THE DEVIL

BONDAGE
MATERIALISM
IGNORANCE
HOPELESSNESS

[ Actions ] [ Opposing Cards ] [ Reinforcing Cards ] [ Description ] [ Reversed? ]

ACTIONS

experiencing bondage: accepting an unwanted situation
being obsessed
feeling tied down against your will
losing independence
allowing yourself to be controlled
being addicted and enslaved
submitting to another
focusing on the material: being caught up in appearances
believing only in the physical
forgetting the spiritual
getting and spending
overindulging the senses
staying in ignorance: being unaware
operating within a narrow range
experiencing limitation
choosing to stay in the dark
fearing the unknown
being taken in by appearances
feeling hopeless: believing the worst
despairing
lacking faith
seeing a cold world
thinking negatively
foreseeing a bleak future
doubting

OPPOSING CARDS: Some Possibilities

Fool - having faith, believing
Star - hope, faith, optimism
Four of Wands - freedom, release
Six of Cups - good will, innocence, simple joys
Ten of Cups - joy, peace, blessings

REINFORCING CARDS: Some Possibilities

Seven of Cups - overindulgence, dissipation
Eight of Swords - confusion, restriction
Nine of Swords - despair, lack of joy

DESCRIPTION

Lucifer. 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 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. Card 15 shows us these errors.

First is ignorance - not knowing the truth and not realizing that we do not know. Second is materialism - the belief that there is nothing but the physical. As spiritual beings, we long for the Divine, but we lose contact with this source of truth if we trust only our senses. There is also hopelessness, which robs us of our joy and movement toward the light.

Traditionally the Devil stands for evil, but it does not have this rather frightening meaning in a reading. This card lets you know that you are caught in an unhealthy, unproductive situation. You may be in the dark about something - ignorant of the truth and its implications. You may be obsessed by a person, idea, substance or pattern that you know is bad for you (or maybe you don't!). Sometimes this card reflects back the negativity that has made you doubt yourself and your future. We are prone to many errors in life. Card 15 lets us know when they are serious enough to require attention. When you see the Devil, examine your assumptions carefully. Make sure you are not working from a false picture of yourself and the situation. Hold fast to the highest vision of who you are.