This Is What The Devil Tarot Card Really Means
The Devil is an interesting tarot card to pull. Though the Devil has negative connotations generally (and the tarot card can, too), pulling the Devil doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doomed. Like most tarot cards, the Devil has both positive and negative aspects to it – you just need to understand which meaning best fits your reading.
One of the Devil card’s key meanings is obsession (which is sometimes described as addiction in relation to this tarot card). Typically, the goal of the Devil card is to point out a negative obsession that is consuming parts of your life. This may be a literal addiction or something that you don’t directly perceive as an addiction – a toxic friend, an unhealthy romantic relationship, habits or vices that aren’t serving you.
Surprisingly, though the Devil often represents feeling trapped, stuck, or powerless, the Devil can also be a reminder that you are the only person who can change your current situation. The Devil might appear to those who are struggling with bad habits, loneliness, fear, and helplessness. The Devil typically encourages the querent to allow themselves to take their situation back into their own hands, assessing their needs and forming an action plan for themselves.
The Devil can also often signify self-serving or self-indulgent behaviors. If there’s behavior that you haven’t noticed about yourself or patterns in your life you’re already trying to change, the Devil may be pointing those out to you.
At the same time, many querents choose to embrace the self-indulgent aspects that the Devil brings. If you’ve been working hard on balancing out your life and making sure to choose yourself – by setting boundaries, giving time for self-care, and prioritizing your wellbeing – then it’s possible that the Devil could simply be present as recognition for your hard work.
Because the Devil also represents pleasure, luxury, and materialism, you’ll have to decide for yourself if the card is trying to indicate that you should take a step back or take a gentle step forward into these kinds of behaviors. The Devil does often represent over-indulgence, so be mindful when looking into your behaviors to see where the Devil might be trying to warn you of something. Some querents, however, like to use the Devil to indulge in pleasure and even materialism for a little while before returning to their normal cautious state once more.
The Devil card can also be seen as a sign of your shadow self rising. This interpretation isn’t uncommon. If you’ve been sensing behaviors or desires that you’ve been repressing, the Devil may be warning you that it’s time to resolve these internal conflicts – or at least acknowledge them within yourself.
When it comes to receiving an upright Devil card, you don’t necessarily need to take it as a negative sign. Pair the Devil with the other cards and try to focus on what the Devil might be warning you about. Find the focus – finance? career? emotions? romance? family? – and then hone in on the things you feel most relate to the Devil card. From there, it’s up to you on how to act and change your situation for the better.
If you receive a reversed Devil card, this means that you’ve successfully freed yourself from what is no longer serving you. You’ve been hard at work severing your attachments to your addictions, your vices, and/or your bad habits; you’ve recognized your patterns and have put in the work. You are in a state of power, abundance, and success.