XV - The Devil

Arguably the most misunderstood card in the whole deck, most readers focus solely on the negative aspects of this card. Everything in life is about duality, and the Devil is no different in that respect.

Undoubtedly it is the card of blind impulse, of temptation and obsession. It is the card of the material world, one of vice, addiction, money, and power. If this card came up in a relationship reading you would probably be cautioning the enquirer to watch out for red flags in those around them, and that all may not be quite what it appears.

It speaks to us of unexpected failures, a controversy yet to surface, or a disaster impending on the horizon. It is doubt and despair, at life and in yourself and those around you.

But for me it is the dual nature of this card that is its most interesting aspect. Whilst it can speak to us of weird or strange experiences, the little synchronicities that are there for all those with inner sight to see, the main message for me is about self imposed limitations due to fear. Fear is the biggest killer of dreams known to humankind. How many people never reached their full potential because of one fear or another? We have all struggled with it. Fear and self doubt, bedfellows that are the ruin of many a bright light.

The Devil reminds us in no uncertain terms that these shackles that bind our minds are our own. We placed them there and refused to remove them, whether for comfort, convenience, or survival. It is time to face your own ignorance and limits. You have nothing to lose but your chains, and everything to gain.