The Devil is one of the most misunderstood and perhaps frightening cards in the tarot deck. As card number fifteen in the Major Arcana, The Devil represents bondage, addiction, materialism, and the shadows we create through our choices. However, it also represents the profound liberation that comes when we recognize our chains are self-imposed. The Devil is a card of illusion and self-imposed limitation. It arrives in your reading not to condemn you, but to show you where you’ve given away your power, where you’re trapped by your own choices, and where fear or desire has become your master. The good news? The chains are loose. You can remove them anytime. You’ve always been free! You just forgot.
Symbolism and Imagery of The Devil Card
In a traditional Rider Waite-style deck, The Devil depicts a horned, winged figure sitting on a pedestal, with a naked man and woman chained at its base. The Devil raises one hand in a gesture mimicking The Magician and The Hierophant, but inverted. This suggests the misuse of power and wisdom, or spiritual knowledge turned toward material ends. The Devil’s wings are bat-like rather than angelic, and the figure often has goat features, connecting to Baphomet and Pan. These are both ancient symbols of earthly desires, material pleasures, and primal instincts.
This card shows the Devil represented in his most well-known satyr form, otherwise known as Baphomet. Along with being half goat and half man, the devil has bat wings and an inverted pentagram on his forehead. He is standing on a pedestal, to which are chained a nude man and woman, as if to show that he has dominion over them. Both the man and the woman have horns, as if to show that the more time they spend with the Devil, the less human they become. The chains make it appear as though the devil has taken them captive. The man has a flame on his tail while a woman has a bowl of grapes on her tail, which symbolizes their addiction to power and finer things in life, respectively. Looking closely, both the man and the woman don’t look happy. Their individual power has been taken from them, leaving them exposed and ashamed in their nakedness.
The Upright Devil Meaning
Getting the devil card in your reading shows that you have feelings of entrapment, emptiness and lack of fulfillment in your life. Key meanings include bondage and addiction, materialism, unhealthy attachments, temptation, feeling trapped, limiting beliefs, shadow self, codependency, fear-based choices, and self-imposed limitations. The Devil represents bondage and limitation, but with a crucial twist: the chains are loose. You could remove them if you chose to. The Devil reveals that you are often your own jailer, keeping yourself imprisoned through fear, limiting beliefs, or the illusion that you have no choice.
Right now, you may feel trapped in a situation, relationship, job, or pattern that controls you. The Devil asks you to examine this honestly: Are you truly trapped, or have you convinced yourself you have no choice? Are external circumstances holding you prisoner, or have you given away your power through fear, desire, or addiction? The Devil often appears in the context of addiction and unhealthy attachments. This doesn’t only mean substance abuse. The Devil represents any behavior, relationship, thought pattern, or desire that controls you rather than the other way around. This card is not about external evil but about recognizing your own power to free yourself from self-imposed chains. You’re not a victim but you are trapped by your own choices and beliefs. The liberating truth? You can choose differently anytime.
The Devil in Specific Life Areas
Career and Ambition
As an earth sign, Capricorn connects to material reality, physical pleasures, and worldly concerns. The Devil represents becoming so focused on material reality that we lose connection to spiritual truth, so attached to physical pleasures that they control us, so invested in worldly success that we sacrifice everything else. Saturn also rules time, aging, and fear (particularly fear of scarcity, failure, and not being enough). The Devil often represents bondage to these fears, making choices from a place of lack rather than abundance, from terror rather than trust. When The Devil appears in your reading, you’re confronting Capricorn’s shadow. This happens when ambition becomes greed, discipline becomes rigid control, security-seeking becomes fear-based hoarding, and success becomes empty demands. The Devil reminds us that ambition without conscience, achievement without values, and climbing without questioning the destination can lead to spiritual emptiness even as we gain material success.
In career readings, The Devil reversed may indicate breaking free from toxic work environments, or choosing meaningful work over high-paying jobs that compromised your values. You may be overcoming workaholism and creating healthier work-life balance, or recognizing career limitations you’ve imposed on yourself and choosing new possibilities. The Devil reversed suggests awareness that your job is wrong for you but fear keeping you from making changes, or confronting the emptiness of career success achieved without integrity or alignment with your true values.
Finances and Materialism
Financially, The Devil represents materialism, greed, and unhealthy attachments to money or possessions. You may be enslaved by debt, addicted to spending, or so focused on accumulating wealth that money controls your life rather than serving it. This card can indicate debt that feels crushing, particularly debt incurred through compulsive spending, addiction, or trying to maintain appearances. The Devil reminds you that you chose these purchases. It’s time to change your relationship with money. The Devil may suggest that the pursuit of wealth has become an obsession. It’s become a false god you worship at the expense of relationships, health, values, and peace of mind.
