Drawing The Devil in tarot usually chills the table. The name carries weight, the image scares, and the first question is always the same: did they do something against me?
No. The card The Devil in tarot does not speak of a curse, nor of ritual work, nor of the devil of Christian religions. It speaks of attachment: that which holds you and that, almost always, you yourself helped to tie. This guide explains the Arcana XV symbol by symbol, shows the detail of the image that changes everything, and teaches how to read the card upright and reversed.
Does the card The Devil mean a curse or something done?
It does not mean that. It is worth starting there to take the weight off your chest.
In tarot, The Devil is an archetype, not a spirit. It represents the instinctive part of a person when they take command: the desire that turns into compulsion, the habit that turns into addiction, the relationship that turns into dependency. The card describes a pattern, not an attack coming from outside.
The name comes from the medieval Christian framework in which the deck was born in Europe. The contemporary reading of tarot no longer works with that framework. It reads the card as a mirror: what appears there is the shadow of the one asking, not a sentence.
The Devil does not say "you are condemned." It says: "look at what you continue to feed, and notice that the door was never locked."
Arcana XV: the card profile
The Devil is the fifteenth of the Major Arcana of tarot, the group of 22 cards that forms the symbolic column of the deck. Knowing the profile helps to read without fear.
- Number: XV (15)
- Name in other decks: Le Diable in the Tarot de Marseille, Il Diavolo in old Italian decks
- Associated sign: Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, the planet of matter, of limits and of structure
- Element: Earth
- Upright keywords: attachment, addiction, dependency, materialism, shadow, illusion of prison
- Reversed keywords: liberation, breaking of pattern, awakening, end of a toxic cycle
Saturn and Capricorn explain the climate of the card well. Both speak of weight, of matter and of contract. The Devil is the bill that arrives when someone trades freedom for comfort.
The symbolism of the card The Devil
In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the most used in Brazil, every detail of the scene teaches the same lesson. The following description follows the entry about the card on Wikipedia and the original work of Arthur Edward Waite.
- Goat horns and harpy feet: the figure is half human, half animal. It represents the instinct that has not yet been integrated, and not a being coming from hell.
- Bat wings: a nocturnal flight, that does not rise. It is the impulse that only moves in a circle.
- Inverted pentagram on the forehead: the downward pointing star shows matter ruling over spirit.
- The torch turned downward: wasted light. Knowledge exists, but serves to imprison instead of illuminating.
- The square pedestal: the cube is matter. It is in it that attachment settles and feels secure.
- The chained couple: a man and a woman, with small horns and tails. They are Adam and Eve after the fall, the same figures from arcana card VI, The Lovers.
And here is the detail that changes the entire reading. As recorded by the tarot history collection Tarot Heritage, the chains on the couple's necks are loose. Both figures could remove them over their heads at any moment. They remain trapped because they choose to continue.
The Devil card does not depict a cell. It depicts a door left ajar and two people who prefer not to look at it.
It is still worth a note about the origin of the drawing. The figure comes in part from the engraving of Baphomet, published by the French occultist Éliphas Lévi in 1855. In Lévi's drawing, Baphomet symbolized the balance between opposites: high and low, masculine and feminine, human and animal. The satanic reading of the image came later, and it was not what the author had in mind.
Le Diable: the same card in the Tarot de Marseille
The tarot is not just one deck. Card XV changes face depending on the school, and this changes the reading.
| Element | Tarot de Marseille | Rider-Waite-Smith (1909) |
|---|---|---|
| Central figure | Standing, with deer horns and animal ears | Seated on a cubic pedestal, with goat horns |
| Object in hand | A sword | A lit torch, pointed downwards |
| The Subordinates | Two anonymous figures, tied to a round pedestal | Adam and Eve, tied to a square pedestal |
| Tone of the card | Brute force and desire, an energy that can be used | Psychological attachment, choice and shadow |
In the Marseille reading, The Devil weighs less as a moral judgment and more as raw power. In the Waite school, the card becomes a study on consent: who bound whom, and why.
What the card The Devil means in a reading
In the normal position, The Devil points to the bond that causes harm and remains standing. The theme changes according to the area of life.
