The Devil Card Meaning
‘Playful Pan’ is one of the most feared cards in the pack, mainly due to the modern depictions of the Devil being the ultimate evil.
Really, The Devil is more often just the representation of temptation, or the over indulgence of sensual pleasures.
He’s also closely associated with the vices: lust, greed, addiction, and hedonism.
Not often a positive influence, but he can represent commitment, particularly in relationship, or the fact that the Querent is gaining control of a situation.
tarot card number: 15
astrological sign: capricorn
positive associations with this tarot card: permanence, commitment
negative associations with this tarot card: entrapment, lust, greed, ignorance, anger, tyranny, obsession.
The Devil is not all bad if marriage or commitment to a relationship is under consideration and this card falls in a favourable position in a reading The Devil is a good omen regarding most other issues this card is not a very positive one. The Devil symbolises lust of the flesh, temptation and addiction which don’t tend to lead to favourable outcomes concerning relationships this card can warn against obsession or people that are no good for us and prompts you to examine the situation carefully.
The Devil stands for a warning against the destructive consequences of your actions motivated by greed, lust and power more positively, the Devil can be a sign that you are gaining control, or at least awareness, of your weaknesses or addictions always consider your motives when The Devil appears, it is a helpful indicator for you to change course whilst you still can.
Description
The Devil is the beginning of the third septenary: the cosmic influences on man. The inverted pentagram on his forehead represents the opposite of light and good (as represented with the Spirit upright pentagram). The black background represents spiritual darkness. His right hand is raised in the black magic sign (as opposed to the blessing sign the Heirophant is displaying). The sign of Saturn is on his palm. Saturn is the planet of limitations and inertia. The bat wings represent obstinacy and the donkey ears represent stubbornness. The staff of the Magician becomes the torch of destruction in the hand of the Devil. He also has the power of the Magician, but he wields it for destructive purposes.
The cube that he’s sitting on in the Rider Waite tarot is only half a cube, symbolising only half the knowledge (showing only the visible sensory side of reality.) The number 15 in numerology equals 6, the Lovers, and here the lovers are shown chained, in bondage to the material, sensual side of their nature. The man’s tail (a symbol of the base “animal” nature) is tipped in the flames we saw in the Lovers card. The woman’s tail has the same fruit from the tree we saw in that card, also. This is a sign that they are misusing their gifts. The chains around their necks are loose, proving that the bondage is of their own making. They can lose themselves at will, but they choose not to.
This card is ruled by Capricorn, the goat. The rune is Hagall. The Devil is portrayed as Pan or the Horned One in some decks. The Devil is a symbol of bondage and the evil side of man’s nature. If the Devil shows up, look carefully at your life and see what is limiting you right now. Is there an addiction that needs to be addressed? What substances, behaviours or people are holding you back?
The card of the Devil portrays a Satyr, a creature which is half man and half goat, dancing to the music of the pipes which he holds in his left hand. In his right, he grasps two lengths of chain, each attached to a collar around the neck of a naked human figure. The figures a man and a woman wear tiny horns like those of the Satyr. Although their hands and feet are free to dance, they are held by their chains of fear and fascination for the music. Around them loom the dark walls of a cave.
The goat in myth was associated with lechery and dirtiness and was considered an unclean and lustful animal. But the goat also symbolises the scapegoat, the person or thing upon whom people project the inferior side of themselves in order to feel cleaner and more righteous. Thus Pan, the Devil, is the scapegoat within which we blame for our troubles in life. The dark and doorless cave implies that Pan dwells in the most inaccessible realm of the unconscious. Only crisis can break through the wall into his secret chamber. The dancing figures are free, if they so wish, to remove their chains, for their hands are not bound. Bondage to the Devil is ultimately a voluntary matter which consciousness can release.
