Hand of The Devil!

Cassiel

The sigil for Saturn is apparently also used in Kabbalism for the angel Cassiel. Cassiel is one of the "Rulers of Saturday" (Saturn's Day). He is the angel of solitudes and tears who "shews forth the unity of the eternal kingdom". Cassiel is also the ruling prince of the seventh heaven. He is one of the Sarim (princes) of the order of powers. Sometimes, he appears as the angel of temperance. This is fitting, considering The Devil's position in the Trumps.

In his "Pictorial Key to the Tarot", Waite says that the sign for Mercury is "at the pit of the stomach", although I can find no such symbol.

The topic of the Devil's palm lines was also discussed here in the past.

Palmist approach to the Devil's Hand

That's a very interesting approach. This is one of the things I love about Tarot. It can encompass just about every other occult or esoteric teaching.

Thanks for your post!

Lemniscus said:

In his "Pictorial Key to the Tarot", Waite says that the sign for Mercury is "at the pit of the stomach", although I can find no such symbol.

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You can see it in Levi's famous drawing of Baphomet;
http://www.poincare.de/library/prolog_e_bahomet_01.htm

Waite writes;
"Since 1856 the influence of Éliphas Lévi and his doctrine of occultism has changed the face of this card, and it now appears as a pseudo-Baphometic figure with the head of a goat and a great torch between the horns; it is seated instead of erect, and in place of the generative organs there is the Hermetic caduceus."


Vincent

Thanks

Thanks for that link, Vincent. I always enjoy looking at source material for the RWS cards.

The glyph on the palm of the Devil’s right hand is one of most interesting and cleverly-designed I’ve seen.

On initial inspection it seems to be a simple Saturn symbol (which it is), but much more as well.

Three things to initially consider are the cross (which is clearly visible), the heart line (running straight across the palm to form the horizontal bar of the cross), and the life line (formed by an arc running from the web of the thumb to the wrist).

The cross could simply represent the material plane, which it does in many cases, but in this case, having an association with the heart line, it makes sense to view it in a spiritual way. On close inspection, “vines” are seen growing out of the life line and wrapping around the heart line. I interpret this as, “the cares and excesses of this life choking off the spirit, simply put, spiritual death.” As an aside, the torch was used in Mithraic rituals as a symbol of life or death. Held up it symbolized spiritual life, held down it meant spiritual death.

It’s also possible to see the Hebrew letter, Ayin in this symbol. It’s upper part is formed by the two dark bumps on the far right side of the heart line, being joined to the life line by two short, thin lines, the life line itself forming the tail . Traditionally, Ayin corresponds to the Devil card, astrologically to Capricorn, and darker colors like black, gray, or blue-black.

The Saturn symbol is formed by joining the cross to the life line by a short curved line, which is actually part of one of the vines.

The Devil’s overall message seems to be, “live long and prosper” (the hand gesture), but his brand of living seems to be one of debauchery in this life, leading to physical ailments and spiritual death.

A lot of the details aren’t visible in some versions, or in pictures. The deck I have is an early US Games unlamented version, and in that one anyway, they are crystal clear.

fools_fool

I just read the link Alissa posted, and I will have to admit I am mistaken on one point. What I thought was the heart line is probably the head line, but this wouldn’t change the meaning radically. There doesn’t appear to be a heart line. There are, however, vines clearly extending from the life line and wrapping around the line above it. Also, the vertical bar on the cross was probably influenced by palmistry as well (ty Alissa and kwaw). Whatever the lines are, it seems clear the design was influenced by palmistry and show some sophistication. The overall message still seems to me to be mental bondage and spiritual death.

fools_fool

Hi fools fool,

I seem to remember, the idea of Pixie Smith having some knowledge of palmistry has been speculated upon by others also. Her hand shapes in her illustrations all look about the same to me, but the Devil card is certainly one example that would hint she knew a bit on the matter.

Palmistry's elementary techniques haven't changed very much since the time of Cheiro, and he was a English contemporary of, or even slightly predates, Smith.

And of course, the Vulcan symbolism would have been unintentional on Pixie's part.

fools_fool said:

The Devil’s overall message seems to be, “live long and prosper” (the hand gesture), but his brand of living seems to be one of debauchery in this life, leading to physical ailments and spiritual death.

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I have to disagree with that. It is more complicated. The sign he is doing with his fingers on that upheld hand is a blessing sign that was used by the High Priests in the Temple in Jerusalem. That could of course mean that Waite was just being anti-semitic...

...but I would rather see it as a warning to look a little more closely at this Devil. He is horrendous, ugly, frightening, our worst nightmare, right?

But he is also the means of liberation from our taboos, our sexual hang-ups, our fear of the material world. And he gives us a profoundly spiritual blessing. To me he seems to be saying - the material is also spiritual - if you know how to live it well. He is our challenge and our teacher. And he'll not make it easy for usü

I admit, I have not yet got to the bottom of the Devil. He is possibly - probably - the most complex card in the whole tarot, World included. Too easily dismissed as "your addictions, obsessions" or "spirit choked off by matter" (of course he is that too, in some instances). I have not yet read anyone whose "Devil" explanation has completely hit the right note for me -not even Rachel Pollack or Alejandro Jodorowski (the latter discussing of the Marseille Devil, but his exploration is relevant)- both of whom I respect more than any other tarotists . They are closest to the truth, however, because they reject the dichotomy matter/spirit, and make the point that matter and spirit are one - and the Devil might be one clue to that. Together, they might be getting somewhere .

As for me, I continue my exploration. This thread is exciting! And fools_fool, despite your erroneous conclusion, I find your post interesting and challenging. Ayin and Capricorn together - the goat and the eye (check out the Haindl Devil, btw!). But ayin is wisdom, too, and divine providence. As is well known, providence comes to us sometimes in ugly, unlikely packages, and through the form of challenges. The challenge of the Devil appears to be: "can you live in the material world and not start coveting ("looking at") more than your fair share, but see the spirit in matter? Can you live a materially spiritual life?" Ayin is also fountain - a place where we go for sustenance. I am reminded of the fountain of knowledge: and that is what an encounter with the Devil can give us - more knowledge. Or the fountain of youth: and didn't Faust make a pact with the Devil so he could have both knowledge and youth? His was a wholly acquisitive pact - knowledge AND youth together - and that is why he lost his soul! A pact which has forgotten that the spiritual lives entwined in the material. That was Faust's great mistake - not that he encountered the Devil. He was tested - and failed.

That hand held up, Capricorn, Ayin: it is a test.

Are but what else is there, what else?!

15

Letter 15 is Samekh
Samekh is Sagittarius

Compare XV The Devil with VII The Chariot
and you have the South & North Lunar Nodes
exalted in Sagittarius and Gemini respectively
which the Golden Dawn astrologers did not
bother to think of when they changed all 22
of the card's attributions, just to get their
Mercury Magician out of Aleph and into
Beth ~ a planet... it's almost funny

A Capricorn Devil ruled by Saturn with
The World as Saturn = nasty stuff