The Devil 15 - My Personal Tarot Journey

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15 - The Devil

This card is probably at least one of the top 3 cards that no one wants to see in their reading. Traditionally this card will take on the appearance of a hideous 'demon' figure who is holding the chains of a man and a woman:

They seem to be tormented by their 'master' from above them, who watches in delight at their suffering. But is this really what's shown here?

Although the people are chained to the pedestal of the Devil, the loops around their necks seem to be fairly loose fitting...actually large enough in their circumference to be 'lifted' off if the couple so chose. So what is keeping them here in servitude? Let's look at our original picture again:

Here we have a young lady who actually "seems" trapped within a small mirror. The area outside the mirror is littered with broken pieces of glass and metal...broken dreams and broken promises...a world she has abandoned and replaced within the confines of her reflection. Here is where dreams come true, right?

As a little girl, she gazed through the mirror and saw her future: married to the perfect guy, enjoying the perfect career, living in a most perfect house, and spending time vacationing around the globe on a most perfect holiday. This is how she envisioned it...and now was the time to make it happen....no matter the means, as long as the ends came true.

But something went horribly wrong. Fairy tales don't always end "happily ever after". The path she chose in life was filled with poor decisions through every turn. The perfect man never came...only men who took advantage of her naivete'...twisting her emotions to and fro until she blamed herself  for the break-ups.

The perfect career was no more after too many missed photo shoots due to her bulimia episodes...all in the name of staying "thin and trim".

The perfect house was no more...repossessed by her bank after lack of funds from skipping work.

And the most perfect holidays were not on sandy beaches somewhere, but at corner crack houses, patronized by all the hottest up-and-coming models who wanted that "edge' to shed the weight, or so she thought.

Was there a mystical horned creature leading her by the hand against her will to commit such acts upon herself? The answer is NO. Look at her right hand...what do we see?

A finger is shackled on her right hand, the hand of action. She has become an indentured servant to her problems on her own free will, knowing that poor choices would only lead to more pain and heartache. Her dreams had clouded her mind and warped a once healthy goal she held as a little girl, into a hellish nightmare as an adult.

Is there no hope then for this "Devil"? Around her neck is a magnificent butterfly, a charm she has kept as a child. She need only remember to take on the form of the butterfly and "break free" from this lie of a "reflection" and turn her attention back to her original goals and dreams: to have a happy life and enjoy what it has to offer.

 Along the way she had lost sight of this and became addicted and enslaved to what others told her to think, told her to act, and told her to believe. She only need remember this to release her butterfly spirit and remove the bond on her hand.

Butterfly of freedom

Real life is not all fairy tales and wishes granted. Sometimes it's hard to even get through the day remaining hopeful and in positive spirits. Life may seem better "through the looking glass"...

Through the looking glass

...but remember it is but an illusion....Life on this side is where it's at. Stop looking in the mirror and instead look around you. Smell the air of a new day full of hope and possibilities. Know that the only master of your life is the person reflected in that mirror.....YOU !!!

“You are the master of your

destiny. You can influence,

direct and control your own

environment. You can make

your life what you want it to

be."

― Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich