A Reading: Balance v Inbalance in the Lover's Path Tarot

I did a reading for the world this Valentine's Day using the Lover's Path Tarot. I drew the card Balance, which shows the goddess Venus and the god Vulcan. This would, on the surface, seem the perfect card for a day that's supposed to be about romance. However, when I pulled it from the pack it was reversed: upside down. 

The photo here shows the card upright. I'll first look into what the card would mean this way, then the reversed interpretation.

Balance in the Lover's Path Tarot corresponds to Temperance in the Rider-Waite-Smith and similar decks. It represents the importance of equilibrium. 

The depiction of Venus and Vulcan rshows that opposites can live in harmony. Before becoming a goddess of love, Venus was originally a goddess of nature and of plants growing with the arrival of spring. Vulcan is a god of the forge and of crafting. Despite seeming incompatible, they were married, and their marriage endured. It could even be considered a successful polyamorous relationship, because Venus had many other lovers. The two deities learnt to not only tolerate, but also accept, each other's differences. 

Wouldn't it be wonderful if that same tolerance and acceptance of difference could be more prevalent in our world today?  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could cultivate balance and learn to both nurture and craft happier relationships? 

Sadly, it seems, the world today is out of balance. As I wrote earlier, I drew this card in the reversed position. This represents inbalance, inability to find peace, and lack of inspiration about how to progress. 

This Valentine's Day, on a magical level,  we could all help manifest balance by spending some time visualising this card in its upright form. We could also petition Venus and Vulcan to help bring about harmony and equilibrium within ourselves and in all our relationships.

Here's my earlier review of the deck: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/02/review-lovers-path-tarot.html

You can view The Lover's Path Tarot on Amazon

(Please note I earn commission from some links)

Tarot exhibition at the Warburg

London's Warburg Institute is hosting Tarot – Origins and Afterlives in the new Kythera Gallery. It runs until 30 April. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance. The institute is at Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AB. You can find out more about the exhibition and book here: https://warburg.sas.ac.uk/

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2025/02/pictures-tarot-origins-afterlives-at.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2025/01/divination-for-world-8-of-swords-from.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/02/divination-princess-of-cups-from-lovers.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/11/card-for-day-temperance-magical-nordic.html