The Devil holds number 15, and it is the sixteenth tarot card of the Major Arcana cards.
The Devil tarot card, in its core, usually represents being tied up to something or someone, to the point of unhealthy addiction.
The Devil Meaning
When drawing tarot cards, usually they are put in a vertical setting, spread on a timeline of the past, present, and future. In this kind of drawing, The Devil may come up straight, as well as reversed. Some psychic readers like to read reversed tarot cards. Some don’t.
Either way, the other tarot cards in the drawing will make up for the way the psychic reader conducts their readings, because a tarot card deck is connected to the energy of the psychic reader, so it ‘talks’ to them.
Upright Position
The Devil card would represent:
| Forced to accept an unwanted situation | Being under someone’s control |
| Dealing with addiction and obsession | Being codependent |
| Being tied down against your own will | Being materialistic |
| Over-indulging | Being caught up in physical appearances |
| Being ignorant of the truth | Facing limitations |
| Fearing the unknown | Lack of faith |
| Giving to despair | Obsessed with negative thoughts |
Reverse Position
In a reverse position, The Devil would mean precisely the opposite of its core qualities, bringing in the drawing:
| Overcoming addictions | Resisting temptations |
| Claiming your freedom | Finding a balance |
| Detaching |
Horizontal Position
There are also spreads where the tarot cards pulled are placed on vertical as well as horizontal positions. If The Devil would sit in a horizontal position, it advises you to recognize your addictions and control them. This card indicates an addiction that might control you, such as work, unhealthy vices, or someone that causes you to lose control over yourself and takes your power.
The first step to fight an addiction is to recognize it and to accept it as such. The second step is to replace an unhealthy addiction with a healthy hobby. Unless you claim the power over yourself, the Devil indicates that you may lose self-control and destroy your health, allowing yourself to be tied down by outside forces.
The Devil – One card pull [Yes or No]
One Card Readings are for when you need a fast, straight to the point answer, you wish not to see the future events or the past events. You just need a specific answer to the question for a present situation that is bothering you. You shuffle the cards, then choose only One Card, or you read the One Card that falls out while you are shuffling. Whichever method you use to pull the card, listed below are some of the questions and answers you may get when you pull The Devil.
Yes or No Answer
Upright Position: If you pull the card in an upright position, it means No.
Reversed Position: If you pull the card in a reversed position, it means Yes.
For a Yes or No answer, The Devil represents Yes, as a card of the Major Arcana Suit.
The Devil – Love and Relationships
The Devil would signify that you or your partner are feeling trapped in the relationship, and you cannot see a way out of the situation you are in. It can also signify that you have become obsessed with your partner or vice versa, and you have no interests outside the relationship.
On the other hand, it can signify that there is abuse taking place in your relationship, which may make one of you feel like you cannot get out of it, or fear for your safety if you try to break up. The Devil can also indicate unhealthy addictions or mental health that is causing many troubles in your relationship.
How someone sees you or feels about you?
The answer would be they see you as manipulative, addicted to unhealthy habits, unable to cope with life, or the relationship. They can also see you as someone who is abusive and who chooses aggression or passive-aggressive behavior as the way to deal with matters or to control your partner. They may feel trapped in the relationship and fear getting out of it because of your behavior.
Just starting dating?
If you have started dating this new person, The Devil may indicate that your date maybe someone who is manipulative and has anger issues. This card signifies a relationship that can be pretty abusive and dangerous for you. It can also suggest that you have not attained high self-esteem, so you may be prone to be controlled by your date or your new partner.
The Devil indicates that you should not get into this relationship. It is not meant for you, and it will only bring you sadness and unhappiness.
What not to do?
In terms of what not to do, it would advise you not to accept the fact that you are tied down in your relationship. You should always remember that you can reclaim your power at any time, and if you feel trapped in the relationship because your partner is abusive or has ways of controlling you, you can ask for help and support to retain your freedom.
It also advises having a look into yourself and your mindset, because most of the times, it is your mind that plays tricks on you and keeps you stuck somewhere you should not be, or in a dark place.
Reverse Position (Love and Relationships)
If you pull The Devil, reversed, indicates that your relationship has been on the verge of a breakup because something may have happened like infidelity or abusive behavior that has destroyed the trust and respect in the relationship. It can also indicate that you have opened your eyes to the truth, accepted reality, and now you have the power to claim your life back and take your own decisions without being influenced by your partner or someone else. It can indicate that you will break free of the relationship if you feel trapped in it.
The Devil – Finance, Business and Career
In business and career, The Devil may signify that you feel trapped in a job you do not like. It also signifies that even though this may not be your choice, or you know that the job is not right for you, but at the moment, you cannot leave because you don’t have another opportunity. Still, the environment is wearing you down and eating away your self-esteem and your sane mindset every day.