- In love: emotional dependency, jealousy, control, or a relationship that has already turned into a habit and not a choice. It does not always indicate a breakup. Often it indicates that the relationship needs to be renegotiated.
- In work: the job that sustains the standard of living and consumes health. The famous golden shackle.
- In money: consumption due to anxiety, debt that renews itself, identity glued to what one owns.
- In a yes or no question: tends toward "no", or a "yes with a high price". The card rarely approves a path without charging for it.
The combinations refine the message. With The Tower, the structure built upon attachment collapses all at once. With The Lovers, the subject is an emotional choice contaminated by dependency. With The Star, the atmosphere is of emerging from a tunnel, with hope after recognition. In a three card spread, observe what comes after The Devil: that is where the price or the exit appears.
An honest caveat. Addiction to substances, gambling, or alcohol is a health matter. Tarot helps to name the pattern, but it does not replace professional support.
The Devil reversed: the two readings
Here the schools diverge, and the serious reader needs to know both.
The most widespread reading today is positive. Reversed, the card indicates liberation: the addiction that is broken, the relationship of dependency that ends, the control that returns to your hands. It is the moment when the person sees the loose chain and finally takes it off.
The classic reading goes a different path. Waite describes the reversed card as fatality, weakness, pettiness, and blindness, in other words, an aggravation of the problem. The original text is available in the public domain on the Internet Archive.
Which of the two to use? It depends on the question and the surrounding cards. If the surroundings show movement and clarity, read as liberation. If they show confusion and repetition, read as a relapse. The complete guide to reversed cards in tarot explains this criterion in detail.
The card The Devil and Exu (Eshu) have no relation
This part is short and non-negotiable. Exu is not the devil, and the XV card of the tarot does not speak of him.
The Devil is an archetype of European esotericism, born within medieval Christian iconography. Exu is the orixá (orisha) of Afro-Brazilian religions, lord of the paths and of communication between worlds. The association between the two is an invention of colonial prejudice, and not a tarot reading.
Who unites the two traditions with respect works with another deck. The tarot of the Orixás has its own structure, and in it Exu occupies the opening place, not that of a villain.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Devil card mean in tarot?
It means attachment, addiction, and dependency. The card points to a pattern that traps the person: a relationship, a habit, a consumption, or a belief that is already causing harm and continues to be fed. It describes a trap built from within, not an attack coming from outside.
Is the Devil card bad?
It is not a bad card, it is an uncomfortable card. It shows what the person avoids looking at, and this diagnosis is usually the first step toward change. Tarot does not sentence anyone. It names what is happening now and returns the choice to the one who asks.
What does the Devil reversed mean in tarot?
In the most used reading today, it means liberation: the end of an addiction, a dependency, or a cycle of control. In the classic Waite reading, it means the opposite, with aggravation and blindness. The context of the spread and the neighboring cards decide which reading applies.
What is the sign of the Devil card?
Capricorn, ruled by Saturn. The correspondence matches the theme of the card, because Saturn rules matter, the limit, the structure, and the contract. Capricorn brings the weight of duty and of what is assumed in the long term, even when it weighs too much.
What does the Devil card mean in love?
Speaks of an intense and unequal bond: jealousy, control, emotional dependency, or a desire that turned into obsession. It does not always ask for a breakup. Often, it points out that the relationship needs new agreements, more freedom, and less fear of being alone.
Where to buy your tarot deck
At Joia Mística Laroyê, you will find what you need to study the arcana at your own pace:
- Rider-Waite and traditional decks: the illustrated classic, ideal for reading symbol by symbol
- Romani decks and oracles: to expand the reading
- Towels and reading cloths: to set the space for the reading
- Candles and incense: to prepare the environment before consulting
- Tarot books and guides: to deepen each arcana card
Visit our physical store in Extrema-MG and we ship to all of Brazil. Talk to us via WhatsApp and Joice will help you choose the right deck for your moment.
References
- Wikipedia: The Devil (tarot card), entry on the symbolism of the card
- Tarot Heritage: article on the historical evolution of the card O Diabo, from the Tarot de Marseille to Rider-Waite-Smith
- Internet Archive: The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, by Arthur Edward Waite, in the public domain
