guilded goat....
I really like that "moth to flame" analogy for this card. Here's my musings on The Devil:
15 – THE DEVIL
The Devil beckons from the darkness of abuse, on one of the most abused cards in readings. Often misread by those afraid to accept the shadowy side of humanity, this devil makes people edgy. It is easy to read into the card that an outside devil caused us to perform a detestable act. In fact, people rarely commit evil deeds because outside forces control their actions. Like most Tarot trumps, The Devil offers a personal lesson. The card suggests that denying a sinister side gives it power. Liberating this demon will finally imprison you. The Devil hides his objectives by calling them painful insight. What he provides is certainly not illuminating. Once in charge, The Devil reverses your existence by turning truth into lies, so he wears an inverted pentagram as a crown. If this card appears in a spread, it suggests a time of submitting to the shackles of a self-lie, as we seek someone else to blame. Allowing others to control your life creates flesh and blood devils to accuse while playing the role of helpless victim. In truth, you are not a victim and certainly not helpless.
When this card appears, it can indicate alcohol, chemical or gambling addictions. It can also show co-dependency issues and unhealthy preoccupations with material matters. Pay particular attention to the possibility that you may be overly concerned with finances when this card appears, because it derives energy from Capricorn, the astrology sign most closely associated with money. Capricorn historically leads to a mythological satyr called Pan, which presents a horned image that influences most modern artistic depictions of Satan. An important lesson The Devil teaches is that you can break free from dark limitations whenever you choose. Chains binding the figures on The Devil hang loosely enough to slip right over their horny heads. Indeed, wicked ideas will occasionally haunt your thoughts but if you accept responsibility for them, the mental chains The Devil embodies shall disappear. To gain freedom from bondage, accept dark motivation as a shadow cast upon the brilliant human intellect. After accepting the shadow, you can move toward the light of intelligence instead of continuing to submit to inner darkness.
If The Devil emerges in a spread, it usually implies reluctance to take responsibility or lack of control in life. Occasionally overt action serves as a chain but more likely inaction holds you back. Relinquishing control leads to loss of hope and lack of faith in personal ability. Ignorance, greed and fear represent a three-pronged pitchfork of The Devil. Focusing on gratification, wealth and power, while ignoring inner assets such as a sense of responsibility, shackles us to a shallow existence of tyranny. Stripping away mental clarity, creativity and character, exposes our naked psyche to social flames. After singeing your reputation, you might not wish to regain control. In the final analysis, it matters little who receives the blame because after the smoke clears, you will be the one in flames.
Mental outlook is critical whenever this card appears in a spread. If you think darkness has won, it has. Fear and resignation are the strongest chains of an inner devil. Gandhi broke the chains of tyranny that bound India, with words like these: “When there is fear, there is no religion. Fear is not a disease of the body; fear kills the soul.” It is now time to stop blaming those around you for self-induced problems that you are afraid to face. Indeed, it is far easier to blame others for our shortcomings, than it is to take responsibility and correct problems in life but if you allow others to exploit or restrain you, they will. No one holds power over you unless you relinquish that power. When you are willing to release yourself from those chains of ignorance and fear, you can step into true illumination. Look at yourself to uncover what you were previously afraid to reveal. Shadows vanish after we alter the focus of our mental light. Looking at your internal devil is the fastest way to make him fade away. Remember, truly evil devils are those we create then refuse to acknowledge but even with them, wearing those heavy chains is a choice. It is just as the ancient Roman poet Virgil said at around 50 BCE, “Each of us bears his own Hell.”
