Upright Meaning Guide
The Devil Tarot Card Key Meanings:
Addiction, depression, mental health issues, secrecy, obsession, cheating, dependency, bondage, materialism, sesxuality, powerlessness, hopelessness, abuse, violence, assault
General Meaning and Interpretation(Upright)
In a general context, The Devil Tarot card can signify depression or addiction. It can also be a sign of feeling trapped or restricted. With this Major Arcana card in your Tarot spread you may feel as though outside influences or forces beyond your control are restricting you, leaving you feeling powerless and victimised. However, this is the illusion The Devil creates. You are in control of your own destiny and are not bound by anything other than your own attitudes and behaviour. Don’t give up and don’t give away your power. You don’t have to tolerate negativity, criticism, manipulation or abuse from anyone. There are always options and there is always something positive you can do to improve your situation no matter how hopeless things may seem on the surface. Likewise be mindful of how you are treating others and make sure you are not trying to manipulate or control people in your life either. The Devil upright in your Tarot reading can also indicate obsessive, secretive or impulsive behaviour. It can be a sign that you are out of control. The Devil Tarot card is also a signifier of materialism and may show that you have become overly concerned with material things, status or power. These are not things that will make you truly fulfilled as a person so put your energy into the things that will.
Love & Relationships (Upright)
If you are in a relationship, The Devil can be a sign that you or your partner are feeling trapped. It may indicate a loss of freedom brought on by becoming too engrossed in a relationship. The Devil shows that this level of co-dependence is unhealthy. You and your partner should take a step back and try to rediscover some interests outside the relationship. It can also signify that you or your partner may be suffering from mental health issues that are affecting the relationship. If this is the case, seek the help of a professional counsellor to assist you both during this time. The Devil Tarot card can be a sign of jealousy, envy, deception, dominance, cheating and in an extremely negative context abuse, violence or sexual assault. Look to supporting cards to confirm this. If you feel trapped in a relationship because of any form of abuse, remember you can free yourself of this situation, don’t let The Devil make you feel powerless. If you are single, The Devil can indicate sex without love. You may be having unfulfilling or even dangerous sexual encounters or allowing yourself to be used by people who do not care about you because you desperately want to be loved. If that is the case, take a break from dating until you’ve built up your self-esteem. The Devil can also be an indicator of a potential relationship that may be harmful to you. This new love interest may have a drug addiction, become overly dependent on you possibly as a result of mental health issues, be deceptive or become violent or abusive. Although they may seem intriguing or exciting at first, The Devil indicates danger, so avoid letting this person into your life.
Money & Career(Upright)
In a career context, The Devil upright in your Tarot reading can indicate that you feel trapped in a job that you hate. Again, you are in control of your own life even if you don’t feel that way. Evaluate what you really want in your career and if a move is what you need, make it. Remember that it is a choice you are making if you decide to stay in a job you dislike. The Devil can also indicate a colleague or person in a career context who is deceptive and may be trying to sabotage you. Be careful who you trust, this person will be all smiles to your face and while simultaneously stabbing you in the back. In a financial context, The Devil indicates that money will be tight but it suggests that there is more you could be doing to help yourself. Watch your spending! It can easily get out of control with The Devil in your Tarot spread. Also, avoid gambling or any sort of risky or impulsive investments.
Health (Upright)
In a health context, The Devil can indicate poor health brought about by harmful behaviour such as drug addiction, alcoholism or compulsive overeating. It is also an indicator of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, bipolar, schizophrenia etc. If you feel like you have a mental health problem, please do not look to the cards to diagnose you, seek the help of a mental health professional. The Devil upright in a health context can also indicate a silent illness like high blood pressure. If you have been feeling unwell or inexplicably exhausted, go to the doctor and get a check-up. If you have a diagnosed illness, The Devil tells you not to let it define you, while you may have some restrictions be careful that you are not putting excessive limitations on yourself out of fear of exasperating your illness.
