Tag: illusion

15- The Devil

This article is part of a series of posts that will compare each card in the Tarot across different decks in order to study and explore each archetype and concept more deeply. This is not necessarily meant to be a teaching tool for others, but if you like to study the Tarot as much as I do, I hope you find it interesting. Enjoy!

For more on the decks referenced here please see this page in my blog: Tools of the Locksmith https://wordpress.com/page/theramblinglocksmith.com/163

A major reference for this study was “Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom” by Rachel Pollack.

The Devil

The Devil card might be one of the most triggering to come across in the tarot. It calls out our fear of evil and darkenss. But it asks us to look at where the source of evil really lies, which in many cases is illusion and unhelpful contructs and ideologies that keep us “in the dark”.

The core Rider-Waite meaning of the card symbolizes incomplete knowledge that results in misery due to the illusion that the material world is all there is to life. We know that this picture is incomplete, but its so tempting to focus on a material life and having material pursuits over all others, that we forget what we know, and go to a darker place. The energy of the devil archetype denies any spiritual power and only sees materialistic realms of life such as career, politics, money, and sensual desires. Its the denial that anything other than these goals exist in life which ultimately leads to an incomplete and unhappy life.

Other ways that this incomplete knowledge gets manifested in our lives are in having responses to unhealed trauma that focus on numbing ourselves to the point of addiction, or allowing the pursuit of power and possession to overcome compassion for others which can devolve into violence and other inhumanities. Its the representation of the dark side of the collective unconscious.

The last way to experience this card is to see it as a doorway to a deeper more spiritual self by facing our own dark sides and shadow selves. If we don’t embrace and understand all aspects of ourself including the dark sides of ourselves or the parts of ourself we were taught to be ashamed of, we don’t see things as they truly are. We need to understand those parts of ourself that seem unlikeable or unpresentable and allow them to see the light of understanding and acceptance.

Standard images from Rider-Waite in the card include:

  • The figure in the Devil sits on a “half-cube” rectangle which symbolizes the incomplete knowledge of materialism
  • The torch points to the earth only and not to the sky to also designate the inability to see beyond the material world
  • An open palm indicates that nothing exists beyond the obvious, stop and look no further (or nothing to see here)
  • The chains of the bound figures are loose and can be taken off at anytime, they are an illusion
  • There is a reversed pentacle on the figure’s forehead which symbolizes letting your desires overpower your judgement
  • The torch enflames the tail of one of the bound figures to depict the experience of being destroyed by physical needs
  • The black background symbolizes black magic and the inability to see the truth as well as depression, the darkness of addiction, and the shadow self

The two elements that come through the strongest in the Sufi Tarot are the chains linked to the shadow self, and the window to the light that seems out of reach. Everything in the devil card depicts an illusion and the card is asking us to see where we are creating illusion in our own life, either that we are chained down to a darker self, or that this window of light is unreachable. What thought patterns like this shadow chain hold you back? What illusions can you break by changing them? For some of us this takes the form of a preoccupation with a need for revenge, or excessive emphasis on success and physical pleasure. What is the construct in your mind that you are giving so much power to its in danger of consuming you? How can you stop feeding it?

The Light Seers Tarot shows two different beings, one is the ego that has become larger than life and seems to have all the power over us, and the other is our true core self cowering in its shadow being controlled by this immense puppeteer. What part of yourself is running the show in a way that is pulling you further and further away from your true nature and your ability to be a complete and free being? This control that you are giving to that part of yourself is an illusion and you can get up and take back that power anytime you want to.

The Santa Muerta Tarot shows another version with two mariachi players being made to sing and dance by a shadow self that they have made their king. The flame of this devil king is powerful and attractive, and it comes through in the song and dance of the performers. What is the song and dance that you are performing that keeps you from moving forward? Are you afraid to stop performing and let people see the real you? Its what you have to do to move toward a more spiritual path and away from a circular one.

The Osho Tarot uses an image from an old Zen story about a lion who was brought up by sheep and so believed himself to be a sheep as well. One day an old lion captured him and forced him to look at his reflection in a pond so that he could see that he was in fact a lion. What have you been conditioned to believe about yourself that you need to confront in order to see the real you? What social constructs when if dropped allow you to be less of a follower and more free to be an individual?

New Era Elements shows a jarring image of one version of modern evil. It warns of the danger of societal ideologies that turn you against the person next to you and inspire fear and hate. Within the last 100 years we can find several examples in the world where social, cultural, and political ideologies were used to justify horrible acts of violence and persecution. We can also see where greed has caused others to suffer and even caused starvation. This card asks you to examine if you are a victim or a perpetrator of one of these ideologies even if on a smaller scale, and if you are potentially the cause of your or others’ suffering because of a flawed ideology that you cannot see past.

Patakis of the Orisha Tarot invokes some symbols of negativity that society has placed on working with the Orishas through traditional practices. Some see it as black magic, or think it can be used to harm others, remove curses, get rich take revenge or reclaim a lost love. In order to combat the falsehoods that others place on you the solutions given are to speak the truth, let go of indoctrination that no longer serves you, make peace with your ancestors, and go to therapy. This is the advice of the creator of this deck to which I would add maintain whatever practice allows you to see past illusion and be in the present moment as your true self.

Weekly Reading, August 22, 2021

In Honor of the Sturgeon Moon

The Moon is one of later cards in the Major Arcana and represents how we realize our connection between our finite self and the infinite universe.

This month we have a blue moon as well as a sturgeon full moon, (the typical name for the August full moon). What does this power mean, and what does it caution us to be weary of?

The Moon card in the Tarot is reminiscent of the foundational archetype of the High Priestess. The Moon reflects the suns light, and it reminds us to reflect upon what energies are bouncing off of us in the present.

Unfortunately some of us might equate the introspective nature of the moon to that of a mirror. Looking at yourself in a mirror is not introspection, it is illusion and distortion. Depending on what we see in that mirror, we may become obsessed with that reflection, and never want to stop looking at it, and even worse, we may take that illusion and define ourselves by it.

Notice that none of the female spirits in the three cards above are looking up. They are all looking down or back toward a reflection or the moon. One – the Moon card from the Afro Brazilian Tarot, is fighting its own reflection. The Moon card from the Santa Muerte Tarot shows a woman who cannot see past the reflection in the water, and becomes obsessed with this illusion. The Moon card from the Divine Tarot is the story of the Japanese Fairytale of Princess Kaguya. Princess Kaguya was from the Moon and eventually had a huge decision to make, stay with her earth parents, who adopted and took care of her, or return to the moon to her moon parents. She choose the moon because she became obsessed with the robes of the moon, and she was unable to see herself as she truly had become, only as her reflection told her to be.

So what advice does the moon have to give us. Never look in the mirror? Don’t look within? Ignore the divine feminine influence of the moon?

Hardly! The advice of the moon card is to visit this place often, but not stay here permanently. Don’t get stuck in the illusion. Observe and take note. Learn new things about yourself each time you visit, but always return at the end of the night to your path where you will find a place to ground, and a time to incorporate your latest lessons from the moon.

As always with many bushels of love.