The fifteenth card of the Major Arcana in tarot is called the Devil. It depicts a winged demon with two horns and a reversed pentagram between them. His right hand is raised up. He is holding a flaming torch in his left hand. Below the Devil there are naked man and woman, chained to the demon’s seat. This card is predominated by Capricorn. Its numerical value is twelve.
The Devil is associated with money matters and the material side of life in general. It relates to the desire for material and physical things, which leads to collecting and hoarding them. This is strongly connected with lust and even sexual obsession, that might cause frustration and oppression. The Devil is also about the awareness of your own needs and desires, including the desire for creative or spiritual fulfillment.
Concidering the two figures, chained to the Devil’s seat, we can tell that this card is in some aspect connected with bondage, being tied down and losing independence. This means allowing to be controlled, submitting to someone and becoming addicted and enslaved. It might be associated with accepting an unwated situation. According to tarot cards interpretations, allowing the Devil to take control over you means allowing others in real life to do the same. This kind of control can only harm you and turn your own powers against you.
Some claim that the picture relates to the Lovers card, where the man and the woman are blessed by an angel. The Devil is said to curse them. The is no love anymore, only lust and attachment to the demon.
This card also stands for focusing on the material aspect of life. The Devil makes you forget the spiritual values and believe only in the physical ones. It is about overindulging the senses, getting and spending unscropulously, without shame. This kind of life devastates your soul and makes you more an animal than a human being.
Another meaning of the Devil is staying in ignorance and being unaware of the truth. However, it is your own choice to live in the dark and be taken by appearances. If you choose this way, you will become limited and fear the unknown. But if you decide to break free and throw off the chains, you will experience enightenment. Only you can make yourself a slave.
On the other hand the Devil means lack of hope and faith. The negative thinking does not help to break the chains, as it makes you see the world in black and doubt your possibilities and your future. If you are in despair and believe the worst, you have no desire and no strenght to set your soul free.
The appearance of the Devil in tarot cards reading means that you have lost control over your life and faith in your potential. You begin to be ignorant and focus on the material possessions. Lack of faith in yourself causes lack of faith in spiritual powers and values. Therefore you become a slave of wordly matters and desires, not wishing to break free. However, remember that it all depends on you and what you want. No one has control over you unless you allow it. To release yourself, you just have to believe your abilities, you have to want to be free. If you use your power and positive energy, you will be able to see the light again. You will get control over your life back and gain hope to look into your future optimistically.
When the Devil appears in tarot cards reading reversed, it means weakness, blindness, greed and uncontrolled ambition. If you focus too much on material success, you forget about more important things, like spiritual and moral values. Just like in the basic interpretation, the reversed position of this card stands for bondage to something or someone, which here may be connected with emotional blackmail. It is also associated with the abuse of authority and evil fatality. All these things make you weak and setting yourself free becomes even more difficult. Though Devil in reversed position is claimed to mean true evil, remember that no evil has power over you as long as you really want to be free and aware. Just be strong and believe in your potential. Don’t chain yourself and no one else will make you a slave.
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