Continuing in the series of looking at each tarot card in depth, we have finally arrived at the Evolution line (the third line of the Major Arcana). The card that introduces us to our ever-evolving self is the Devil. I hope that by the time you are done reading this post that you have come to love this tarot card like I do.
The Devil is not to be feared. It is an incredible card that opens us into some of the beautiful magick within, and shows us how to harness that power to our evolution in a way that serves.
The Devil serves as one of the cards in the tarot that has been given a negative narrative- a narrative I would argue that is built on fear around the figure and idea of what the Devil is, and the energy surrounding him
In this post, I will break down all the ways that I read this card and then discuss the symbolism seen across my collection. The numerology of the Devil is 15. Ones speak to new beginnings and Fives speak to change, challenge, freedom, independence, and curiosity.
If we add the two together, we get six which corresponds with harmony, love, beauty, charisma, nurturing, and an ability to uplift and empower the downtrodden. None of these things conjure a sense of evilness, deception, or maliciousness. Click here to read the numerology with the Devil.
Liberation and Breaking of Chains with the Devil
Before we get into the Devil, let’s take a quick peek at the card that comes before him. This card is Temperance. Temperance comes after Death, speaking to the cycles of loss and release that are a part of every cycle in life. Temperance speaks to alchemy within the spirit. As we hinge from loss to rebirth, Temperance says that if we let it Divinity is going to help us build into something bigger than what we were before this loss occurred. Temperance says that our spirit is the anchor, and if we allow ourselves to find that connection, we can, and will stay the course.
The Devil follows to show us where other chains have a hold on us. These chains may have been placed by others, or by ourselves. It doesn’t matter. The Devil says we must undo the chains and liberate ourselves so that we can continue on our journey towards our divine evolution, and our wild reclamation. The first way that I read the Devil is: Finding your autonomous center, finding freedom in between truth and outward experiences, relationships, or manifestations.
The Devil invites you to find the truth within, and to find the truth between that internal truth and your external experiences. Are they in alignment, or do you feel the need to mask parts of who you really are to be part of a group that wouldn’t accept you if you revealed the real you? This is the deep liberation. Can you let go of the chains placed on you and let your real self move in this world. This is where the fear comes in.
The Devil is the other in society. The boogey-man. The scapegoat. The one that others project on to so that they may feel superior and “good.” The truth is, each person has good and bad, or light and shadow, within them. The Devil says that when you look at the shadow, and embrace your true self, you liberate your wild spirit from the ones who wish to tame it.
Main invitations with the Devil:
1. Finding your autonomous center, finding freedom in between truth and outward experiences, relationships, or manifestations
2. Looking into the underbelly of cause, not consequence, to gain understanding and guidance for transformation
3. Harnessing freewill to create path, honoring evolution and wild reclamation.
The next way that I read the Devil is: Looking into the underbelly of cause, not consequence, to gain understanding and guidance for transformation. What this means is that, like mentioned above, we cannot simply take things at face value. We have to sit in the deepness of self, and look at the truth, no matter how ugly. To put it another way, if your car is making a weird noise, you could simply turn up your Spotify so you don’t hear the sound, but what you should do is have someone look at the car to see what is making the sound.
Working with the Devil is the same thing. The way we grow and evolve is not to dismiss our emotions, memories, patterns, behaviors, or experiences. We evolve by looking at those things (however much in shadow they are), and shed light on them. Many people do not want to do this because then they have to confront their bullshit. They would rather blame everyone else, and never take responsibility, even if this means all their relationships suffer.
The Devil says that we have the power to evolve, transform, and ultimately be in co-creation with our desires, wants, and futures. However, we can’t make that happen if we don’t bring our own asses to our own tables, sit down, and eat from the menu of truth. That can bring a level of fear, but it’s not the Devil’s doing. The fear becomes heightened when we fear fear. If we humbly and willingly approach the shadow, and our most vulnerable selves with the conviction of evolution, and integration, we see there is nothing to fear.
It is similar to the part in Harry Potter (fuck you Rowling), when he discusses with the Prof. Lupin why his boggart became a dementor instead of Voldemort, you know…. the snake-like evil wizard that has been trying to kill Harry since he was a baby. Harry fears not even the dementors, but the effect they had on him. They caused him to relive his most traumatic experiences, making him feel weak and hopeless. But, Harry’s patronus is a spiritual embodiment of his father, highlighting that even in Harry’s darkest moments, love and protection prevail.
The last way that I read the Devil is that in order to make anything that has been discussed here happen, you need to harness your free will- essentially removing the chains that you are in able to co-create or take part in your future. The Devil says that you have everything you need to begin your wild reclamation, and you have already done so much to make this journey happen. Moving into the Evolution means that we are no longer creating (the first line), or destroying (the second line). Now, we are becoming.
The way that we make that becoming an actuality is by choosing the path, harnessing our free will, and dedicating to the journey ahead with the guidance coming from an internal awakening. We can’t let others, ego, or systems decide how we engage with our world, or how we show up in our lives. Only we can do that, and we must do that. We must remove the chains that others, the past, society, or systems have placed on us and start to move from within us.
The Hebrew letter for the Devil is Ayin, which means “eye / human eye.” This letter means seeing without speaking, and is a silent letter. In this context with the Devil, it speaks to seeing in a way that is watchful, and sees into the depths to gain understandings both spiritually and physically- all things that we just discussed. The letter also means “spring” or “fountain” and references the source of life, the ability to cry and pour forth, and a place of deeper connection to divinity.
