The Lovers

Professor of Spellcraft

Centuries ago, when most people were illiterate, the people who could read and write were powerful, indeed. They had the power to cast spells — literally. With a few strokes of the pen, they could charm passing thoughts out of the air and shepherd them into physical existence.

Today, writing is a gift that most of us take for granted — but the professor of spellcraft will help you reclaim the magic power of the written word.

Key Symbols

• The professor of spellcraft is pictured in her classroom, watching over two students as they practice the art of casting spells in longhand. The simple act of putting pen to paper will help them clarify their thoughts, focus their intention, and direct their energy toward a specific goal.

• The professor embodies the lyric charm and beauty of the written word. She’s beautiful and ageless, like Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

• The Lovers card can symbolize love, romance, and marriage. A large percentage of spells, after all, are designed to attract new love, renew old love, or reunite lost love.

• While an appearance by this couple could encourage any hopeless romantic, the Lovers card also signifies a choice to be made between competing drives and desires. The young lovers in the image illustrate the twin principles of action and reaction, yin and yang, and give and take.

• Because opposites attract, the two students also offer a study in contrast: the girl is female, and the boy is male. The girl is left-handed, while the boy uses his right. The girl is dark, which signifies girls’ tendency to mature more quickly in love and think more deeply about relationships. The boy, on the other hand, is pale and lovesick.

• The students are writing with old-fashioned feather pens. The Lovers card is associated with air, and feathers are a symbol of air.

• This professor’s classroom is filled with books. Twenty-two books stacked on the floor — one for each card in the major arcana.

• The writing desk has four panels — one for each suit of the minor arcana.

• The professor is holding an apple, the forbidden fruit that symbolizes wisdom.

• She plucked the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil on the right side of the card.

• A serpent winds his way up through its branches; you can see his head near the professor’s left arm. He might symbolize the whisper of temptation. He might also represent the flow of kundalini energy.

• The kabalistic Tree of Life stands on the left, still bearing its full complement of ten apples — one for each mystic stage of creation.

• Two symbols are painted on the wall behind the professor. One is the glyph for the astrological sign Gemini. People who are born when the sun is in Gemini are the great communicators of the Zodiac.

• The other symbol is the Hebrew letter Zain, which means sword. In tarot, swords symbolize communication and intellect, but it’s often said that the pen is mightier than the sword.

Practical Magic

A few basic spelling guidelines will help you get the most from any spells you cast.

• Clarify your intention before you begin, by putting your goals and objectives in writing.

• You can add extra power to your spells by writing them in rhyming verse.

• If you want to augment your spells with candles, crystals, and symbolic tokens, gather all the supplies you’ll need ahead of time.

• Create a circle of sacred space to contain and concentrate your magical efforts.

• As you work your magic, visualize the successful completion of your goals, and imagine yourself enjoying the results.

• Be specific in the results you hope to achieve, but open-minded about the means to your end. Don’t try to micromanage your own fate. Instead, allow for any possibility. Make your goals and objectives clear, but let the universe take care of the details.

• When you’ve finished casting each spell, your job is done. Be patient. Don’t destroy the energy you put into motion by talking about it; you’ll  pull it back toward yourself. Release your spell to do its work.

The Lover's Relationship Spread

Read this spread clockwise. The cards on either end — 1 and 2 — represent two people in a relationship. The cards in the rows between illustrate the connection and communication between the two. Cards 3, 4, and 5 will reveal the past, present, and future of the relationship, while cards 8, 7, and 6 will depict foundational issues that affect that past, present, and future.