It can also indicate that you have colleagues around you that want to sabotage you. Regarding finances, it suggests that you may be having financial difficulties, and it also reminds you to be making impulsive investments.
What not to do?
The Devil would advise you to start looking for another opportunity if you feel trapped at a job you don’t like. It is in your best interest to maintain a healthy mindset. If you do not do something to better your situation at your job, you will lose not only your sanity and peace but in time. It will start to wear down on your character, personality, reputation, and career.
Regarding finances: it advises you to be careful with overindulging. Especially on things, you don’t need, because you may be someone who tends to spend a lot on stuff you don’t even use in the end, or you may have shopping as your therapy.
Reverse Position (Business and Finance)
In this case, it could indicate that you have become aware of how your choices and your behavior has influenced your current situation. As a result, you are taking steps to gain your power back and make something good out of your situation. It can signify that you may decide to leave the job and find another opportunity or that you will speak up to defend yourself in the face of adversary.
Regarding finances, it indicates that you may have been overindulging on unhealthy hobbies like gambling or excessive spending. Still, you are starting to gain control over your spending behavior and finances.
The Devil – Timing
When will something happen answer?
If it is a question that involves around the timing of an event and you pull The Devil, it foretells that the event you are asking about will happen in the Zodiac Season of Capricorn (December 22 – January 21).
The Devil – The Message Answer
Sometimes, we don’t have a specific question. We just want to know how our day will look like, or how we should approach the day ahead. This reading is best performed in the morning, so you form an idea of what that day will bring you.
Upright
The Devil would foretell a day when you may be unaware of the facts and find yourself trapped in situations that may cause your anxiety to rise, therefore causing you to start overthinking and overacting on issues. It may also indicate a day when you will invest more in addiction, like drinking way too much, smoking more than usual, etc.
Reversed
If you pull The Devil in reverse, it indicates a day when you may feel like you are regaining your power bit by bit, but you are opening your eyes to see the reality you have put yourself in. It can also indicate that you will see your addictions for what they are and decide to take real steps to fight them.
The Devil – Cards Combinations
In a psychic reading, there are at least six cards drawn, and each tarot card’s meaning is interpreted along with the other cards, always bearing in mind the first question upon which the reading is conducted and aims to give answers. A psychic will see the tarot cards in a symbiotic relationship with one another, never try to read them one by one, but the whole drawing as a whole.
That’s why it is essential to have a look at how The Devil communicates with the other tarot cards. Taking into account, there are 78 tarot cards in a deck. We will have a look at how The Devil would be interpreted and affect the outcome of the reading in the light of Suits.
Interaction with the Cup Suits
The Cup Suits represent emotions, feelings, relationships, and contract-ships. This suit is associated with the water element. If we were to draw The Devil along with the Cup Suits, this is a spread that indicates you may feel trapped in your relationships with your closed circle. It can also suggest that you may not feel in control of your own decisions, or the people you have around have ways of controlling you. It can indicate that you are an emotional person that takes emotional decisions rather than logical ones.
Interaction with the Pentacles Suits
The Devil, along with another card of the Pentacles Suit, would foretell a financial situation where you feel tied down. This spread indicates that your finances may be low, and you are disheartened because you are not finding any good opportunities to advance in your career or at least a job that will pay you well, and it is a healthy work environment. It also signifies that you feel trapped in your financial situation, and you can’t find a way out of this, you lack faith in better days, and you may have just accepted your bad luck, therefore keeping yourself stuck where you are.
Interaction with the Swords Suits
The Swords Suit, along with The Devil, is also an interesting drawing. The Swords Suit gets its own share of being a negative suit. This spread would indicate that whatever has happened to you, it is caused by negative outside forces that have managed to manipulate you and bring you down. It can be that someone has tried their hand on black magic on you or purposely has been working to cause you problems and destroy your reputation and mental health. It can also indicate that you are in a dark place, and you are giving in to addictions as a way to survive it.
Interaction with the Wands Suits
The Devil and the Wands Suit is a combination that foretells fearing of the unknown and giving in to limitations. This spread indicates that you may have created your own box where you can’t get out of. You may be in a situation you do not like, or that is causing you unhappiness, but the fear of change is keeping you stuck in such a position because you may think that you can get it even worse than you already have. You should have a little more faith in yourself, and those better days may come if you change your direction or at least the way you view things.
Overall, The Devil is a card of unhealthy addictions, being tied down by others, fearing the future because you lack faith, and overindulging on material things as well as negative thoughts.
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