The Devil card

From desire to creation

Supporting / Blocking Tarot Card

support

“In essence, the Devil card is a blocking card that appears in situations where the querent has deviated from the path they believe in. Desires lead the querent down a path where they are likely to fail. It represents a challenging test for the querent.

Relationships

Career

Finances

Relationships

Career

Finances

The Meaning of The Card

The Devil card represents limitation, fears, and habits. It signifies situations of dependency, lack of awareness, possessiveness, and uncontrolled sexuality. This is a phase where one must confront the “”dark side of the soul.”” Various myths throughout human history depict the struggle between the forces of light and darkness. Awareness of the Devil brings a sense of power and control, but also inflates the ego, which is an obstacle to spiritual growth. This awareness can lead to hubris (the sin of pride, the desire to emulate God). The role of the individual is to recognize these dark and destructive forces and transform them into creative power from a place of awareness.

The Devil card: The Meaning of The Symbols

Card Symbols	Symbol Meaning
Horns	A phallic symbol, masculine, fertile, protection, attack.
Inverted Pentagram	The inverted pentagram on the head symbolizes black magic, instability, destruction, and shaky foundations.
Fiery Tail	Represents the animalistic side, not speaking, acting according to instincts, with fire consuming it.
Beard	Wisdom, experience, tradition, ancient knowledge.
Black Background	The dark background of the card symbolizes ignorance, fear, danger, threat, negative traits, dark instincts, but also sophistication, authority, power, and learning. It expresses an atmosphere of mystery connected to the cycle of death and rebirth.
Navel	Connection to the mother during pregnancy, symbolizing the cycle of birth and death. The navel on the figure indicates that the being was born and therefore will also die, showing a lack of truthfulness.
Flower Tail	Represents the animalistic, non-speaking side, acting according to instincts. The flower symbolizes the possibility of new beginnings.
Hand Position	The hand position resembles that of the Magician, but here fear prevails.
Finger Position	The finger position is that of the priests’ prayer, meant to express purity but used for darkness and enslavement.
Two Figures	The two figures represent Adam and Eve after the original sin.
Cube	Stability, rigidity, material security, stubbornness, multi-dimensional aspect.
Woman	Eve after the original sin.
Chains	The chains in the card symbolize the bondage of the body to matter and the spirit to the ego. They represent jealousy, fears, addictions, and power struggles. It’s important to note that the chains hang loosely around the people’s necks, symbolizing the ability to free oneself from bondage.
Torch	The torch of Mars, the god of war, points downward toward matter, symbolizing control and passion. The fire is destructive, carrying victory but also representing the staff of Mars—war, defeat, and consuming fire.
Demonic Creature	The demonic creature sitting above the two small figures, with bat wings, represents the devil, symbolizing the forces of evil, instincts, animalistic desires ingrained in humans, and aggression. The horns, bat wings, and goat legs depict how the devil was illustrated in the Middle Ages.

Mythology

The Devil card is represented by the god Pan. Pan was not a resident of Olympus but was the chief deity of the earth. He was the god of fertility and flocks. Pan was known to nap in the afternoon, and those who disturbed him risked being plagued by nightmares and panic in their herds. A raucous deity, Pan pursued both women and youths. A nymph who fled from him transformed into a reed bush, from which he crafted his pan flute. His animalistic form contrasts with his celestial music, reflecting the transformation of primal urges into creativity. His half-human, half-goat appearance, with horns, ears, and legs, inspired the medieval depiction of the devil.

Representation of the Card in a Reading

The card represents states of emotional, mental, and spiritual darkness, where lies, deceit, and illusion masquerade as truth, leading to ignorance and confusion. While truth is balanced with ‘א’ (Aleph) at the beginning, ‘מ’ (Mem) in the middle, and ‘ת’ (Tav) at the end, lies are symbolized by the letters preceding ‘ת’, which represents the end, misguiding towards a false conclusion. The devil’s emissaries, the demons, rise and dominate a person’s life. Every individual has their own demons, waiting for a moment of weakness or a slip. The devil represents the negative forces in a person’s life. This is the stage where the master confronts and overcomes their inner devil. The devil will appear with its trials and lessons when the person begins their spiritual journey. After going through the stages from seeker to initiate to master, only at this point can the person face and conquer their inner devil. There may be neglect, actions driven by wrong motives, addiction, primal urges, and desires. This is a stage of challenge and testing where it feels as if external forces control the person’s life. While in the Hierophant card, the person lives in truth and light, in the Devil card, they experience deceit and darkness. The person is at a point in their life where if they face temptation, they will overcome their internal demons. The card appears to illuminate the fact that the individual has the power and choice to overcome, to break free, and to make a ‘Leap of Faith’—a leap of consciousness, symbolizing a significant shift in awareness.

Remember that this card represents a major arcana card in the realm of the spiritual world, with the querent’s soul being tested by facing the temptations of the devil. The key point is to recognize that there are no external forces aiming to harm them, but rather, internal dark forces that need to be confronted and released.