The Devil

General

In the traditional depiction of the Devil, the devil is shown as a satyr form and usually sits over two figures – a man and a woman. The man and the woman are chained, as if the devil has taken them captive. This shows the general meaning of the Devil – being trapped and empty and feeling a lack of fulfilment in your life. You may be a slave to materialism, and you may be addicted to sex, smoking, drugs or simply negative thought patterns and behaviours. My depiction of the Devil in my deck points to this meaning of the Devil — materialism and addiction to living a certain lifestyle that may be way beyond your means. The Devil usually represents earthly pursuits. And can sometimes represent abuse and cruelty (whether you’re the victim or the aggressor depends on the other cards surrounding this one).

Upright

In the upright position, the Devil usually represents addictions that make you feel powerless and trapped. You may feel like a slave, unable to control your impulses or willpower to direct yourself towards something other than satisfying these desires. The Devil represents unhealthy love, obsession, co-dependency and a selfish disregard for your lover’s feelings.

In career and finances, you may see the Devil when you are feeling trapped in a job, have bad financial habits or you are surrounded by toxicity. You may also be self-sabotaging and missing out on opportunities.  

Reversed

In its reversed position, the Devil could mean that you are feeling more in control. You are breaking away from the chains, and you are overcoming your addictions and poor habits. You are done with these never-ending cycles and you are ready for new change in your life. I feel that the Devil appearing reversed could mean that you have taken time to do a self-assessment, a reflection of what is currently happening in your life and you are taking back control. You are ending co-dependency in love and you are becoming more accountable in your life and in your career. You are breaking bad financial habits and you are becoming more financially independent.

Astrological Associations

The Devil is associated with Capricorn, who is ruled by Saturn. The most important thing about Capricorn that is similar to the Devil is that they are grounded and have their eye on their material goals. Capricorns know how to do things, and to get things done. And the Devil in reversed is about getting things done. Capricorn possesses a stronger need for recognition in a worldly sense and many are attracted to status symbols and these ones will wear the best clothes (tasteful ones!) and drive quietly impressive cars. The Devil can represent these desires but they are amplified and very extreme (which is not a trait of Capricorns as they tend to take a moderate approach) but you can see where the similarities to the Devil in tarot are.