Feb 16 | 2023 — The Devil
The Devil card is the real reason why Tarot gets a bad name, why it’s associated with Ouija boards and seances. People see this card and a pentagram and head for the hills in case it “invites evil things in.” <shrug> Tarot will come back to them when they are open-minded enough to see it for what it is.
One of the small things I find interesting is the pentagram in the traditional Devil card. You can see it in the middle card above: an inverted or reversed pentagram sitting at the forehead of Baphomet (who is actually a representation of balance and “perfect social order” in various occult circles). Pentagrams have been used since at least the 1300s as a Christian representation of the five wounds of Christ, the five senses, and the five joys of Mary. Later it would also come to reference the five virtues of knighthood: generosity, friendship, chastity, chivalry, and piety. It can modernly be seen in the national flags of Morocco and Ethiopia, the five-pointed star with one tip pointing upward.
But the representation of The Devil in this card uses an inverted pentagram with one of the tips pointing downward, which demonstrates matter above spirit, the placement of earthly things above those which edify and make us whole. And if that doesn’t sum up the whole of The Devil, then I don’t know what does.
Traditionally, The Devil is the card of vice. It embodies addiction (drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, etc.) and the willingness to partake. It represents overt materialism and the choices associated with unhealthy behaviors that detract from spiritual progression.
Message of the Day: I think we’ve all lived long enough to understand the threat of addiction and how it can completely uproot a life (that’s why this is a Major Arcana card and precedes The Tower). How many “After School Specials” did we sit through as kids watching Jimmy get hooked on reefer? (Reefer Madness, anyone?) It’s not kind, and it’s uncaring. It’s unbiased and an equal-opportunity employer. It’s entirely self-serving and is a reversal of the spiritual progression of The Fool’s Journey. I mean, drugs are bad, mm’kay?
But The Devil isn’t just about addiction to the typical things (money, sex, power, substance), it can also be about our own personal “addictions,” the coping mechanisms we use to “get by” that prevent us from truly dealing with or working through a bad or stressful situation. This could be emotional addiction, like the fear of being alone or needing someone (anyone) to fill the space next to you (and can have unhealthy consequences that stem past flimsy relationships, like unsafe sexual practices, putting yourself in harm’s way of psycho people, and wasting money to appease someone in hopes they stay). It could be a food-related addiction linked to body dysmorphia or emotional dysregulation, the compulsion to eat or starve yourself. It could be the choice to self-harm. There are many forms of personal addiction, and they are almost always rooted in some form of trauma or sense of low self-worth.
Addiction isn’t a fun topic (for those suffering through it or those experiencing it through a loved one) and is certainly not something I make light of or pretend I am the Grand Authoritarian Hierophant. But there is one thing I see that all addictions have in common: choice.
We have the personal freedom to CHOOSE what we do and to put safeguards in place to help us maintain those choices. I am not a therapist by any stretch and my first recommendation would be to find a professional who can help you find a place to start. They can help start the recovery process and teach how to handle the addiction’s pressures and causes (The Devil’s in the details…). But awareness, persistence, hope, and support can help you get through it, help you to remove the chains of The Devil, have your Tower moment, and land safely at the feet of The Star.
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