The Devil Explains Our Relationship with Indulgence and Restraint: A Look at the Impact of Major Arcana Card Fifteen

The tarot’s Devil is a slight deviation from the dark force of pure evil that we often associate with the religiously inclined interpretations of this archetype. The Devil in the deck is not an outside energy to be feared. He is within us. He is us. And he provides a nuanced look at where we are on the spectrum that ranges from extreme indulgence to restrictive self-restraint.

I find it helpful to compare The Devil’s guidance to that of his Major Arcana predecessor, Temperance. Where Temperance tells us to seek moderation and the middle way, The Devil advises us to go all in on our pleasure. It is our nature as humans to be tempted by this counsel. Before we claim that The Devil made us do it, however, we must realize that we are the ones who accept the consequences of heeding this advice.

The Devil is both an illusion and a source of wisdom. He holds up the mirror to our inner workings to show us where we’ve become enslaved by our own obsessions, addictions and material wants. In doing this, The Devil also reveals what we need to reassess in order to find peace. His orientation when pulled from the deck can be telling.

In the upright position, The Devil is his full self. He indicates that we may have lost ourselves in the fever of undisciplined behavior. It likely felt pleasurable to give into our deepest desires at first, but now that those desires are running the show, we become desperate to hit the brakes.

This often means it’s time to put your foot down and take back control. In other readings, however, it can be a call to let loose a little. If you’ve gone too far in the direction of restriction, a little extravagance becomes just what the doctor ordered. Again, you must be honest with yourself when assessing what is true.

While The Devil’s upright position mostly speaks to his shadow characteristics (as he is indeed a shadowy figure), the reversed position is a sign that we are exercising restraint. We’ve freed ourselves from the forces that bind. The obstacles are removed, and the path ahead is clear. Like the upright meaning, though, we can take this too far. We are encouraged to follow our passions to a certain point…just not the point of no return.

What follows are four general energy readings. These readings use tarot cards to give an overarching perspective about someone’s present circumstances. It is not meant to answer a specific question. The main purpose of this post is to show how The Devil affects and is affected by the tarot cards around him. Each reading is written as if I am speaking directly to you.

One other thing to note: This blog post is written in conjunction with the Cup of Sugar tarot newsletter. While you do not need to receive the newsletter to understand the readings below, it will give greater context to the cards. If you’d like to sign up to receive the remaining newsletters in the series, you can do that here.

Spread 1: Fighting Against Ingratitude with Curiosity and Determination

Caught in the throes of pleasure-seeking, you’ve found yourself engulfed in a serious state of ingratitude. The Devil here indicates that you’ve become bound to your desires. Seeing them fulfilled has prompted you to demand more. Why shouldn’t you have everything you want, after all?

Continually seeking more has blinded you to your addiction. This obsessive grasping prevents you from being thankful for what you have. The reversed Three of Cups supports this assessment. It tells me that your overindulgence is no longer making you happy. This decadence is merely an attempt to foster contentment, even as your actions prevent you from achieving the emotional reward you crave. It is a vicious cycle.

The Page of Cups and Seven of Wands offer insights into how you can break from these destructive habits. The Page tells you to be curious—about what you’re feeling, about what you really want, about what actions are no longer in service of your highest good. An honest assessment will help to provide clarity. It’s important not to become discouraged by what you uncover. This is why curiosity is key. It will help you maintain an open mind and a grateful heart.

The Seven of Wands is a card of hard-won victory. You may feel as if your own mind has betrayed you by leading you down a devilish path. This card is indicative of your struggle to come back to moderation. It will require you to go to battle with your inner demons. The good news is that if you commit to fighting this battle with singular focus, strong-willed effort and fiery determination, you will surely succeed.

Spread 2: The Precarious Balance Between Embracing Pleasure and Succumbing to Addiction

We always have choices, don’t we? Even when we despise our options or feel wedged between a rock and a hard place, we still have at least two courses of action at our disposal. We can take the path of least resistance or go the way we feel we must, regardless of the consequences.

