“The fiend in his own shape is less hideous than when he rages in the breast of man.”
Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne.
When this card appears in a reading, it is invariably a wake-up call for the querent. The reader must handle this interpretation with great care. The Devil is one of the most blatantly negative cards in the whole Tarot, and its status as a Major Arcana card lends it extra urgency in a reading. However, always remember that the “devil is in the details” and the interpretation of this card may be anything but straightforward.
The Devil will usually refer to some negative or even toxic behaviors or mindsets of the querent themselves, as uncomfortable and inconvenient as that truth may be. The Devil might indicate self-destructive habits of all kinds: addictions, obsessions, toxic relationships, harmful self-indulgence, etc. At best the Devil may be pointing to ignorance and self-deception, denial of the truth, or being thoughtlessly selfish. The Devil warns that the querent might be the architect of their own misery.
At worst, however, the Devil might be exposing far less sympathetic faults of the querent – from the Devil, we see bad and exploitative intentions towards others. Outright toxic or even abusive behaviors and habits might be called out through the Devil. This possible interpretation (as well as the placement in which this card falls) must be carefully considered in a reading. This card may be a cease-and-desist warning to a querent from the spirit realm. Remember, vices often become their own punishments and such a querent likely needs a somber reminding of this truth.
In notably rare occasions, the Devil can represent an outside threat to the querent – and it would be a very malignant threat indeed in this instance. If an outside influence, The Devil will refer to a person who is unequivocally destructive and utterly deceptive, or to the straightforwardly harmful intentions of outside person. In rarer situations, the Devil might warn of ill-intentioned, even “evil” spiritual influences or attachments surrounding the querent. However, a reader must scrutinize the card placement and combinations to ensure that the Devil can be ascribed to outside influences. Projection and denial are within the Devil’s arsenal here, and care should be taken that the interpretation isn’t bumbled to serve the querent’s further denial of the truth.
When we look at the imagery of the Devil card, we can discern the key advice and positive takeaway quite readily. Do you notice the chained figures? See that their chains are loosely draped around them? This reveals the crucible advice appropriate when you see the Devil card. Our spiritual chains are usually quite voluntary, just like for the figures in the image. They could easily choose to slip their bonds and escape the Devil. They likely allowed themselves to be seduced and tempted into the chains in the first place. Choosing freedom may not be easy for them now, but it would be a straightforward and simple choice. By taking responsibility and holding ourselves accountable, we too can free ourselves from these proverbial chains.
(I am available for private Tarot and horoscope readings at Elaine’s Arcane Tarot and More)
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