The DEVIL Card in the Rider Waite Smith Deck of Tarot Cards
The Appearance of the Devil Card In the Devil Card in the Rider Waite Smith deck of Tarot Cards you see a large, orange creature with horns and wings, sitting on a block, to which two figures are chained.
The creature has morphed itself from Pan, an ancient creature representing fertility and nature.
The card has a dark look and feel to it as it is mostly black, with the contrasting grey-white of the wings and the orange of the creature's body.
The two figures are the same ones as appeared in the Lovers card.
In the Devil card, you can see how the love, innocence, passion and fun have now turned into a situation that is binding and restrictive.
Although the figures are held by chains, the chains are quite loose and could easily be slipped off, if the figures choose to do that.
The figures have become chained into commitments, probably of their own making and as consequences of their own actions.
This is now a situation that lacks any real love or passion and which is devoid of any spirituality.
Meaning of the Devil Card Upright In relationships it can be where there is an obsession with material wealth and showiness along with other destructive things such as jealousy, possessiveness, abuse, cruelty, neediness or manipulation.
There is a lack of anything spiritual with this card.
With this card, you can feel a loss of personal strength, often a sense of powerlessness and that you are being controlled by someone or something else.
It may be that personal power can be reclaimed and new choices made or it may be that a person has to live with the consequences of their decisions and their actions.
Around legal matters this is a warning to be extra careful before taking on commitments because you may end up taking on more than you bargained for, and then find it very difficult to extricate yourself.
If someone is contemplating something such as a love affair or dodgy business dealings and the Devil comes up before they have done that, then it is a clear warning NOT to do those things because the consequences are unlikely to be pleasant.
The Devil card can also refer to the Inner Demons and sometimes those have to be faced and dealt with before you are able to move on from a situation.
The Devil can be a very positive card because it can show you the very worst in a situation, in yourself or in another person.
From there, as hard and as challenging as it may be, you have a choice to stay in the same position or to make different decisions and take different actions.
Meaning of the Devil Card Reversed In the Reversed Position, you may find it is easier than you thought to break free from the chains and the shackles that you believe are binding you and holding you back.
In the Reversed Position, the chains could easily slip off of the necks of the people, if they chose to do that.
The energy of the Reversed Card can be a little easier than the upright card.
With the Reversed card, there can be a case that someone has become so used to their "chains" that they have become part of their identity.
When an opportunity presents itself to be rid of the chains and the commitments, they don't really and truly want to let go of them because it means they can lose their sense of personal identity and the friends they have made because of the commitments or the problems.
There is still a lack of any spirituality or self love in the reversed position.
It is very important to question your motives for doing the things you continue to do.
In relation to contracts and binding documents, it is important to be even more vigilant before committing yourself to anything because you may think that there are loopholes and that you might be able to easily extricate yourself at a later stage, however that may not be the case.
It is important not to let arrogance and self importance get in the way of good judgment.
Amanda Goldston Tarot Author and Coach © 2010 Amanda Goldston
The creature has morphed itself from Pan, an ancient creature representing fertility and nature.
The card has a dark look and feel to it as it is mostly black, with the contrasting grey-white of the wings and the orange of the creature's body.
The two figures are the same ones as appeared in the Lovers card.
In the Devil card, you can see how the love, innocence, passion and fun have now turned into a situation that is binding and restrictive.
Although the figures are held by chains, the chains are quite loose and could easily be slipped off, if the figures choose to do that.
The figures have become chained into commitments, probably of their own making and as consequences of their own actions.
This is now a situation that lacks any real love or passion and which is devoid of any spirituality.
Meaning of the Devil Card Upright In relationships it can be where there is an obsession with material wealth and showiness along with other destructive things such as jealousy, possessiveness, abuse, cruelty, neediness or manipulation.
There is a lack of anything spiritual with this card.
With this card, you can feel a loss of personal strength, often a sense of powerlessness and that you are being controlled by someone or something else.
It may be that personal power can be reclaimed and new choices made or it may be that a person has to live with the consequences of their decisions and their actions.
Around legal matters this is a warning to be extra careful before taking on commitments because you may end up taking on more than you bargained for, and then find it very difficult to extricate yourself.
If someone is contemplating something such as a love affair or dodgy business dealings and the Devil comes up before they have done that, then it is a clear warning NOT to do those things because the consequences are unlikely to be pleasant.
The Devil card can also refer to the Inner Demons and sometimes those have to be faced and dealt with before you are able to move on from a situation.
The Devil can be a very positive card because it can show you the very worst in a situation, in yourself or in another person.
From there, as hard and as challenging as it may be, you have a choice to stay in the same position or to make different decisions and take different actions.
Meaning of the Devil Card Reversed In the Reversed Position, you may find it is easier than you thought to break free from the chains and the shackles that you believe are binding you and holding you back.
In the Reversed Position, the chains could easily slip off of the necks of the people, if they chose to do that.
The energy of the Reversed Card can be a little easier than the upright card.
With the Reversed card, there can be a case that someone has become so used to their "chains" that they have become part of their identity.
When an opportunity presents itself to be rid of the chains and the commitments, they don't really and truly want to let go of them because it means they can lose their sense of personal identity and the friends they have made because of the commitments or the problems.
There is still a lack of any spirituality or self love in the reversed position.
It is very important to question your motives for doing the things you continue to do.
In relation to contracts and binding documents, it is important to be even more vigilant before committing yourself to anything because you may think that there are loopholes and that you might be able to easily extricate yourself at a later stage, however that may not be the case.
It is important not to let arrogance and self importance get in the way of good judgment.
Amanda Goldston Tarot Author and Coach © 2010 Amanda Goldston