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The Devil
Tarot Card Meaning
Self-imposed chains that prevent growth and prosperity.
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The Devil at a glance
Card Number: 15
Suit: Major Arcana
Element: Earth
Keywords: restriction, addiction, temptation, materialism, bondage
Upright Meaning: The Devil represents attachment to material desires, unhealthy patterns, and self-imposed limitations that keep you feeling trapped.
Reversed Meaning: The Devil reversed signals breaking free from limiting beliefs, releasing addictions, and reclaiming personal power from toxic situations.
What to know about the Devil
Devil tarot card represents the chains we place on ourselves through unhealthy attachments. This card often appears when you've become trapped by materialism, addiction, toxic relationships, or limiting beliefs that prevent your growth. When you've drawn the Devil in a spread, it signals that you may be giving away your power to external circumstances or allowing fear to dictate your choices. The Devil reminds us that most of our chains are self-imposed, and we hold the key to our own liberation.
Symbolism
This description is based on the Rider-Waite deck.
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The Devil looms large as Baphomet, a horned goat-like figure sitting on a pedestal with two naked humans chained at its base. The inverted pentagram above the Devil's head represents the material realm dominating the spiritual. The chains around the necks of the man and woman are loose enough to slip off, symbolizing that their bondage is largely an illusion—they could free themselves if they chose to. The Devil's right hand displays the sign of Saturn, representing limitation and restriction, while the torch in the left hand points downward toward base instincts rather than enlightenment. The dark background suggests ignorance and the shadow aspects of human nature that we often refuse to acknowledge.
Upright meaning
When the Devil appears upright, it signals that you're experiencing some form of bondage—whether to addiction, unhealthy relationships, materialism, or limiting beliefs. This card asks you to examine where you've given away your power and what attachments are keeping you from your highest good. It's a wake-up call to recognize that you have more freedom than you believe.
Love & Relationships:
In love readings, the Devil often indicates codependency, obsession, or toxic relationship patterns. You or your partner may be staying in an unhealthy dynamic out of fear, lust, or material security rather than genuine love.
Career & Finances:
The Devil in career readings suggests feeling trapped in a job you hate, often for financial security or status. This card warns against letting greed, ambition, or fear of scarcity drive your professional decisions.
Personal Growth:
On a personal level, the Devil challenges you to confront your addictions, bad habits, and self-destructive patterns. The card invites shadow work—examining the parts of yourself you've been avoiding or denying.
Reversed meaning
The Devil reversed is a powerful card of liberation and breaking free from whatever has been holding you back. You're reclaiming your personal power and recognizing that the chains were always loose enough to remove. However, the reversed Devil can also indicate that you're in denial about your bondage, or that you're still too deeply entrenched in destructive patterns to see a way out.
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Love & Relationships:
When reversed in love readings, the Devil suggests breaking free from toxic relationships or codependent patterns. Alternatively, this card can indicate working through jealousy, possessiveness, or control issues to create a healthier relationship foundation.
Career & Finances:
The reversed Devil in career contexts signals liberation from a soul-crushing job or breaking free from the "golden handcuffs" of financial security at the expense of happiness. This card can also indicate recovering from financial addiction, overspending, or getting out of crushing debt.
Personal Growth:
The Devil reversed is about reclaiming autonomy, breaking addiction cycles, and choosing freedom over comfort. You're confronting your demons, releasing shame, and integrating the parts of yourself you once rejected.
Common questions about the Devil
Is the Devil card always negative?
While the Devil certainly addresses challenging themes, it's not inherently negative. The Devil's appearance is often the catalyst needed to break free and reclaim your autonomy. It represents necessary awareness before transformation
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What should I do when I draw the Devil card?
When the Devil appears, take an honest inventory of where you feel trapped or powerless in your life. Remember that the chains are loose—you have more freedom than you think. This is the time to seek support if needed, whether through therapy, support groups, or trusted friends, and to take concrete steps toward liberation.
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Does the Devil card mean I'm doing something wrong
Not necessarily. The Devil doesn't judge your choices but rather illuminates where you may be operating from fear, scarcity, or unconscious patterns rather than authentic desire. It's an invitation to bring awareness to your shadow side and examine whether your current path truly serves your highest good, not a condemnation.
Interpreting the Devil
The best way to understand the Devil card is to honestly examine where you feel trapped or powerless in your life. What symbols really stick out to you in the imagery? Do you relate more to the Devil figure itself, or to the chained humans below? What does your intuition tell you is ready for release? The Devil asks you to look at your attachments without judgment—whether to substances, relationships, material possessions, or beliefs about yourself. Notice where fear is masquerading as desire, or where short-term pleasure is preventing long-term fulfillment.
If you've drawn the Devil card in a reading and want deeper insight into how it applies to your specific question, try our interactive tarot reading tool. This tool is designed to help you find the balance between the card's meaning and your intuition to answer your specific question.
Related cards & further learning
Similar Energy Card: Eight of Swords
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Opposite Energy Card: The Star
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Next Card in Sequence: The Tower
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