We are diving back into the cards of the high Archana this season. We are looking at the final set of 7 cards. They are very high-vibing cards with a more metaphoric feel to them.
The first set is all about discovering who we are as a spiritual person, we get to know how the 1st characters are facets of ourselves. The second set of 7 cards teaches us about how our spirituality relates to things outside of us.
(re-listen to those episodes here or jump to the YouTube playlist here )
When I was a new reader I struggled to understand this card. I could not connect to it or get a good feel for what it represented. The imagery seemed out of place or disconnected from the rest of the tarot cards. This beautiful art-filled divination tool that I was learning about, which was full of esoteric ideas and symbology had a devil as card 15, it felt like it didn’t belong.
It typically has a very Christian-like depiction of a devil too. With goat horns, and animal feet, sometimes an animal head. Most decks have a very stereotypical image on it, one that would expect to see on a Black Sabbath t-shirt in 1982
When it isn’t a Christian-style Devil …. it usually looks a lot like an image of Baphomet, the deity who is a mix of male, female, human, and animalia, that was penned by Eliphas Levi. But other than looking like Baphomet the card often lacks the hermetic symbology that we see in most of the other cards of the high arcana.
Many of the box sets books and decks still have deep Christian undertones when they describe the Devil card. I had a hard time connecting with high vibe energy that I was taught was in the tarot to this card, it was very confusing for me when I first started studying tarot. The reference books referred to themes of indulgence, depravity and this general idea of needing the restrain an inner demon.
I just could not connect with this card.
Until one of the decks I purchased talked of the devil card in relation to addiction.
Then it started to make sense to me…..
Its the devil within each of us.
Not so much an outside force that is influencing us.
But the parts of ourselves that we feel are taboo, also known as our shadow aspects.
If we look at it from the perspective of personal growth and understanding our inner landscapes then the card can be understood as representing our shadow aspects. This was the connection I needed to understand this card.
The behaviour patterns or vices we indulge in when we are feeling vulnerable or out of balance, whether it is addictions to food, drink or shopping.
It is less about suppressing urges and more about understanding who we are and what our shadow is composed of. I believe that our shadow aspect is a part of us that needs deep compassion, not suppression. We can know ourselves and deepen our understanding of what makes us who we are when we are brave enough to peer into the darker corners of our souls.
So, what does this mean for our clients when the Devil card appears in their reading?
It can tell you that they are in a position where they will be feeling vulnerable, when life may throw up situations that are challenging, but not in a “bad omen” way.
It’s being faced with something that can trigger your shadow and make your client want to indulge in unhealthy coping mechanisms.
What is coming up will depend on what your client’s shadow is …
For example, if someone holds on to messages that they are not worthy their shadow can be triggered by a new promotion or a partner that offers stability
The surrounding cards will be the key to helping you understand the complexities of the situation. Remember the high arcana are trump cards they hold more weight than the suit cards. The Devil card is no exception, it is a high-vibrational card that can reveal our hidden wounds
Hope that this episode helps you in your tarot studies.
I have a YouTube video for you on this card to show you some of the devil cards from my deck collection.
If your ready to add a deck to your collection you can link purchase some of my favorite decks here
The Llewelyn Tarot – by Anna-Marie Ferguson https://amzn.to/3vPoJQm
Mythic Tarot – Liz Greene and Juliet Sharman-Burke https://amzn.to/3HUSzWt
Tarot of Marcille link – https://amzn.to/3HBcFEJ
Legacy of the Devine Tarot – by Ciro Marchetti https://amzn.to/4b7EbYd
Jodi Anne 
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