Il Diavolo: The Devil
Verse
“In this shadow theater of fools
the Devil whispers sweet lies
with every string that they tie,
then makes you play the part of
Pied Piper in a tale of your own demise.
Your demons know
the selfish desires you hide
and tell you they’re just sublime.
The indulgence feels so good,
you believe them every time.
But can you also feel
the burning sting of salty tears
on the freshly cut slit in your tongue?
Live deliciously
with a new craving you can never satisfy
for the taste of blood.”
Keywords
Upright: Bondage to the material.Lack of self-control. Attachment issues. Manipulation. Shadow-self. Dark fantasies. Strong bonds. Unhealthy relationships.
Reversed: Inner demons. Mental ailments. Denial of your shadow self. Cut psychic cords.Release unhealthy attachments.
Correspondences
Sign: Capricorn
Aroma: Myrrh, Patchouli and Nutmeg
Description
The Devil sits within the same space as the angelic figure of Temperance, but the scene is inverted. The dormant volcano awakens and erupts in an explosion that creates mass destruction. It represents unchecked passion, misuse of power, and lack of control. They command two figures who are tied to them by marionette strings to crawl into the fire towards their dark desires and eventual demise. The inverted pentagram represents putting the material above the spiritual. In the Hermetic Tarot, this card is known as the “Lord of the Gates of Matter.”
In a reading, this card represents bondage to the material and lack of self-control. While Temperance represents a calling to your higher self, the Devil is a cautionary tale about giving into your lower, shadow self, the part of you that holds you back from your potential. You may be giving into your baser instincts, instant gratification, or addiction. It may also point to a lack of faith, giving into despair, or willful ignorance. The Devil may represent an unhealthy relationship in your life where there are attachment issues, manipulation, or abuse. In its most positive form, the Devil can represent a strong, binding relationship, but that is generally only a temporary state and if it isn’t put into check it could end in disaster. Of course, sometimes it’s okay to explore the fantasies of your darker, more wild side, and maybe this card is an invitation to do just that, but always remember to set boundaries in what you indulge in so you don’t do more harm than good.
The reversed may appear as an invitation to take on your inner demons. Do some heavy introspection to figure out what is holding you back from being the best version of yourself. You may be suffering from a mental ailment that needs to be addressed by a professional. There may be a dark part of yourself that you’ve been hiding from others that is yearning to come out and play. It may be an invitation to cut the psychic cords between yourself and someone you have an unhealthy attachment to. Try to detach from anything you are too dependent on to set yourself free.
Design
As I said before, I really wanted to design temperance and the devil to feel like twins or at least two halves of the same coin. The figures are in the same setting and meditative pose, but the vibe is entirely different between the two. Again I used the orientation of their palms symbolically. Temperance has theirs upward to represent openness and divinity. The Devil’s are facing downward representing limited thinking and materialism. The volcano from the lover’s card appears again here, but now it’s finally about to erupt. The devil is leading two figures (the lovers) toward their inevitable destruction. The colors are the same as in temperance but reversed. This is the alternate path, the path of the material vs the path of the divine.
Key Symbols
Volcano - the mountain to be climbed to reach your highest self. Its erupting state represents explosive passion, loss of control, and ruin.
Pentagram: A common symbol associated with the devil. The pentacle in its reversed state with the crown pointing down towards earth (the material) instead of heaven (the divine)
Puppet strings: Bondage, lack of autonomy
Demon Wings: Lower self
Color Theory
Blue: Truth. Clarity. Communication.
Purple: Intuition. Spirituality. Psychic energy.
Red: Severity, Strength, Grounding, Focus, Support
