror as he sees the dagger in her other hand. Heartbroken, he picks her up into the air and dumps her on a river bank.

Amor and Psyche (1589) by Jacopo Zucchi

Poor Psyche is found sobbing in despair and unbearable longing by the god of wilderness, Pan. He rouses her to go searching for Cupid. She goes on her way, stumbling across her two sisters, to bewail her tragedy. Instead of comforting Psyche, the sisters decide that they will offer themselves as replacement brides for Cupid. They rush to the rocky crag, shouting to Zephyr to carry them to the beautiful meadow where Cupid lives. Consumed with blind desire, they launch themselves into the air, expecting Zephyr to catch them. Zephyr refuses their request and they fall to their deaths.

Psyche visits the temples of Ceres and Juno, begging for divine intervention. The goddesses are powerless to help her, as they have been prohibited by the jealous Venus. Psyche decides to go the temple of Venus and promises to serve her in any way she wishes if she can be reunited with her husband. Venus laughs and explains that her marriage is illegitimate because there were no witnesses to the agreement. She mocks Psyche for bearing an illiegitimate child. Her handmaidens, Worry and Sadness, strip Psyche naked and whip her as punishment. Psyche begs for mercy, and Venus agrees that if she can complete a series of challenges, her sorrow will be alleviated. Venus pours out a pile of mixed seeds and grains on the ground and tells Psyche that she must divide the wheat, barley, poppyseed, chickpeas, lentils and beans into separate piles by dawn. Psyche gets to work while Venus withdraws to attend a wedding feast. A tiny ant takes pity on Psyche and assembles a fleet of insects to aid her. When Venus comes back drunk from the party, she is enraged to find the challenge completed. She sets another task for Psyche. She is to cross a river and fetch golden wool from a herd of aggressive sheep. Psyche goes to the river, and is so depressed that wants to drown herself. But then the reeds begin to sing to her and instruct her to gather the wool that has been caught on briers. Psyche returns to Venus with the golden wool, and is given another task. This time she must collect black water from the rivers Styx and Cocytus in a crystal cup. Psyche makes her way to the dreadful spring from which the rivers issue. Impressed by her bravery, Jupiter sends his eagle to retrieve the water for her. Receiving the crystal cup of black water, Venus is ugly with rage and demands that Psyche travel to the depths of the underworld and obtain a dose of Proserpina's beauty serum, so that she may revive her complexion.

Convinced that the only way to enter the underworld is to kill herself, Psyche prepairs to fling herself from the top of a tall tower. Just as she is about to commit suicide, the tower begins to speak, advising her to travel to a place called Taenarus where there is an entrance to the underworld. The tower instructs her to enter through the opening of a cave, and bring cakes of honeyed barley in both hands, and carry two coins in her mouth. The tower warns her that she must remain silent throughout her underworld journey, and ignore the pleads of anyone who begs for her help. The cakes are for distracting the three-headed dog Cerberus, and the two coins are to pay Charon, the ferryman. Psyche follows the instructions carefully, and Proserpina hands over a box containing the magical elixir of youth. As Psyche emerges from the underworld, curiosity overwhelms her and she lifts the lid of the box for a peek. The vapour that issues forth sends Psyche into a deep sleep.

Psyche et L'Amour (1889) by Bouguereau

Having heard of Psyche's valiant efforts, Cupid goes in search of his bride, and finds her sleeping. He rouses her with the gentle prick of one of his arrows, and carries her off in his arms. They present Proserpina's box to Venus, before flying off to an assembly of the gods at the Theatre of Heaven. There the gods agree that Psyche has earned her place in Heaven, and she is given the gift of sweet ambrosia so that she may become a goddess and achieve equality with Cupid. Stood before a Heavenly gathering, the divine couple make their marriage vows and a wedding banquet commences. After the celebrations have ended, Psyche gives birth to a beautiful daughter named Pleasure.

This story is an allegory for challenges we must face in life, and the courage we must show to devote ourselves to the spirit of love and unity. The number six reminds us of the perfect state of a love filled consciousness. The six pointed star is used as the symbol of the heart chakra, Anāhata, which is associated with a deep sense of inner peace. To me, The Lovers represent the quest to follow our hearts, to be spiritually fulfilled, and to connect with the cosmic oneness.