By Lorraine Kemble
Image from the RWS Tarot
14. Devil
Rachel is invited to her cousin’s catered birthday party. Unfortunately, she is handed a spiked non-alcoholic cocktail which was meant for somebody else's work rival. The result was that she started behaving rather like the devil archetype. Then, after some hours, she awoke from a deep sleep; not knowing what had happened.
In Tarot, The Devil portrays a Satyr, an ugly creature that is half man and half goat. In many myths, the goat was considered an unclean and lustful animal. The goat also symbolizes the scapegoat; the person upon which people project the inferior side of themselves, in order, to feel better about themselves. The Devil has the wings of a vampire bat, an animal sucking the blood out of its prey. This is symbolic of our raw desires; then we lose vitality and life energy. The Devil has a hypnotic stare, influencing those who come within his power. Above him, is an inverted pentagram, signifying the darker side of magic and occultism. At the foot of The Devil stands a man and a woman, both naked and chained to the podium upon which The Devil sits. They appear to be held against their will, yet, on closer observation, the chains around their necks are easily removable; identifying co-dependency. This symbolizes that bondage to The Devil is voluntary, which consciousness releases. The man and woman wear tiny horns like those of the Satyr and they become more like The Devil, the longer they stay. Both have tails that symbolize their animalistic or sexual tendencies. The dark cave implies that The Devil dwells in the loneliest, unconscious realm. When a good friend gently tells Rachel what has happened, she winced, remembering from her Greek mythology course, The Devil.
Numerically, the number 15, equals 6, the number that corresponds to The Lovers, and the lovers are shown chained in bondage to the material, sensual side of their nature.
Astrologically, this is governed by Capricorn.
The ruling planetary aspect is Saturn.
The previous installment can be found in the March 2020 issue of Tarot Reflections. Watch for the next installment in the May issue.