Archetypes of the Tarot - The Devil

 

Evil incarnate is one way to see the Devil. Addiction to sex, stimulants, drugs, sensation, violence, pornography or any other aspect of life with denigrating effects is another.  The afflicted are chained to the effects of whichever substance or experience is particular to their life.  In this the Devil is either the agent of the addiction or the sufferer.  In the guise of the agent the Devil is the drug dealer, the pimp, the enabler, the procurer or the cruel deceiver who propels the endangered toward the manner of their downfall.  This card may be a warning that by our actions we are enabling someone in their continuing to fall prey to their personal demons or addictions.

 

When this card is indicative of a person going through the temptation or attempting to recover from an addiction it tells us that the person is one who has what in today's vocabulary is called an addictive personality.  Something in every person can trigger an addiction which can be of two different natures.  Either it's a chemical dependency of one degree or another.  Chocolate as we know it today is pretty benign, when first developed it was a serious threat as a dangerous addiction due to the chemical it contains that stimulates the pleasure centers of the brain.  This is the same as an opium addiction that was so devastating to the Chinese.  Whether the addiction is to something as banal as present day chocolate or as deadly as Ecstasy it is the same.  Emotional dependency is the other kind of addiction and still it is a compulsion to use or do something dangerous to the health of the individual.  Using recreational drugs or over eating are two examples of the latter form of addiction.  When a person is engaging in either of these they are the deceived and are also chained to the evil that perpetuates itself.  In this the Devil can be a warning that we are behaving in a manner destructive to ourselves. 

 

Whichever interpretation applies to the individual reading when the Devil turns up it is an indication of the serious intent and warning of danger to the querant.