From Lovers to Devil: The Path We Don’t Talk About

I’ve always believed tarot isn’t about fortune-telling — it’s about self-telling. I want to help people with self-discovery through sharing my own experiences with tarot wisdom. The cards have a way of holding up a mirror to our inner landscape, revealing not just what’s happening, but why.

In my own journey, few lessons have felt as raw and transformative as the passage from The Lovers to The Devil in the Thoth Tarot. This is the descent most readers gloss over — but it’s where the real alchemy begins. Have you ever heard the saying It gets worse before it gets better? Studying the tree of life as it relates to tarot helped me understand why that saying rings true—at least for me.After making a hard choice, you still have to confront things you may have kept hidden. You don't just immediatley elevate because you made the right, but hard, choice. And that's what's so confusing. 

The Lovers: The Choice that Awakens the Soul

The Lovers (Atu VI) marks the moment of choice — not just between lovers, but between truth and illusion, alignment and compromise. On the Tree of Life, The Lovers corresponds to the 17th Path (Zain) connecting Binah (Understanding) to Tiphareth (Beauty). It’s the sword that separates, the clarity that carves identity out of fusion.

Jung might call this the moment of individuation — when we separate from projection and meet the other (and ourselves) as real, whole beings. But that kind of separation doesn’t come easy.

The Devil: The Shadow We Refuse to See

In Crowley’s system, The Devil (Atu XV) naturally follows The Lovers, a cosmic echo of what happens after separation. Once you’ve chosen your path, you’re confronted by everything you denied.

The Devil corresponds to the 26th Path (Ayin) linking Hod (Splendor) and Tiphareth (Beauty) — the descent into the material and psychological shadow. It’s where we meet bondage, addiction, and self-delusion.

When I first encountered this energy, it showed up as obsession — replaying conversations, analyzing choices, doubting my intuition. But The Devil isn’t evil; it’s potential disguised as desire. The chains are loose, Crowley reminds us. We can leave the cage anytime. The key is awareness.

Jungian psychology mirrors this perfectly. The Devil represents what Jung called the shadow — the unowned parts of self that gain power only through repression. To face The Devil is to look directly at what we’ve hidden and to reclaim it.

The Tower, Death, and the Gift of Starting Over

When denial breaks, The Tower (Atu XVI) collapses. On the Tree, this is the 27th Path (Peh) between Netzach (Victory) and Hod (Splendor) — the lightning strike of awakening.

It’s the phone call you didn’t want, the truth you can’t unhear, the moment your comfort disintegrates. Painful? Always. But that’s how false structures fall away.

Then comes Death (Atu XIII), the 24th Path (Nun) connecting Netzach and Tiphareth — not annihilation, but transformation. It’s pruning the soul so new life can grow.

At this point in the psyche, the ego loosens its grip, and something deeper takes root.

Art (Temperance): The Alchemy of Wholeness

After the storm, Temperance — or Art in the Thoth deck — emerges as integration. It lives on the 25th Path (Samekh) between Yesod (Foundation) and Tiphareth (Beauty).

This is the alchemical wedding of opposites: masculine and feminine, conscious and unconscious, light and dark. Jung called this the coniunctio — the sacred union that gives birth to the Self.

Art teaches us that wholeness isn’t about purity; it’s about blending. It’s not the absence of chaos but its transformation into harmony.

 
Jung, Kabbalah, and the Descent Toward Tiphereth

When used with self-honesty, tarot functions much like Jung’s active imagination, guiding us through the labyrinth of our unconscious. Each path between sephirot becomes a psychological bridge, each archetype a living energy within us.

Whether you’re standing at the crossroads of The Lovers or wrestling The Devil within, know that every descent holds a hidden ascent. The Tree of Life reminds us that even shadow paths curve back toward Tiphereth — the beauty of the awakened heart.

 
Thoth and Love’s Tutorial: A Tarot Path to Self-Discovery

Through The Lovers, I learned to choose alignment over comfort.
Through The Devil, I learned to face my shadow instead of running.
Through The Tower and Death, I learned to let go of illusions.
And through Art, I learned that balance is born from transformation, not avoidance.

This has become the foundation of my work — what I call Thoth and Love’s Tutorial, a framework for self-understanding through archetypal reflection:

The Lovers: Choose with integrity, not fear.
The Devil: Acknowledge attachments and reclaim power.
The Tower: Let false structures fall.
Death: Surrender what’s over.
Art (Temperance): Integrate lessons and restore balance.
Each card whispers: Who are you becoming through this?

Tarot as a Mirror for the Soul

When I teach or read for others, I remind them: the cards don’t hand you answers — they hand you awareness.

The real magic isn’t in the deck; it’s in your willingness to face what it shows you.

Work with Me

If this resonates and you’re ready to explore your own path, I’m currently accepting personal reading requests. My approach combines clairvisual impressions with the four tarot reading styles discussed by Carrie Mallon (inspired by Mary K. Greer’s work):

Therapeutic – the heart of my practice, focused on emotional healing, shadow integration, and personal growth.
Analytic – using the cards as mirrors for logical insight and problem-solving, like a conversation that untangles life’s knots.
Psychic – intuitive readings, often through my Akashic Records work, connecting to spiritual guidance and unseen influences.
Magical – a rare, intentionally subtle approach used upon request, when a client’s path calls for ritual or manifestation support.

Whether you’re standing at the crossroads of The Lovers or in the depths of The Devil, tarot can illuminate your next step. It can remind you that even in chaos, there’s always a path toward balance. Watch my latest YouTube energy check-in video here. If you'd like to book a reading with me, please see my reading options on the homepage or website header. You can also send me a message if you have any questions about my reading options.