Major Arcana XV
The Devil
Shadow, attachment, and the illusion of bondage
The chains are loose. We wear them because they offer comfort, pleasure, or the illusion of safety. Often, freedom feels more terrifying than the cage.
Introduction
The Devil is not about evil, but about the shadow self. It represents the parts of us we hide: obsession, addiction, and material attachment.
This card reveals the chains we forge ourselves. The door to the cage is open, but we stay because the known darkness feels safer than the unknown light. To meet The Devil is to reclaim the power you gave away.
Love and relationships
A bond based on desire, dependency, or control rather than love. Intensity that burns but does not nourish. Feeling trapped or manipulated.
Career and work
Golden handcuffs. A job that pays well but kills the soul. Ambition without ethics. Feeling valid only through status and power.
Money and finances
Material success at a spiritual cost. Obsession with accumulation. Being possessed by your possessions.
Spiritual path
Confronting the shadow. Acknowledging that you are not just light. The necessary descent into the underworld of the psyche to reclaim lost power.
Conclusion
The Devil is the guardian of the threshold. He challenges you to reclaim your power from fear and desire. When you stop fighting the darkness and understand it, you become free.
I accept my shadow and choose freedom. I am the master of my own life.