[GryffinSong]

The Devil is usually among my least favorite cards in a deck, but this one sings. Of course the artwork is beautiful, as usual. Below the devil we see a woman curled up, nude, and tied by a slender chain to a lock. A mask hangs above her, with a golden wand in its mouth. I feel as if she can save herself merely by looking around. Merely by acknowledging that the chains are of her own making and will break when a little light of truth shines on it.

A black bird carries a golden circlet. Is it carrying the crownlet to the woman? Or to the devil? Meanwhile, the devil weaves his spells between his hands. Cobwebs enmesh a heart, tieing love up in dusty old worries.

More later ... my mom just found a box of my old tarot decks and I must check them out!!!

[Elendil]

Originally Posted by GryffinSong

A mask hangs above her, with a golden wand in its mouth.

The 'wand' is actually a golden key which will fit the lock to release the woman from her bondage (if only she looked up long enough to see it!)


E.

[GryffinSong]

Originally Posted by Elendil

The 'wand' is actually a golden key which will fit the lock to release the woman from her bondage (if only she looked up long enough to see it!)


E.

Hm, thanks. It still doesn't look like a key to me, but my aging eyes have trouble with the details on this deck. I sure wish the publisher had used larger cardstock. Its still a stunningly beautiful deck, but I'm sure I'm missing things.

Thanks.

[JSNYC]

The Devil is actually one of my favorite cards. Me and The Devil go way back.

And I think this is one of the cards that makes the Shadowscapes shine! The Devil holding the repressed and tortured "fool" in captivity. The key to escape being so close at hand, yet so far away. And it is because of his spell, he holds the fool's heart in his spell, seemingly effortlessly and with finesse. The jagged, dreary landscape depicting the realm of The Devil.

The Devil doesn't appear meancing, he appers in control. He knows he has the power and he is applying his craft like an art. The blue at the top of the card representing the spirit within which The Devil applies his craft, but also makes me think of something ice cold. The black bird with the ring and especially the mask which holds the key are also a fabulous touches, that is why I choose it (the mask) as my previous avatar (attached).

[kimdwitch]

The comment about the Devil not being menacing shed a new light for me. Thanks for that. I feel that all of the beings around our fool once sat where she is, and didn't raise their eyes to the key. Some seem to be paying homage, they have given up. Now I know when this card appears that a conscious effort is required to escape this bongage, where before when I saw the Devil I simply thought "bongage". Only my first day on this site and already I've gained insight!

[GryffinSong]

Originally Posted by kimdwitch

...Now I know when this card appears that a conscious effort is required to escape this bongage, where before when I saw the Devil I simply thought "bongage"....

Beautifully put, and this clarifies a part of the devil's message for me to. Thanks for stating it so clearly. This is an interpretation that will stick with me.

[Peregrin]

So many things here are pointy and jagged! The devil has pointy wings, nose, and ears, long scythe-like horns, long fingers with sharp claws, pointy hooves, even pointy fringes of fur. The pale rocks have sharp, needle-like peaks.

All of these sharp and pointy objects remind me of mental torment -- extreme anxiety, guilt, and inner conflict.

The red heart is caught in the devil's spiderweb. I can imagine him taunting, "I've got your heart! Now you will never be free."

The crow flies past, carrying the gold crown, just out of reach of the stone spirits who try to reach it. This reminds me of the crown in the Lovers card, carried by different birds, but also just out of reach. The birds seem to enjoy teasing us with the objects of our desires.

As on many other cards, the sun seems to show us where the energy or potential is located. In this case, the key handle is decorated with a sun emblem, but the prisoner is too closed-up in shame to look up and see that the key is within reach.

Notice that the mask and the lock are the same shape, and perhaps this is a clue that pretense or identity (the mask) is what binds us (the lock). To become free, we have to be willing to take a new look at it.

[bowl_of_glow]

Originally Posted by Peregrin

The crow flies past, carrying the gold crown, just out of reach of the stone spirits who try to reach it. This reminds me of the crown in the Lovers card, carried by different birds, but also just out of reach. The birds seem to enjoy teasing us with the objects of our desires.

Interesting - I was indeed wondering about the possible meaning of this gold crown.
As soon as I saw it I thought about the woman in The Lovers card, too, the way she was reaching for a similar crown... the crown creates a link between The Devil and The Lovers: much like in the Rider-Waite deck, where this link is even more evident, since the cards seem to mirror each other (the lovers with the angel standing behind them/ the woman and the men prisoners of the Devil).

[Kat Moon]

Originally Posted by bowl_of_glow

Interesting - I was indeed wondering about the possible meaning of this gold crown.
As soon as I saw it I thought about the woman in The Lovers card, too, the way she was reaching for a similar crown... the crown creates a link between The Devil and The Lovers: much like in the Rider-Waite deck, where this link is even more evident, since the cards seem to mirror each other (the lovers with the angel standing behind them/ the woman and the men prisoners of the Devil).

I have never thought that there was a link between the two. But looking at the cards side by side, they do have a very similar feel. Side by side the lovers seem to be reflecting that love can be a type of bondage, similar to that of the devil.

[CoffeeBlood]

i'm surprized nobody commented on the tiny puppet behind the devil's legs. [well, it is tiny and barely noticeable]. but you can have a better look at it on this page: http://www.shadowscapes.com/Tarot/de...suit=0&card=15 [it shows details of the card]
if you look carefully, there is a tiny ghost-like figure leaving the puppet. the puppet, in turn is attached to the devil's right hand. something makes me think that the heart is not that of the imprisoned woman, but of the puppet. us, as humans, without a heart and soul become puppets made of flesh and bones [in the hands of whom?]

i also can't stop thinking he imprisoned woman is ridden with anxiety, guilt. the mask is what makes her feel this way. often times, we feel anxious with no real reason [there is nothing behind the mask], and we feel guilty because of a heavy conscience [the mask can represent the woman's conscience since it holds the key to her freedom]. if i'm not mistaken, in the past anxiety was blamed on the devil [he still makes many feel fearful to this day]

i'm sure there is more to this card than this, but i can't see it at the moment.