The Devil Tarot Card Meaning

The ruler of the underworld stands at an altar, with a man and woman chained to it. We've met this pair, Adam and Eve, before in the Lovers. Their path has now led them to the Fall: expelled from Paradise, they're in Satan's power.

Their tails reveal their baser nature, symbolizing animal instincts and desires. The Devil has found a way into their souls and brought those instincts to the surface. Yet they don't look like sufferers or victims. So thoroughly blinded and bewitched are they that they're quite happy with their fate.

The chains could easily be slipped off, but neither tries. The Devil holds a burning torch, a reminder of hellfire, while his other hand extends over the fallen souls in a gesture of command.

The Devil upright signals dependency, intrigue, and excess. You've gone too far. An overwhelming, even unhealthy urge to possess something, whether money, power, or another person, is making you a slave to your passions! The card says you're showing little willpower, or making no effort to resist at all. That's a straight road to hell.

But the Devil also says you have the strength to resist temptation. Notice in time how destructive passions are eating away at your soul, defeat the Devil within, and you can keep your inner integrity and stay out of this mire.

Upright The Devil: Key Meanings

• Greed, yielding to temptation, passion, vanity, base feelings, lies, corruption, and lust.
• Dependency, obsession, and indulging your weaknesses.
• Negative emotions, anger, destruction, misfortune, and difficulties.

The Devil reversed says you've given in to temptation and are completely in its power, with neither the strength nor the desire to break free.

There may be a harmful dependency in your life: on alcohol, drugs, another person, money, or power. The card says you've taken the bait. Now Satan pulls your strings like a puppet's, making you obey his dark will.

As a result, you're following the wrong path and chasing the wrong goals. You're losing control of yourself and the situation, growing more disappointed and bitter by the day. That's how the Devil works: first he enslaves, then he destroys the person.

Overcoming this prediction isn't easy. It takes real courage and determination. Recognizing the problem is your route to clearing your soul and escaping the grip of destructive passions. Choose a better path, and you can defeat the Evil One, renew your spirit, and feel free within.

Reversed The Devil: Key Meanings

• Cruelty, selfishness, a hunger for power, ruthless career ambition, and deep-seated insecurities.
• A craving for wealth, greed, heartlessness, and phobias.
• Dependency, a wrong choice, loss of control, weak willpower, and pettiness.
• A worsening situation, fateful circumstances, and indecision.

In a love reading, the Devil upright often means a powerful attraction or an uncontrollable surge of passion that clouds your judgment. You or your partner has completely lost your head, becoming emotionally dependent on the other person to a dangerous, destructive degree.

There's no meeting of souls here, only lust and treating another person as something to use. The card often points to cheating or a love triangle, too. One partner may be playing dirty for selfish reasons. It advises you to break this damaging bond before it ends in tragedy.

Reversed, the meaning is more positive: the end of an unhealthy partnership.

How They Love

Upright, the card describes someone who's no stranger to temptation. Attractive faces catch their eye, and even after choosing a partner, they have to fight the urge to stray.

Reversed, it says this person is a slave to their passions. Temptation keeps crossing their path, and they're quite willing to give in.

In a career reading, the Devil often means gaining material comfort by less-than-honest means. A person is wholly focused on wealth, fame, and status, so obsessed with getting rich that they neglect every other part of life and will step on anyone to get ahead.

It can also describe someone betraying their ideals and beliefs for profit, effectively selling their soul to the Devil.

Reversed, the card says a person caught in dependency will manage to overcome their weaknesses. But if they were the one running the scheme, disaster and financial ruin await.

Upright, this is someone who's no stranger to earthly pleasures and dreams of achieving a great deal: wealth, power, and fame.

Reversed, it describes a driven, ambitious person, perhaps excessively so. On the way to their goal, they don't always consider anyone else's interests.

Upright, the card advises you to stand firm against the temptations in your path.

Reversed, it asks you to draw a clear line between good and evil in your own life and decide which side you're on.

Upright, the outlook is mixed. You may get what you want, but you risk making mistakes along the way. Don't look for easy shortcuts, and above all, don't fall for provocations or temptations.

Reversed, the outlook isn't especially favorable. Destructive desires, emotions, or temptations could get in your way.

Pluto in contact with Venus, and Venus in Scorpio: the need to set important goals and work on yourself and your relationships.

The Fool — A clouded mind; acting on instinct; falling into deep dependency without realizing it.

The Magician — Bad intentions; an illegal scheme; heading in the wrong direction or crossing to the dark side; taking a game too far.

The High Priestess — A gloomy mood; a plan for revenge; spellwork or a cunning romantic rival.

The Empress — Hidden family savings; a marriage of convenience; an unfaithful wife.

The Emperor — A headstrong husband; family secrets; infidelity or a harmful addiction in the head of the household.

The Hierophant — A false prophet; a dangerous cult or immoral behavior; misleading advice.

The Lovers — A bad choice; a path toward decline; sinking to the bottom.

The Chariot — Heading in the wrong direction; a lack of principles; a relationship breaking down or serious disagreements.

Strength — Dependency; insufficient willpower; misusing resources; humiliating or hurting someone.

The Hermit — Resenting the whole world; thinking you're the cleverest person in it; rejecting society; vanity.

Wheel of Fortune — Luck in illegal ventures; gambling addiction; a clever swindler or seducer.

Justice — Trouble with the law; choosing an illegal scheme; tax fraud; a corrupt judge.

The Hanged Man — Depression; being a pawn in someone else's game; losing faith in life.

Death — Bad consequences; paying for what you've done; a harmful influence or changes for the worse.

Temperance — Occasionally indulging a vice; a hidden weakness or dependency; a hungover morning or a relapse.

The Tower — A destructive vice; learning nothing from experience; going in circles.

The Star — Hope of wriggling out of an awkward situation; clever maneuvering; covering your tracks in time.

The Moon — Believing you're a genius; dangerous illusions; being on the edge of losing touch with reality.

The Sun — Distorted ideas of good and evil; a broken moral compass; blameworthy actions.

Judgment — Shifting blame onto someone else; giving a bribe; corruption in the system or mistakes of youth.

The World — Clearing evil from your life; breaking a harmful habit; settling down or making a clean break with the past.

Ace of Wands — Provocation or egging someone on; strongly held destructive beliefs; enjoying a wild lifestyle.

Two of Wands — Planning something nasty; a serious obstacle ahead; heading down a crooked path.

Three of Wands — Trouble approaching; unfair competition; a rival.

Four of Wands — Gossip or quarrels at home; a den of vice; a home with a bad atmosphere.

Five of Wands — A hostile environment; needing to stay sharp; dangerous gossip.

Six of Wands — Trusting a swindler or a skilled liar; an unhealthy romantic attraction; self-deception.

Seven of Wands — A foolish or provocative act; ruining your own life; asking for trouble.

Eight of Wands — Being part of the system; turning a blind eye; walking past an injustice.

Nine of Wands — Paranoia; nervousness or jealousy; going on the defensive or spying on a partner.

Ten of Wands — Greed; abusing your position; making money without regard for conscience.

Page of Wands — A sexually available young woman; a miscalculation; a brazen lie or an attempt to avoid trouble.

Knight of Wands — Irresponsibility; selfishness; stepping on friends to get ahead; an unprincipled suitor.

Queen of Wands — Feeling defeated; the majority view; joining the winning side.

King of Wands — Vice; a path to self-destruction; lawlessness at a high level; abuse of power.

Ace of Swords — Bad news; unforeseen circumstances; someone's malice or a cruel twist of fate.

Two of Swords — Courtship with bad intentions; no right choice; no way back; choosing between two evils.

Three of Swords — A romantic rival's scheming; a love spell or curse; foul play.

Four of Swords — A shameful dependency or vice; an ugly secret; public disgrace followed by flight.

Five of Swords — Losing trust; damaging your standing; falling out badly with someone you love.

Six of Swords — A dangerous journey; a forced move; splitting a shared home after divorce.

Seven of Swords — Hopes with nothing to support them; wasted effort; being the last to know.

Eight of Swords — Being led by others; trusting the wrong person; reaching a dead end.

Nine of Swords — Self-pity; extreme selfishness; demanding attention.

Ten of Swords — A flood of bad news; knowledge that knocks you off balance; emotional distress.

Page of Swords — Courage that backfires; a lack of modesty; a woman who thrives on conflict.

Knight of Swords — Looking for trouble; living on the edge; putting your life on the line.

Queen of Swords — Early widowhood; domineering behavior; a downward spiral.

King of Swords — A gangster or senior official; criminal connections; drawing on influence or relying on protection from dangerous people.

Ace of Cups — A cruel fate; confusion; years spent trapped in illusions or justifying bad deeds.

Two of Cups — Finding a companion after your own heart; a devilish partnership; two of a kind.

Three of Cups — A gang or criminal conspiracy; keeping bad company; a negative influence.

Four of Cups — Open disgust; dependency; capriciousness or a bad temper.

Five of Cups — Impossible hopes; a dissolute lifestyle; a brief flicker of remorse.

Six of Cups — No good deed going unpunished; vice disguised as virtue; lies and shortsightedness.

Seven of Cups — Chasing something for nothing; being intoxicated by dreams; a person who wastes their life or talks big.

Eight of Cups — A futile attempt to escape temptation; a brief withdrawal; being pulled back into the same old mire.

Nine of Cups — Accepting your darker sides and desires; a tempter; a flatterer or a clever, self-serving admirer.

Ten of Cups — A dishonest relationship; showing only the good parts in public; an unhealthy attachment.

Page of Cups — A seductive young woman; same-sex attraction; indiscriminate sexual relationships.

Knight of Cups — Creative failure; looking for an easy route; trickery and showing off.

Queen of Cups — A femme fatale; an expensive pleasure; being consumed by passion.

King of Cups — A gift for eloquence; a charismatic admirer; someone who runs a den of vice.

Ace of Pentacles — Robbery; taking someone else's property or money; an ill-gotten fortune.

Two of Pentacles — Foolishly squandering wealth or an inheritance; buying illegal drugs or alcohol.

Three of Pentacles — Taking money for work never done; disappearing with an advance; dodging debts.

Four of Pentacles — Cheating friends out of money or running into a miser; a cheapskate.

Five of Pentacles — Playing on sympathy; extortion or blackmail.

Six of Pentacles — Money laundering; trying to soothe your conscience with handouts; charity for show.

Seven of Pentacles — A pyramid scheme; dipping into savings; a rainy day.

Eight of Pentacles — Working for swindlers; scheming; hidden malice or envy of someone else's income.

Nine of Pentacles — A prenuptial agreement; losing a lot of money; being unprepared for a difficult situation.

Ten of Pentacles — Family valuables; a cursed treasure; betrayal by members of your household.

Page of Pentacles — A self-serving person; a young woman living off men; a dangerous female competitor.

Knight of Pentacles — A crowd of spoiled rich kids; a man living off a lover; a bored idler.

Queen of Pentacles — A brothel; a complete lack of moral principles; wanting to get rich by any means.

King of Pentacles — Perversion; living outside the law; a dark moral code of your own.