The Devil is connected to the zodiac sign Capricorn, which carries associations of ambition, determination, and a focus of gaining successful ground in the material world. This association also includes a tendency towards obsession, unhealthy attachments, and desire above everything else. There is also associations with Pan who became vilified as a connection to nature, desire, and primal, untamed energies.
Symbolism and Imagery of the Devil Card
Now looking at the symbolism from across my decks, we start at the very top:
- Ostara Tarot: One of my favorite depictions. We see a skeletal bug-like creature, dressed quite fashionably, holding a jar that contains two people. This card shows a desire to covet and hold onto to things in our lives, even if it is not in our best interest.
- Hush Tarot: The kittens show this dual nature that, like the human mask, we all have. We have an external self, but it may often hide deep internal truths. The kitten is soft and cuddly, but can quickly draw blood and harm. The ants toil and create friction, and the key and lock show that we can undo our chains much more easily than we think.
- The Grimalkin’s Curious Cat Tarot: A cat has lured a mouse to it’s mouth with the promise of cheese. The mouse traps all around speak to external, obvious fear while the cat’s mouth is the most deadly of all- a call to look at our perceptions with honesty and truth and being willing to admit what we are seeing/carrying that is false.
- The Crow Tarot: A crow has hunted down its prey. The meat and river of blood show a dark, but real side to life and nature. The small chained bird represents purity and a free spirit that has been lured into the crow’s grasp. The pentagram is a loaded symbol with associations to evil, spirit into matter, earthly matters, and even protection. What is the truth of this symbol to you?
- The Nightmare Before Christmas Tarot: Oogie Boogie shows the tendency to overindulge and a need to rein in and not gamble with your situations through poorly made actions or choices.
- The Bird King Tarot: An ancient, faceless entity that is found in every place of destruction and rebirth. His eyes illuminate the inner sight, and the understanding that darkness, pain, and shame reside in everyone. We can let this destroy our path forward, or face the darkness and find our rebirth.
- The Guardian of the Night Tarot: The bone mask on the jackalope asks us to consider if we are masking something that needs deeper contemplation and understanding. The snakes symbolize a shedding of the skin and growing into something bigger, transforming on all levels.
- Shadowscapes Tarot: Another lock and key show the vulnerable and scared parts of person shrinking in the darkness. The jester holds the key, while the animal-like person puts on a show and weaves a heart into a spider web. The jester symbolizes power through humor, and a need for a comical side. However, the jester also symbolizes someone who became a scapegoat of ridicule and scorn. Where is the balance?
- Spirit Animal Tarot: The Goat represents the collective scapegoat, but also an animal with the ability to traverse difficult terrain, and see what the natural and wild energies within are helpful, or leading us astray. The chain around shows self-imposition. It is either heavy metal or a beautiful lei that symbolizes beauty, welcome, and goodwill.
- The Wild Unknown: The hooves on fire show a need to move from this place. If we stay where we are at, we will be consumed. If we are consumed, it is only because we chose it.
- The Herbcrafter’s Tarot: Blackberry shows the need for mindfulness, and if the sweet fruit is worth the sting of the sharp thorns and hedge that consumes everything else. Cut them away and ease your surroundings. Transformation for other things is now possible.
- The Mystical Dream Tarot: The Sorcerer is the illusionist, creating something but concealing the deeper truth. He spits venom into the holy grail, chalice of life, while a dragon (connection to material and primal) circles the background. The cross, another loaded symbol holds very different energies to different people. I look at it and see oppression, violence, patriarchy, shame, greed, and more, while others see it as THE symbol of their faith.
- Dark Wood Tarot: The huge beast is the creation when we feed into fear, the ego, or facades. The tiny Page of Swords sees the inner truth from the place of purity and beginner mindset. Slaying and reigning the shadow self into integration creates new possibilities, and eases the mind’s reaction to fear.
- Tarot of Dragons: The fear of the people made the dragon turn to more chaos and more hostile influences. The chains represent the material world, and, link by link (choice by choice), we weigh our wings down when we give into the narratives that people place on us.
The Devil
I fell into this heedless volcano, birthing me
into this strange place. Cut loose from Earth’s
umbilical cord, my veins are fire. I am a child
of the primordial dawn, able to see the temple
of stacked mountains who breathe their miles
with ease. This is where the gods know my name.
This is where devotion is perilous,
because even the mighty ones are mortal.
These spirits can be cherished, but never saved.
One day they will become something else, or nothing.
So, I run with the wild horses
as they proclaim the distance laughable.
Give them a real challenge they taunt at the horizon.
Here, the hunt and the health of the land
are the deciders. Life and death speak
the same language. Their starved stories only fed
by being retold again and again, so that I remember
to let slip this seductive and beastly tremble,
to shed this skin so that I am new to begin again.
Ashlie McDiarmid
Hello there! I hope you liked this blog post. As a tarot and oracle reader, my goal with my blogs is to offer you content, resources, and access to the tools that have transformed my life.
I believe that your own intuition is the deepest form of knowing, but here in my little corner of the internet, I share insights based in intuition and instinct. I share my love for nature, witchcraft, and the wild spirit.
- If your spirit is at home in wild places
- If you feel the need to claim your autonomy as ritual
- If you want to more deeply trust your own intuition
- If you want resources or connections to tarot, oracle, witchcraft, and wild sovereignty, then welcome!
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