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The Devil, Tarot de Marseille
Major arcana

The Devil

The Devil carries desire, attachment, instinctive power and the ties that become binding. He shows what pulls hard.

Tarot de Marseille Earth/Capricorn See in Rider-Waite-Smith →

What the card shows

The horned figure stands on a pedestal, taller than the two characters held by loose cords. Each one carries a lit torch, and the ties hang without being taut.

Its light

Recognising your desires gives you a hold on them. What is clearly named can be negotiated, limited, kept in its place. Legitimate pleasure is nothing like a prison.

Its shadow

Strong desire puts the immediate before what lasts, and tomorrow costs. A tie accepted without examination narrows your room: dependence sets in through small concessions.

Keywords

desireattachmentinstinctpowerdependence

Notes on the symbolism

Symbolism TdM. The Devil. The fifteenth card inherits the horned demon of medieval imagery, whose features and attributes the Marseille card-makers fixed.

What this card invites you to do

Look without judgement at what draws you and holds you back. Check whether this tie still serves your interests or only habit. Name the lack you are filling.

A card does not decide for you.
It shows you where to look.

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