XV - The Devil
In addition to Death, The Devil is the card you’ll most likely see in a horror movie. And it’s not pulling any punches.
We see a grotesque devil sitting on a throne with two naked figures chained beneath it. This is card that’s all about the temptation to hide in excess, whether it’s in the form on physical indulgences like food, sex, and spending or emotional ones like toxic relationships.
The Devil feeds on our lack of self-awareness. We often find ourselves contending with the Devil when we’re unable to face an uncomfortable truth. The truth can be negative or positive. It’s our response to it that drives us to The Devil. Perhaps there’s a part of our personality we’d like to explore, but doing so scares us. Instead of following our calling, we let ourselves mask both our fear and potential by indulging.
Fear is at the root of this card. When we let fear hold us back we risk falling into the negative patterns of The Devil. Sometimes we’re not even aware of it. We can’t see that chains that bind us and instead fall into bad habits with wild abandon, concocting all sorts of excuses like “I’m just having fun,” and “but I deserve this!” Underneath it all, however, is a nagging sense of dissatisfaction and loneliness.
The Devil is a card that breeds isolation. When we’re wrapped up in ourselves, making excuses and spinning drama out of thin air, we miss out on connections with others and even risk driving those closest to us away. It can be astounding just how much chaos we can create to divert us from a path forward.
Comfortingly enough, however, is that we can vanquish the Devil by facing our fear. Easier said than done, yes, but this card shows us the power of acknowledging our ability to choose and the great changes that can happen when we decide to move through our fear.
Keywords
Bad habits, addiction, attachment, toxic relationships, fear, materialism
Life Situations
Becoming attached to bad habits, unable to break free of restraining relationships, limiting fear and self-doubt, feeling dependent and insecure, self-medicating, struggles with addiction, harmful excess, looking for distraction in drama, avoiding hard truths, holding oneself back consciously or unconsciously, looking for meaning in the wrong places, being paralyzed by fear of change, settling for less
Positive Attributes
Decadent, alluring, comfortable, thrilling, dramatic
Negative Attributes
Stuck, narcissistic, fearful, distracting, disingenuous, deceptive, lost