The Devil Made Me Do It

Probably no other card, other than Death, elicits such horror and recoil than the Devil the fiftheenth card of the Major Arcana which symbolizes bondage, addiction and materialism. In a divinatory reading, the Devil represents spiritual death e.g., a lonely and foresaken existence dominated by malevolent energy. If the Devil is drawn in conjunction with a love realtionship, it's pretty safe to say that it's in trouble as all of one's more humane and loving impulses are being compromised or submerged to serve the Master of exploitation and corruption.  We become, quite literally, a slave to our desires.

As Rachael Pollack explains in "The Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom" the Devil has come to represnt misery. It's power lies in the illusion that nothing else exists. If one looks closely, one can detect the astrological glyph for Saturn depicted on the Devil's out-turned palm. Saturn has long been associated with evil or misfortune. However, it can also inply limitations and weakness.

She goes on to describe how the Devil wears a reversed pentacle on his forehead, a longstanding symbol of black magic. The pentacle is charged with symbolism and meaning. She reminds us that if we stand with our arms and legs out, our bodies configuration resembles a pentacle with our head, the seat of reason and rationality and consciousness, on top. However, if the pentacle is reversed, our head descends and our genitals acquire ascendency. Therefore, the reversed pentacle indicates letting our baser desires and less spiritually developed nature get the upper hand over enlightenment.

If you should pull the Devil during a reading here a few questions you may want to ask yourself.  "Are you having a hellish time of it?"  "Are you guilty or ashamed of something " "Are you keeping a secret which is possibly harming you?"  "Are you in a relationship which is leaving you emotionally and spiritually depleted?""Are you abusing alcohol or drugs? Are they pushing you around?"  "What toxic relationships are you holding onto?" "Have you been sacrificing spiritual growth for material gain and knowing the differency?"

The Devil is a powerful card. It's a warning to all of us that no one is immune to his lure. He is always there....waiting and watching.