The Devil

15. The Devil

Number: 15

Card Title: The Devil

Esoteric Title: Lord of the Gates of Matter

Child of the Forces of Time

Astrological Atttribution: Capricorn

Elemental Attribution: Earth (cold, dry)

Dates & Timing: December 22 to January 19

Hebrew Letter: Ayin Eye 70

Color: Blue-Violet, Indigo

Intelligence: Renewing Intelligence

Esoteric Function: Laughter & Mirth

Qabalistic Path: Path 26: 6 Tipareth to 8 Hod

Translation of Path: The Beauty of Splendor

Keywords: Materiality, Material Force, Temptation, Mirth, Bondage, Entrapment, Seduction, Monkey Cuffs, Golden Handcuffs, Ignorance, Hopelessness, Indulgence, Greed, Fear, Arrogance, Financial Difficulties, Fear, Confusion, Obsession, Doubt, Fixation, Limitation.

Interpretation:

Intention dictates positive/negative. All events & choices are an opportunity. Descent into addiction or alcoholism. Bondage to food drugs, alcohol. Family change to loved one’s problems. Adverse or negative cycle where problems multiply and nothing goes right. Can’t see whole picture. Have you become a slave to your work? May have troubles sleeping. Cardinal excess. Fearing what we don’t understand.

Upright Devil Tarot Card Meanings

The card of the Devil represents the hidden forces of negativity that constrain you and that trick you into thinking you are imprisoned by external forces ultimately out of your control. The Devil is an inner force within each of us. He represents our fears, addictions, and other harmful impulses. He is a master of deception and creates the illusion that you are involuntarily bound to him. However, the figures in this card are free to remove the chains from around their necks, indicating that they have freely given the Devil any power he has over them.

When you see the Devil in a reading, ask yourself where you are feeling stuck or restricted in your life. You may be tricked into believing that you are being controlled by external forces when in fact you have created your own chains of imprisonment and powerlessness. A sense of hopelessness can accompany the Devil. You feel despair and have a pessimistic view of life because you feel that so much is outside of your control. You fear the worst, and this means that your fears have a hold over you and prevent you from leading a more fulfilling and optimistic life. 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? Know that you have the power within to free yourself from the bondage of the Devil.

The Devil often reflects actual addictions and dependencies in your life, such as alcoholism, drug-taking, unhealthy relationships, over-spending and the like. You think you need something and you are willing to go against what you know to be right and true in order to obtain it. You need to break free of these negative patterns of behaviour by acknowledging the hold that they have over you and the negative impact they are having on your life. Often they are behaviours that are immediately gratifying but which cause longer-term damage to your inner fulfilment.

More generally, the Devil indicates that you are becoming obsessed and hell-bent on a particular idea, situation or endeavour. You are over-investing yourself in one area at the expense of other areas of your life. Often, the Devil card represents an over-dependence on material wealth. You may have become so fixated on becoming a millionaire or owning a fancy car that you have forgotten the importance of investing in your relationships or yourself. You have generated a belief that value lies in how much you earn or how much you own. You have created an unhealthy bond with these materialistic desires and you are now being controlled by this bondage.