Spirituality(Upright)
In a spiritual context, The Devil can indicate that you have become too materialistic. Try to bring the focus back to the non-materialistic pleasures in life such as spending time with the people who make you happy or connecting to your spiritual side. It can also indicate that a lack of hope may be holding you back from moving towards the light. Like attracts like, so even in your darkest moments you should always strive to send light and love out into the world as that’s what you will attract back. Never allow darkness to take over. If you have felt overwhelmed with depression or anxiety, firstly make sure you surround yourself with a loving and supportive network of friends and let go of anybody who is overly negative or critical of you. Secondly, try some sort of energy healing to help you get rid of any negative energy you have been holding onto.
Reversed Meaning Guide
The Devil Reversed Tarot Card Key Meanings:
Detachment, independence, overcoming addiction, freedom, revelation, reclaiming power, reasserting control
General meaning and interpretation(Reversed)
In a general context, The Devil reversed can signify that you are becoming aware of the things that have been trapping you and the role you play in allowing them to. It is a great card for anyone battling an addiction or mental illness or engaging in harmful behaviour as it indicates that you are starting to see the light and take back control of yourself and your life. You want to be free from these problems and you are starting to get the motivation to change your circ*mstances. It can also indicate that you are getting a new perspective on issues that you felt powerless to change previously. The changes you want to make may not be easy but they are necessary for you if you want to have a happy life in the future and you are beginning to realise what you have to do. The Devil Tarot card reversed can also indicate a near miss with a negative, harmful or dangerous situation or person. The important message this Major Arcana card brings is to be grateful that you avoided it, learn from it and move forward. Do not fall back into the old bad or risky behaviours that led you so close to danger. Don’t get co*cky and think you are invincible if you managed to dodge the bullet. Appreciate your good fortune, but don’t push it!
Love & Relationships(Reversed)
If you are in a relationship, The Devil Tarot card reversed can indicate that you and your partner may have been feeling stuck in a rut or felt like the relationship was on its way out but you having started to come out the other side of this. It can also be an indicator of a close call, one of you may have come close to doing something that would have irreparably damaged your relationship (e.g. an affair or infidelity) but decided to honour your relationship instead. If you have been in an abusive relationship, you may be beginning to realise that you deserve better and to take back your power. The influence your abusive partner once had over you may be lessening as you start to realise that you have choices and there is help out there for you. If you are single, The Devil reversed can indicate a close call with the type of negative, abusive or dangerous person described in the upright meaning. It can also indicate that previously you may have felt you were stuck with being single or were so desperately seeking someone to love you that you were prepared to put up anything. However, you are starting to become more aware of yourself and how this behaviour has been hindering your search for love. You may need to take a step back from dating for while to just start enjoying the freedom of only having yourself to answer to that being single brings. With this new attitude emerging, the right partner won’t be far behind so relax and enjoy this time.
Money & Career(Reversed)
In a career context, The Devil reversed shows that your awareness of how your behaviour and choices have influenced your current circ*mstances is increasing dramatically and you are ready to start taking steps to get to where you want to be. While you may have felt stuck in your job due to financial constraints or being too focused on attaining status or materialistic goals, you are starting to see the big picture and refocus on what is going to make you happy and fulfilled in your life. Seize this new motivation and don’t fall back into old habits because they are comfortable or offer more financial security. Financially speaking, if you have been engaging in gambling, excessive spending or risky behaviours with money, you are starting to regain control of yourself.
Health (Reversed)
In a health Tarot spread, The Devil reversed is a good omen as it indicates stopping harmful habits and starting on the road to recovery so if you have suffered from any sort of addiction, you may well be getting the strength to overcome it. Stay strong and focused. It can also signify that you are starting to overcome stress, anxiety and any mental health issues that may have been causing issues in the past. It’s important to keep moving forward and to keep the momentum going with this new lease of life you’ve been given. Don’t fall back in to old patterns.
Spirituality (Reversed)
As with the general meaning, The Devil Tarot card reversed can indicate that you have managed to avert a dangerous or harmful situation. In a spiritual Tarot spread, this tells you that the universe has been kind enough to allow you to learn your lesson without major negative consequences. You must learn this lesson now and learn it well or it will come back to you. The Devil reversed can also indicate that you are turning away from darkness and coming back to the light. This may signify you emerging from a period of depression, sadness or feeling spiritually lost to once again move towards love and light and reconnect with your higher consciousness. It may also signify that you are learning to deflect the negative energy of people around you so it no longer affects you in the way it once did.
