the devil

Anytime I do a spread and the devil appears its jarring. I just did a month ahead reading and the devil appeared in the third week position, so I tried it again with another deck and the devil came out in the exact same position, so I tried it a third time with yet another deck and it appears as the general atmosphere of the month. To me the devil means betrayal, lies strife. It can also mean an unhealthy relationship. What are other interpretations of the devil?

I've actually read that some people view it as a GOOD omen for marriage/romance/partnership, on the grounds of "unbreakable bonds." Depending on context, I take it as being a sign of a solid foundation to work from.

I've also read people interpret the devil as being tenacious, which is often an asset, or about learning to take action to get what you stand/stand up for yourself. Life is harsh and sometimes you gotta kick and holler to not get trampled on.

I do also associate the devil with materialism and occasionally tyrannical attitudes, but mostly I don't stress about it much when it comes up.

You could get a deck with nicer looking Devil and one that has a pleasant interpretation, then when it comes up all the time it won't worry you. I think there are a few pagan decks like that ?

How I interpret the Devil:

The Devil asks you to think about the limitations you have chosen.

Chosen marriage? It limits you.
Chosen to remain an addict? It limits you.
Chosen to work hard to make money to buy your dream house? It limits you.

Every choice will have its consequences. Are you willing to accept those consequences and make a commitment to your choice? If so, power to you.

If you do not like the consequences, you can choose differently: get a divorce, go to rehab, quit your job and move into your parents' basement.

The Devil is about choice, limitation, and commitment.

eta: In terms of 'betrayal' or 'lies' I can see the Devil as betraying oneself by only seeing the positive aspects of a choice and ignoring the negative consequences ("Whoop whoop, I love going out on Friday night and getting totally hammered and hooking up with strangers! So much FUN!!!"), or even as someone trying to sell you something and "leaving out" some of the less desirable aspects of that thing.

I can see Ace of Stars' interpretation for me today. I got it as a 'situation' of the day, clarified by the Tower. It was a bit of a shake up at work about whether I wanted to recommit to my job or decide that it's time to move on. In some ways it has felt like a limitation so I guess I have the option of viewing it in a new light or breaking ties.

So generally it could be about looking at what limits us or not, whether its something we create ourselves or others create for us.

The Devil is also about obsession... and you're asking the same question with different decks in the hope he won't appear?

Then there is the aspect of choice, the ties of the Devil are usually freely worn.

Just sayin'.

I wouldn't say the ties of the Devil are freely worn. It can mean addiction and as an addictive person myself, I can vouch that I didn't freely choose that. I chose to drink, not knowing that I had the genetics to become an alcoholic. If I had known I'd be an alcoholic and go through the hell of addiction and sobering up, I'd have chosen otherwise but unfortunately, I was very naive about those things. Once hooked, hypothetically I could have just taken the chain off and stopped, but that isn't as easy as it appears. It's very complicated. Add into that that I was also a relationship addict and caught up into sexual addiction too, and that brings a huge dilemma. I didn't freely choose any of that. It was addiction full-blown.

But the Devil isn't just about addiction; that's just one aspect of the card and not everyone that has the Devil appear in a reading is an addict? In many cases (in my experience) we can deal with the Devil's pitfalls by using self initiative, or exercising our free will, be more disciplined, whatever is called for. Freely worn doesn't equal easy to remove.

I know lots of people struggle with addiction, it's something that has touched my own life too, so I know that it's hugely complex issues that can't just be shaken off through willpower alone. I would imagine that in a tarot context, readings that throw up addiction issues would be a lot more complex and have more cards pointing toward problems, rather than just the Devil?

roseinthewinter12 said:

Anytime I do a spread and the devil appears its jarring. I just did a month ahead reading and the devil appeared in the third week position, so I tried it again with another deck and the devil came out in the exact same position, so I tried it a third time with yet another deck and it appears as the general atmosphere of the month. To me the devil means betrayal, lies strife. It can also mean an unhealthy relationship. What are other interpretations of the devil?

Click to expand...

Devil
Experiencing temptation
Giving in to temptation
Indulging physical desires (food, sex, sleep, etc)...this is not necessarily bad
Concerning oneself with survival issues like food and resources

Wow thanks everyone. There are so many replies. I am trying to think of something in my life right now that might warrant the devil. Other than the need to be more physically active I can come up with nothing. But it is a huge relief to know my life isn't about to take a poo on me.

I've actually just thought of something I am currently on a diet I have to get bikini ready and the demotion to eat all of the wrong things is so strong. It's just a constant struggle to eat the right things. Today the temptation was bacon. Smh