15 - The Devil

Note: This guide is based on the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck. Other tarot decks may have unique meanings, or some of these meanings may not apply.

The Devil on this card is reminiscent of Baphomet. He perches on a narrow altar with bird-like feet and hairy legs. His chest is bare. His head is that of a goat, with long horns crowned by an inverted pentagram, and his wings are those of a bat. One of his hands is raised, and the other, holding a lit torch, points downwards.

At his feet are two demons with chains wrapped around their throats that lock to the black altar. One demon has breasts and a vulva, depicted with a fruiting tail. The other is decpicted with a penis and a tail that ends in flames.

The symbolism in this card is reminiscent of the Lovers card, having the same general layout with key details swapped to alter their meanings. The Devil also is mirroring the pose of the Magician -- the same Hermetic "as above, so below" philosophy that suggests that whatever occurs in the physical realm also occurs in the spiritual realm, and vice versa.

In Readings: Upright

In the upright position, the Devil is in strong command over his subjects. The demons shown on the card cannot escape; they are chained to the Devil's altar and beholden to his whims.

This card suggests that someone is exerting undue influence over another. They are using what power they have to control others, manipulate outcomes, and force their will into being. This isn't necessarily an evil thing, but this sort of influence isn't always viewed favorably.

Another possible interpretation of this card would be engagement in materialism or vice. The pleasures of the flesh, if you will. Whether these temptations are simple indulgence or part of a larger pattern of control depends on the situation.

Card Combinations:

Suggestions for possible meanings of this card when combined with others.

The Fool: Someone in power is taking advantage of another's lack of experience for their own ends.

Knight of Swords, reversed: You are your own worst influence, lashing out because of feelings of inadequacy.

Two of Pentacles: You'll have to balance your own will and someone else's, mostly because you can't easily get rid of them.

Queen of Cups, reversed: Somebody's pretending to be a sweetie pie when they're really a huge asshole.

In Readings: Reversed

When reversed, the chains locking these demons in place become lax or even broken. There is a weakness in the control being lorded over the subject, and they may have an opportunity to break free of unwanted influences while this card is in play. This implies a new freedom or independence which may be a long time coming.

This may also indicate someone who is turning away from vice or material comforts for some reason. They are denying these things to themselves, whether they mean to or not. It could be for altruistic reasons such as sobriety or self-control, but it may also be caused by feelings of unworthiness or fear of losing control.

Card Combinations

Suggestions for possible meanings of this card when combined with others.

Eight of Swords: If you aren't a Puritan, you don't need to restrain yourself like one.

Two of Cups, reversed: It's time to end this unhealthy relationship.

The High Priestess, reversed: Long-kept secrets will come to light and reveal a weakness you can exploit to free yourself.

Page of Swords: Examine your morals with clear, even-handed honesty - what do you really believe in, and why?

Other Perspectives

Thoughts from: Jasper C

They stand together under its watch.

Two nude figures with curly hair stand together. They are cloaked on each side - the fruit behind the woman, the fire behind the man - which both protects and traps them. He looks at her, always at her.

And it rises above them, larger than life.

It is bright. She looks up at it floating above them, its glorious feathered wings outspread. It does not touch the ground. This is peaceful. It is an extension of that which created them both, of that which is known, of that which loves them. It is layered in robes hiding its body. Why is it hiding its body? They do not. There's nothing wrong with that, right?

She does not see the snake in the fruit tree behind her.

It is dark. The chains are heavy around their necks, yet are heavy enough that if she could just get a moment, she could remove the links and leave. It sits perched upon the pillar they are chained to, its birdlike feet and hair-covered legs not hidden by magic or cloth or non-existence. Its batlike wings are outspread, brighter than even the flames in this darkness. Its right hand, the one nearest to her, is raised skyward. The sky was up, wasn't it? And its left hand is holding a torch, aimed down towards him, never burning the hand holding it yet keeping his flaming tail ablaze. Her own tail is the fruit that protects her.

It is looking out at something. She wonders what it sees the she doesn't. She hazards a glance back at him instead.

In order to talk about the Lovers, you have to talk about the Devil. In order to talk about the Devil, you have to talk about the Lovers.

When people talk about birth cards, the pairings or trios usually seem like a stretch. But the most notable pairing that you can draw comparisons between is the Lovers and the Devil. These two cards mirror each other in artwork, design, and even meaning if you look close enough.

I'm Jasper, and these two cards are my birth cards (a fun irony from some wicked combination of math and hubris). Being aromantic and asexual, my analysis of these cards is more...postmodern.

It's already been spoken of at length about how the Lovers are about love and the Devil is about taboo. The Lovers is about what's expected, what's "normal" and socially accepted - a meetcute, a courtship, a marriage. People widely consider the Devil to be a perversion of the "true love" exhibited by the Lovers card - it is every vice and, because of Puritan feelings about sex, every kink and fetish. It's bondage, it's entrapment, it's the thing that people are trying to get away from yet always feel drawn to.

Let's get into the juicy stuff.

Look at the Lovers card. Look where the two human figures are looking. The man is looking at the woman, while the woman is looking up at the angel. All three figures are frowning. They are separate, both in physical space and where their attention is going. This is not a partnership, but the illusion of a partnership. A lavender marriage, the early days of an arranged marriage, that sort of thing.

Now look at the Devil card. The two figures are ensnared in vices which they can leave - look at how loose those chains are - but choose not to, like how most people enjoy their particular vices. (Drugs, gambling, kinks, sex itself, opening more packs of Magic: The Gathering cards, things like that.) But despite being chained, the two figures are now looking at each other. They are more united here than they were in their own card, yet the focus is not on them; it is on the being behind them, looking out at us and not monitoring the two figures too closely, as though giving them permission to do "taboo things" with the illusory threat of being caught. All three figures are still frowning, but the man and the woman don't seem any more distressed in this situation than they were in the Lovers card itself.

The relationship between this man and this woman appears to be more healthy in a "vice-filled state" shown by the Devil as opposed to the compliant and compulsory heterosexuality seen in the Lovers. The Lovers is the embodiment of heterosexual romance slop (books, movies, TV shows, pick your least favorite) and everything that is expected in a "typical" marriage. But the Devil is about actually being attracted to that person through shared vulnerability. (Shared vulnerability that may be the result of a shared kink, an unshared kink, any number of drugs, or whatever else you want to attribute it to, but shared vulnerability nonetheless.)

It's fascinating to think about, isn't it?

Thoughts from: Contributor Name

Contributor's thoughts here.

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