Relationships and Codependency
The Devil can indicate codependent relationships where partners are chained together by fear, insecurity, or unhealthy attachment rather than genuine love. The imagery of the chained man and woman suggests that both parties may be losing their humanity and individual power in the dynamic. The card appears when relationships are based on possession, control, or the fear of being alone rather than mutual respect and growth.
Emotional and Psychological State
The Devil points to the dark, repressed side of the psyche. This may include hidden desires, passions, or addictions that a person conceals from themselves and others. This card is often associated with uncontrollable desires, addictions, or passions. The Devil as a significator might relate to people who use their sexuality or material resources to manipulate others, or to those with a strong attachment to the material at the expense of the spiritual. Such a person might suffer from self-deception or fear of the unknown. At the same time, this card can indicate a person with a powerful will and the ability to consciously use their instincts and energy to achieve material goals.
The Devil Reversed
In the reversed position, the Devil as a significator symbolizes a struggle with temptations, renunciation of passions, and liberation from dependencies. It may suggest a person who has overcome their fears, challenged their weaknesses, and embarked on a path of self-development. This person might have been involved in negative situations but skillfully managed them, freed themselves from harmful addictions, and started a new life.
The reversed Devil reminds us that the liberation from old negative stereotypes has begun, and it is crucial not to return to negative tendencies. When reversed, The Devil can lead to feelings of relief, liberation, and regaining control over our emotions. It can also symbolize a shift towards more balanced and healthy emotional states. However, there can still be moments of residual unease or fear, as we adjust to a new way of feeling and relating. Recognizing the progress we’ve made is crucial to continue moving forward positively.
The Devil in Tarot Readings
The Devil card is often associated with themes of bondage, addiction, and attachment. Its appearance in various Tarot spreads can provide deep insights into different aspects of one’s life.
Past-Present-Future Spread
When the Devil card appears in the past position, it may indicate a history of self-imposed limitations or unhealthy attachments. This could point to past relationships, addictions, or negative patterns that have left a lasting impact. In the present position, the card suggests that we might currently be wrestling with fears or unhealthy dependencies. It’s a call to face these issues head-on for our betterment. When located in the future position, the card warns that we may encounter situations requiring vigilance. This could imply future temptations or potential pitfalls that may need our careful consideration and management.
Celtic Cross Spread
In the Celtic Cross spread, the Devil card’s position significantly alters its message. The specific placement determines whether the card represents hopes and fears, external influences, or the immediate challenge facing the querent. Each position provides context for understanding how themes of bondage and materialism are manifesting in the individual’s life.
Understanding the Shadow Self
The Devil card invites us to confront our shadow self—the parts of our personality that we deny, repress, or hide from conscious awareness. This shadow may include hidden desires, repressed passions, or addictions that operate beneath the surface of our awareness. By bringing these elements into the light, we can begin to understand the mechanisms that keep us trapped and take conscious steps toward liberation.
The card’s appearance suggests that we may be using our material resources, sexuality, or power to manipulate others or situations to our advantage. This behavior often stems from a deep-seated fear of scarcity, failure, or not being enough. The Devil reminds us that these fears are illusions—self-imposed limitations that we can choose to release at any time.
The Path to Liberation
The key message of The Devil card is that liberation is always possible. The chains are symbolic rather than literal; they represent our own choices, beliefs, and attachments. By recognizing that we are the ones holding the keys to our own freedom, we can begin to make different choices.
This process often starts with awareness—recognizing where we feel trapped, what we’re addicted to, or what fears control our decisions. From there, it requires courage to choose differently, even when old patterns feel comfortable or familiar. The Devil reminds us that comfort is not the same as fulfillment, and that true freedom comes from aligning our actions with our deepest values rather than our deepest fears.
Whether the card appears upright or reversed, it carries a message of empowerment. In its upright position, it reveals the nature of our self-imposed limitations. In reversal, it celebrates the beginning of liberation and the reclaiming of personal power. Both positions remind us that we are never truly trapped—only temporarily convinced that we are.
Conclusion
The Devil tarot card, while intimidating in appearance, serves as a powerful mirror reflecting our own capacity for both bondage and liberation. It reveals the illusions that keep us chained—materialism, addiction, fear, and self-imposed limitations—while simultaneously reminding us that these chains are loose and can be removed at any time. Through understanding its symbolism in career, finances, relationships, and personal growth, we can recognize where we’ve given away our power and consciously choose to reclaim it. The Devil ultimately teaches that true freedom comes not from external circumstances changing, but from recognizing our own role in creating our reality and having the courage to choose differently.