Meanings
The card of the Devil represents those hidden forces of negativity that constrain us and deceive us into thinking we are imprisoned by external forces. The Devil is an inner force within each of us, he is an embodiment of our fears, addictions, and other harmful impulses. The people chained at his feet are entranced with the paralysing fear of his illusory power and therefore stand still with hopelessness and a numb appearance. However, the chains hang loosely around their necks, an indication that freedom is within their grasp if they can only break free of the hypnotic attachment to the temptations offered by the Devil.
The Devil is a master of deception and illusion. The chains he binds us with are not real, we have freely given him any power he has over us. When we encounter the Devil in a reading, we must ask ourselves where we are “stuck” in life. We often fall prey to despair and the thought that we are controlled by external forces but we forge our own chains of imprisonment and powerlessness. What are the addictions or attachments restraining you from experiencing the freedom of the Fool? Are you giving yourself over to the illusion of helplessness and despair? You have the power within to set yourself free from the bondage of the Devil. What can you do to free yourself from his deception?
Need to lighten up. Not taking oneself so seriously. Need to break up old patterns. Let go of cares and worries and play more. Spilling out of oneself inappropriately. Hanging onto things that have little truth or reality. Affirmation: “Laughter resolves all things. I empower the joy within me.”
Baphomet. Baal. Beezebub. Mephistopheles. Satan. The Prince of Darkness. No matter what we call him, the Devil is our symbol for what is bad and undesirable. From our human perspective, we see the world as a struggle between light and dark. We want to vanquish the bad so that the good can prevail. In fact, good and bad cannot be separated, just as you cannot separate a shadow from its source. Darkness is simply the absence of light, and it is caused by errors that hide the truth. First is ignorance – not knowing the truth and not realising that we do not know. Second is materialism – the belief that there is nothing but the physical. Finally, there is hopelessness, which robs us of our joy and movement toward the light.
You may be in the dark about something – ignorant of the truth and its implications. Obsessed by a person, idea, substance or pattern that you know to be bad for you (or maybe you don’t!). We are prone to many errors in life. Examine your assumptions carefully. Make sure you are not working from a false picture of yourself and the situation and, foremost, hold fast to your highest vision of who YOU are.
The Devil represents the desire to obtain wealth. The value of the wealth lies in material or physical things. A great effort may be expended to obtain success. Want to shake off adversity or end a negative condition. This is not a propitious time for ANY venture, and a rash decision could result in loss. It will also be very hard for you to keep the faith and not get sucked into negative thinking, or race-conscious beliefs.
Possible health issues – substance abuse; incest; chain-smoking; negative self-image; haemorrhoids.
Trickery. You think you need something and you are willing to go against what you know to be right and true to obtain it. You are playing a risky game with dangerous forces. Trickery will backfire. Sex without love is meaningless.
Devil upright is raw, primal energy. This suggests that if this person is being truthful about their situation, they’ve been riding a wave of energy which has been quite impressive. The caution here is that they not become a “slave” to that energy and bound to it. If they come to love the feeling of power that this energy has engendered they are in peril of becoming bound to it. Eventually, that energy will wane, just as all cycles in life do. If they are bound to it they will experience loss and possibly anxiety or depression over this loss. However, if they control and channel that energy to prepare for the times when the energy is in ebb, they will be much happier in the long run. A card which would strengthen that message would be Strength, meaning that they should channel and control the energy they’ve been feeling rather than just letting it run wild through their life.
Reversed
Chains of bondage are removed. Release from the forces of evil. Black magic has no power over you. You can still be timid and fail to make decisions.
Spell/Ritual/Meditation
You may need some spiritual cleansing now. Crystals have the power to help heal and balance us. Choose either clear quartz or amethyst. Purify the crystal by washing it with salt and water. Wipe it dry with a silk cloth. Hold it to your lips and chant, “I wish to transcend my obsession, help me to see love where I see temptation.” Place the crystal on the devil card.
Thanks for reading,
Psychic Madeline Rose
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The desired outcome for young readers is that they will be inspired to treasure their unique differences. If they don’t fit in with the system or with those around them, then they should realise that it’s quite okay not to fit in.
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