The Devil
Definition:
addiction, obsession, powerlessness, as well as an opportunity to liberate yourself from these unhealthy patterns
Poem:
sure, blame the devil
if it makes you feel better
(it always feels better to have someone to blame)
and the devil is happy to play that role
letting you repeat the same patterns over and over
bingeing cookies all night
fucking that woman who isn’t your wife
beating yourself up for every little mistake
in an endless loop
that always leads back to shame
secretly you love it
and there is comfort in knowing exactly what is going to happen
but eventually —
it gets boring
and you realize you were never trapped
you can throw off your chains
and liberate yourself
the devil was always just the part of yourself you weren’t ready to face
Invitation:
The Devil is definitely one of those cards that makes people feel uncomfortable when they first encounter it. The imagery is certainly provocative. But as Lindsay Mack says in the podcast Tarot for the Wild Soul, the Devil at its core is about liberation. Being human is hard. We all have ways to cope, and often that looks like addiction. These cycles are hard to break because they often serve a deep, internal need. But eventually, we get to a place where we are ready to let go of that habit or addiction. Then, the Devil will come up to encourage you to free yourself.
One important nuance I want to clarify is that this card isn’t blaming people for their addictions or for engaging in harmful cycles. There are often very compelling reasons we get stuck. But in many cases, we hold the key to breaking the cycle, and it starts with taking responsibility for our experience. And that only happens when we are ready for it.
To engage with the energy of Devil….
Journal Prompt: What pattern of behavior have I been engaging in that I’m ready to change? How has it served me in the past? What need was it meeting? How can I get that need met in a healthier way? What are some steps I can take toward freeing myself from this cycle?
Read Existential Kink: This is a book that talks about how to engage with our unconscious shadow desires that keep us stuck in unhelpful, repeating patterns. There are many aspects of this book I didn’t love. I think in some ways it can be repetitive and simplistic. BUT I haven’t encountered any other book that articulates how to do this Devil work as concisely as this one does.
Shadow Work: This term can be applied to a lot of different practices but essentially involves exploring and integrating the hidden or repressed parts of ourselves, often referred to as the "shadow." There are many ways to do this work, some of which include:
Meeting your shadow meditation - Visualize taking yourself to a safe place in your imagination where you can meet your shadow and ask it what it needs and how you can heal it.
Reflecting on triggers - Every time you have an outsized reaction to something, it usually indicates it’s touching on some deeper issues. It can be helpful to take some time to reflect on that after it has passed.
Artistic expression - Bypass the conscious mind and allow repressed emotions to rise to the surface so you can understand them better and see how they’re showing up in your life.