The Devil is the beginning of the third septenary: the cosmic influences on man.
The inverted pentagram on his forehead represents the opposite of light & good (as represented with the Spirit upright pentagram). The black background represents spiritual darkness. His right hand is raised in the black magic sign (as opposed to the blessing sign the Hierophant is displaying). The sign of Saturn is on his palm. Saturn is the planet of limitations & inertia. The bat wings represent obstinacy & the donkey ears represent stubborness. The staff of the Magician becomes the torch of destruction in the hand of the Devil. He also has the power of the Magician, but he wields it for destructive purposes.
The cube he's sitting on is only half a cube, symbolizing only half the knowledge. (showing only the visible sensory side of reality.)
The number 15 in numerology equals 6, the Lovers, & here the lovers are shown chained, in bondage to the material, sensual side of their nature. The man's tail (a symbol of the base "animal" nature) is tipped in the flames we saw in the Lovers card. The woman's tail has the same fruit from the tree we saw in that card, also. This is a sign that they are misusing their gifts. The chains around their necks are loose, proving that the bondage is of their own making. They can loose themselves at will, but they choose not to.
This card is ruled by Capricorn, the goat. The rune is Hagall, the rune of limitations.
The Devil is portrayed as Pan or the Horned One in some decks. While I understand the reasoning behind this (after all, the Devil IS a Christian image & he is modeled after the Horned God), I disagree with this practice. The Devil is a symbol of bondage & the evil side of man's nature. (Yes, man has an evil side. If he didn't, we wouldn't need the "harm none" law). Pan & the Horned One, on the other hand, represent sensuality, but not necessarily evil. But, that's just my opinion.
If the Devil shows up, look carefully at your life & see what is limiting you right now. Is there an addiction that needs to be addressed? What substances, behaviors or people are holding you back?
Assignment:
Pick out the Devil card, look closely at the symbols on the card. Does one image in particular draw your eyes? Does this offer a clue to what is holding you back?
Shuffle the deck as you usually do, then ask to be shown the limitations that are holding you back, limiting your ability to have a happy, fulfilled life.
Lay out 3 cards. These cards should answer that question. Now, think about how you can eliminate these obstacles or change the circumstances.
ALTERNATE EXERCISE:
Pick out the Devil card, look at the symbols on the card and tell us what these symbols mean to you.
