The Devil asks you to understand what and who you give power to.
The chains in this card symbolize submission and the need to understand what you’re tied to. View your attachments: Do they bring ascendency or do they dominate you?
The Devil represents power, indulgence, and fear. This card asks you to use your power to meet your needs, stand up for yourself, and transcend your fears.
The Devil can appear when materiality is a focus. Money and influence may be at the forefront of your thoughts. You might be demanding a raise or upscaling your business and raising prices.
Authority and command are essential on a personal or professional level. To achieve your goals, you must know the right people, approach the future confidently, and dominate. This requires a non-negotiable stance.
This card corresponds with Capricorn, the hard-working goat in the zodiac. Capricorns are highly determined and, at times, relentless in their pursuits. They say the devil is in the details, and well – that’s true for these folks. The Devil pushes hard, and folks of this sign can get discouraged when things don’t go their way.
Even if you’re not a Capricorn, persistence, precision, and stubbornness may apply to your life (and also self-compassion if things don’t fall into place easily!).
The Devil card is the impulse to fulfill material and physical desires at all costs.
But the seeking of money and power has a dark side.
The Devil’s pleasure-seeking can become bondage (and by the way, this card can also be related to sex work or kink). As the Devil favors desire over judgment, you might be addicted to pleasure and success at the expense of yourself. You could be in an abusive situation or focusing on wealth to your detriment; the desire for power and connection leaves you living life in servitude. To break free, you must examine what you’re attaching to happiness and why.
With the Devil, vices of all kinds can keep your mind clouded and skew your perspective. You might struggle with addiction, harmful patterns, or destructive tendencies. The Devil asks you to focus on self-care and put an end to what hurts you.
Materiality and gratification aren’t the Devil’s only vice. The Devil’s chains can also represent fear, despondency, depression, sadness, or barriers that keep you from yourself or your dreams. You’re called to move past your fears and understand what keeps you stuck.
When drawn reversed, the Devil’s chains are broken or, oppositely, denied. You might be emerging from a difficult period and leaving behind what suppressed your spirit and life.
When denied, the Devil has your eyes closed to it all; you can’t see how entrenched in struggle you are. The energy around you is malignant, but you might be too traumatized to understand what’s happening. You might seek out professional help or step back to gain perspective.
The Devil’s energy can serve your dreams or subject you to their enslavement. Make sure you understand the difference between the two.
Sources
Greer, Mary. Archetypal Tarot. San Francisco, CA: Weiser Books, 2011.
Greer, Mary. Tarot Reversals. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2002.
Pollack, Rachel. Tarot Wisdom. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2008.
Snow, Cassandra. Queering the Tarot. Newburyport, MA: Weiser Books, 2019.
Tea, Michelle. Modern Tarot. New York, NY: Harper Collins: 2017.
Wen, Benebell. Holistic Tarot: An Integrative Approach to Using Tarot for Personal Growth. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2015.
Video
Tarot Spread
If you are drawn to the Devil card and want to dig deeper, get them outta your deck, make them your mascot, and draw some cards from the rest of the deck with this tarot spread I created!
