The Devil
Shine a light on attachments and dependencies you can’t stop. The chains are loose, and the power to remove them lies within you.
- Card
- Major Arcana · XV
- Upright keywords
- Temptation, Attachment, Bondage, Desire
- Reversed keywords
- Release, Breaking free, Awakening, Recovery
- Yes or no
- Leans no
Traditional correspondences Hebrew letter: Ayin (ע, eye) / Astrology: Capricorn / Tree of Life: 26th path (Tiphareth to Hod) / Element: Earth
Upright meaning
Check whether you’re bound by desire or attachment. There may be something you know you should stop but can’t.
A horned figure squats on a black pedestal, with a naked man and woman chained beneath him. Look closely and the chains around their necks are loose; they could lift them off. Upright, the Devil shows the things that hold us: addictions, unhealthy relationships, materialism, fear, habits we know are bad for us. It is honest rather than evil. It asks you to see clearly where you’ve given away your power, and to remember that you can take it back.
Reversed meaning
A chance to break free from what holds you. You can end the vicious circle.
Reversed, the chains start to fall. You may be recognising a pattern for what it is, breaking an addiction or walking away from something toxic. Freedom can be uncomfortable at first, and the old pull may come back. Keep going. The reversal can sometimes show the opposite, falling further into a habit, so be honest about which direction you’re moving.
For ways of reading reversed cards, see how to read reversals.
Love
Intense attraction, or a relationship built on dependency or control. Look at what binds you.
Breaking free from an unhealthy relationship, or bringing more honesty into one.
Work
Feeling trapped by money or ambition. A job you stay in only for security.
Finding the courage to leave a situation that drains you.
Money
Debt, overspending or being ruled by money. Face it honestly.
Getting out of debt or letting go of materialism.
Relationships
Codependency or influence that isn’t good for you.
Releasing yourself from a toxic connection.
Health
Bad habits or dependency. Seek support if you need it.
Recovery and breaking free of an unhealthy pattern.
Tarot does not diagnose physical conditions. If you have symptoms that worry you, please see a doctor.
Mind and spirit
Facing your shadow and the desires you hide.
Awakening and freedom from fear.
As a person
Someone controlling, seductive or materialistic.
Someone breaking free, or helping others do so.
Timing
Things tend to drag on and don’t move easily. The turning point comes when you let go of the attachment yourself.
Advice
Name what binds you, and lift the chain off.
Keep walking away from what held you.
Questions to ask yourself
- What do I keep doing even though I know it isn’t good for me?
- What am I afraid would happen if I let it go?
- Where have I given my power away?
A common misreading
The Devil isn’t literally evil or a sign of a curse. It shows the ties we create ourselves, and the loose chains are a reminder that we can free ourselves. Reversed, it is often a positive card of release.
The story of this card
After the healing of Temperance, the traveller descends to meet the Devil, their own shadow. Fifteen reduces to six, the number of the Lovers, and indeed the couple here are a dark mirror of that card. The traveller learns that to be free they must see their own chains clearly.
The Waite deck’s picture and symbols
In the Waite deck the Devil has a goat’s horns, bat wings and an inverted pentagram on his brow. He raises one hand and holds a downward-pointing torch in the other. A naked man and woman with small horns and tails stand chained to his pedestal, but the chains hang loosely round their necks.
History and differences between traditions
The Devil was one of the cards most often lost or censored from early decks, and few early examples survive. The Marseille deck shows a grotesque figure with two small demons tied to his pedestal. Waite drew on Éliphas Lévi’s image of Baphomet and made the chained couple echo the Lovers.
Words for today
I have the power to free myself.
Each step away from what bound me is a victory.