Two figures wear loose chains and never try the lock
Key Facts at a Glance
Property
Value
Card Number
15
Category
Major Arcana
RWS Deck Year
1909 (Illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith)
Historical Names / Aliases
The Devil, Diabolus, The Shadow Tempter / Material Entanglement
Element & Astrology
Element: Earth Element · Astrology: Capricorn (Material Bondage & Shadow) · Number: 15 · Suit: Major Arcana
Keywords
Shadow Self, Material Entanglement, Addiction, Illusion of Bondage, Unconscious Desires
Upright Key Meaning
Two figures wear loose chains and never try the lock
Reversed Key Meaning
A chain slips off, and the fog clears
Related Cards
Temperance, The Tower, The Empress
The Devil — Overview & Historical Provenance
Arthur Edward Waite described The Devil as carrying the essence of "Ravage, violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, fatality; that which is predestined but is not for this reason evil." Part of the Major Arcana and illustrated in 1909 by Pamela Colman Smith, the card synthesises Earth energy with the archetype of The Shadow Tempter / Material Entanglement. The Hebrew letter Ayin (ע) is traditionally linked to this card, adding a Kabbalistic dimension. Two figures wear loose chains and never try the lock. The cage is a habit of mind. Look at what holds you; it is weaker than it looks. Some attachment runs your week from the shadows. Drag it into the light and face it.
“Ravage, violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, fatality; that which is predestined but is not for this reason evil. Reversed: Evil fatality, weakness, pettiness, blindness.” — A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910)
The Devil — Upright Meaning
Two figures wear loose chains and never try the lock. The cage is a habit of mind. Look at what holds you; it is weaker than it looks. Some attachment runs your week from the shadows. Drag it into the light and face it.
“Noli cedere tenebris, veritas liberabit vos.” — Yield not to the dark; truth shall set you free.
Shadow Self
Material Entanglement
Addiction
Illusion of Bondage
Unconscious Desires
The Devil — Reversed Meaning
A chain slips off, and the fog clears. Walk out while the door stands open. The hold loosens this week. Keep one small promise to yourself to seal the exit.
Breaking Chains
Awakening from Illusion
Reclaiming Sovereignty
Freedom
Shadow Integration
The Devil — Real-World Life Scenarios
Love & relationships
Desire and dependency wear the mask of love. Ask what fear keeps you two chained.
The toxic spell breaks. Claim your space back and keep the new boundary firm.
Career & work
A job, a client, or a habit has you hooked. Name the payoff that keeps you chained.
You see the trap for what it is. Cut the tie that binds you.
Health & Energy Management
From a holistic wellbeing perspective, The Devil encourages mindful awareness of energy levels and physical rhythms. Two figures wear loose chains and never try the lock Apply this lens to daily health habits — rest, movement, and emotional balance.
When The Devil appears reversed in a health context, it can signal neglect of the body's signals or a need to slow down before strain becomes injury. A chain slips off, and the fog clears Prioritise rest and seek professional guidance if symptoms persist — tarot offers symbolic reflection, not medical diagnosis.
Finances & Resource Management
The Devil brings the energy of shadow self to financial matters. Upright, it favours decisive action grounded in clear assessment of available resources. Identify your strongest assets and direct effort where leverage is greatest.
Reversed, The Devil warns of breaking free patterns in money management — impulse spending, avoidance, or undervaluing what you hold. Pause before committing funds, review terms carefully, and consult a trusted advisor on significant decisions.
The Devil — Visual Symbolism & Iconography
Loose Chains Around Necks
Exceptionally wide loops dangling from the necks of the prisoners, proving that bondage is an illusion that can be slipped off the moment one chooses.
Inverted Pentagram on Brow
The downward-pointing star between the horns, symbolizing spirit subjugated by base materialism and intellect enslaved by primal impulse.
Inverted Torch of Base Fire
The torch held downward igniting the man's tail, representing precious life energy wasted and consumed by unbridled sensory obsession.
Horns and Animal Tails
Beastly horns and tails sprouting from the human captives, signifying how human nature slowly degenerates when surrendered to coarse gratification.
Half-Cubic Pedestal
The solid black rectangular block upon which the demon perches, representing heavy, narrow materialism that denies transcendent spiritual truth.
Dark Bat Wings
The leathery wings of the nocturnal creature, symbolizing the subconscious turning away from light and clinging to shadowed fear and spiritual starvation.
The Devil in Tarot History & Archetypal System
The Devil is the 15th step of the Fool's Journey through the 22 Major Arcana. Its ruling astrological correspondence is Capricorn (Material Bondage & Shadow). The Hebrew letter Ayin (ע) is assigned to this trump by the Western esoteric tradition, anchoring it within the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. Within the archetypal sequence, it marks the point where the central theme of The Shadow Tempter / Material Entanglement crystallises for the journeying consciousness.
More Earth Element-element cards worth comparing
The Empress: A crowned mother rests among ripe grain and roses Reversed: Your own well runs dry while you water everyone else
The Hierophant: A teacher raises two fingers and passes on the old rites Reversed: The old doctrine no longer fits your life
The Hermit: A gray monk climbs alone, lantern in hand Reversed: Solitude slid into hiding
The World: A dancer floats inside the laurel wreath, and the four corners watch Reversed: The wreath waits at the finish line, one lap short
Ace of Pentacles: Reversed:
Classical Sources & References
Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910), 'The Devil'.
Éliphas Lévi, Transcendental Magic (1854), On the Sabbatic Goat.
The Devil in combinations
The Devil shifts tone depending on its neighbours: next to Temperance the message leans one way, next to The Tower it leans another. Read pairs through their shared element and the weight of any Major Arcana involved.
Read The Devil next to Temperance and The Tower: if their themes reinforce each other, the answer gains momentum; if they contradict, the surrounding cards decide which current is stronger. A blocked or heavy neighbour weakens the pull, while any Wands or Major Arcana card beside it amplifies the charge.
Related cards
Continue your study with these closely connected cards.
Two figures wear loose chains and never try the lock Keynotes: Shadow Self, Attachment, Addiction.
What does The Devil reversed caution against?
A chain slips off, and the fog clears
I drew The Devil — what is the most constructive step right now?
Translate “Shadow Self” into one concrete action you can follow through on today.
How does The Devil's archetype — "The Shadow Tempter / Material Entanglement" — apply in everyday life?
Waite's traditional keyword for The Devil begins: "Ravage, violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, fatality; that which is predestined but is not for this reason evil." In practice, the archetype of The Shadow Tempter / Material Entanglement manifests as Shadow Self and Attachment in upright readings, and as Breaking Free and Overcoming Addiction when reversed. Ground the symbol in concrete, observable situations rather than abstract theory.