The Devil — Arcana XV

The Devil — Major Arcana of the Tikkoun Tarot de Marseille

The Devil is an easy scapegoat. We readily blame him for our failings, attributing exclusive responsibility for our missteps to him.

With him, we take a stratospheric leap without a parachute... plunging into the abyss of our passions. Throughout this endless freefall, each outstretched hand represents a new temptation, an unceasing reminder of what binds us to flesh and its insatiable desire for eternity. If we cling so eagerly, it may be to better forget our mortality. Indeed, our sensations stimulate our life drive even more as they are pushed to the extreme.

Yet, the Devil is a sage... Among all angels, he may not be the greatest, but he is undeniably the most human. And in his wisdom, clouded by vanities and desires, he urges us to master our impulses.

In the end, isn’t his greatest invention to have made us believe he doesn’t exist?

Based on "Hell," Hans Memling (circa 1435 - 1494)

Lights

Interpretation

The Devil takes on the thankless task of bringing celestial light to Earth.

Faced with the rawness of this card, we are literally laid bare. Its disturbing imagery evokes the excesses of cults, idolatry, perversion, and abuse in all its forms. By multiplying temptations, the Devil is the mirror of the faults we refuse to see... unless we have chosen to plunge into them.

Fallen angel or favorite endowed with formidable power, this (small) figure is more sympathetic than he appears. Essentially, the Devil card encourages us to master our passions, wield power with humility, and honor detachment. From his pedestal, his dominance is illusory... the box resembling a flying saucer is Pandora's box. The Devil keeps all the world's evils contained within it.

This card serves as a reminder to our ego when it starts to see itself as God. If perversion means transgressing nature, in its Promethean version, the Devil immediately warns us: "Science without conscience is but the ruin of the soul."

His maxim: "All power entails great responsibility... and surrendering it without discernment is sheer blindness."

Shadows