The Devil is one of those cards that we dread! And yet here he is!! The Devil is a personification of all that's dark within us, our insecurities, weaknesses, imperfections, fragility, even our base survival instincts. The Thoth Tarot shows the Devil with phallic symbols since The Devil also represents our drives.
The Devil is said to be the Lord of the Gates of Matter. He is the life force that pushes all life to create itself and he is the urge of procreation. He is that obsessive formative frenzy that overtakes us when we step into a project or prolific spree. That is, experiencing the positive aspects of the Devil! It is that extra glass of beer or wine, or the big steak one indulged in. The Devil can be about plain lust or just vanity!! He is all about the sinfully delicious indulgences that once in a while, maybe welcome, even recommended, but when over engaged in can become addictions that keep us enslaved.
The Rider Waite Smith Devil has all the bearings of the iconographic devil that people were conditioned through history, to believe in. He sits on a half cube which symbolizes that his truths are all incomplete. This is the case since the cube was an image of perfection. With the Devil, his take on things is incomplete since he only lives in the physical realm. He's not immoral but amoral. The Man and the Woman chained to his half cube or half-truths can easily throw away the chain if they so desire, but it's either the addiction or the fear of the Devil that keeps them where they are.
Throughout the middle ages, the iconographic Devil ruled supreme. In 1667, John Milton published Paradise Lost and introduced a whole new seductive Devil to the world. The Devil is someone who seduces and entices, why else would we be so happy to follow such a hideous creature!! As with Marlowe's Devil in his text Doctor Faustus, the Devil knows us and our minds so well, that he knows just what to offer us to enslave us. We have finally given the Devil his due and acknowledged his positive traits!
The Light Seer's Devil is gorgeous and seductive. The Devil after all was once the Angel of Light! He is so Charming that we may just miss seeing the ropes he's dangling the poor unfortunate soul on!! The dark side of the Devil is the seduction for personal gain where no feelings are taken into consideration, the animalistic nature and lies or illusions of control he peddles. The Devil tries to control you on an individual level with fear!! He puts the fear of inadequacy and the fear of commitment or the fear of failure. It's the crippling fear of knowing that things can never be better and that knowledge is based on an illusion that the Devil casts. The Devil represents our shadow selves. It is he who is in the dark sending out feelings of inadequacy or roping you down with limiting thoughts. The best way to beat the Devil is to acknowledge that you feel a certain way, and bring that feeling into the light!! Once we get to the root of an issue the healing begins. I see the Devil as all of my baseness that can be overcome with love!! And it is a chance, to use the love your soul was born to cut off the limiting beliefs and know that you were meant to soar and soar you will!! The Devil just is a stepping step for your spirit to throw off its fetters and soar!!
Meditations On the Devil
It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil. If they would only expend the same amount of energy loving their fellow men, the devil would die in his own tracks of ennui. Helen Keller, The Story of My Life
Have you been in a situation that was completely out of your control and felt powerless?
What inner demons do you feel, you need to purge?
Could Love be the way forward?
Giving the Devil his due, for the skill he holds, when was the last time you have indulged with complete abandon and copious energy on a project?
When was the last time you indulged with abandon? Do you do it often?
Images Used on The Site. Illustrations from the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck, known also as the Rider Tarot and the Waite Tarot, reproduced by permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902. c. 1971 by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. The Rider-Waite Tarot deck is a registered trademark of U.S. Games Systems, Inc