The reversed Two of Wands is a sign that you are currently avoiding making a choice. The two options feel precarious. Neither one is ideal, and yet, you must choose or risk losing everything. You can only let things hang in the balance for so long. Your hesitation is leading to stagnation. Your happiness depends on acting forthwith.

The Devil and the Nine of Coins give some indication of what might be at play. The Devil is there to seduce you toward your shadow self, the very human part of you that seeks pleasure without discipline or restraint. It is also the part of you that says, “this is what I should do.” These “shoulds” can be addictive, too, as they are the very ones that tend to keep you trapped in the misery of your own making.

The Nine of Coins offers an alternative. You can also choose to celebrate the abundance all around you. Is it not true that you already have what you need? If you’re really honest with yourself, you might find that there is a lot of pleasure to be mined from your current circumstances. You have put in the work to grow and prosper. While this may be the less sexy option, you can always opt to enjoy your already rich life.

The Page of Coins encourages you to be playful but grounded, to seek new opportunities without throwing caution completely to the wind. The Page here is a child willing to get her hands dirty. She knows that discipline and hard work will enable her to reap the rewards she desires. There are no true shortcuts to fulfillment. The Page of Coins knows this, and so do you.

Spread 3: Free Yourself at the Expense of Alienating Others

It is because we cannot walk through life alone that we often create problems for ourselves. You know the ones: We choose stagnancy over growth so as not to alienate our friends. We opt to eat the cookies at the holiday part to avoid questions from family members about why we aren’t partaking. We decide to hide our genius or dim our light rather than intimidate our coworkers.

The Five of Swords is a card of attempting to maintain a tenuous balance. In the tarot, a man enjoys his spoils, his domination over others. We see the shadows in the distance looking defeated and pushed aside. The gentleman in this card is undeterred by his peers’ hurt feelings. I get the sense that you are not so callous as to fail to consider others. That said, I don’t believe every situation calls for taking others into account.

In this spread, The reversed Devil is a sign that you’re ready to regain control of your life. You’re ready to embrace the clarity that comes from taking the reins, from returning to moderation after allowing too much space for excess. The hangover is real, but you know what you must do to move beyond this state.

The reversed Two of Coins says that your choice to crack the whip a bit is complicated by the alternative (the other side of the coin, so to speak). This is not the fun path, nor is it the one that feels easy and carefree. This card is a sign that you feel a devil on your shoulder whispering that you may not have what it takes to turn things around. What if you go in this direction? Or this one? Or over there instead? Try not to let your many available options deviate you from the path you’re inclined to take. The one you know is best for you.

The Knight of Swords says you have an uphill battle ahead of you, but with your thoughts focused and your mind made up, you can fight your way out of your current circumstances. Regardless of others might think, say or feel, you must free yourself. Only you have to live with the consequences. You have a righteous course laid out before you. Gather your courage and get to work. The sweet reward is ready and waiting at the end of your journey.

Spread 4: Self-Control Prompts Happiness and Abundance—Resist the Temptation to Gloat

When we start to take control of our choices and responsibility for our behaviors, we might feel uplifted and a bit of high. The universe tends to reward us for our hard work, and this can feel intoxicating. We find ourselves at the wellspring, celebrating our abundance. We feel rich in good fortune, and it feels so right.

The reversed Devil is a sign that you have cleared the obstacles that prevented you from releasing your bonds. Staying endlessly trapped in the cycle of want, seek, achieve, desire more, seek more, get more is easier than halting what is already in motion. And yet, you’ve done it. You found your way back to yourself.

The Two of Cups and the Ten of Coins tell me that you’re reaping serious benefits from this course of action. You feel emotionally fulfilled, content, abundant and financially stable. You have everything you need, and you’re grateful for what you have. Your cup might figuratively be running over. Take time to enjoy where you are. You’ve earned rest after having fought and won a battle against your lower self.

The reversed Ten of Swords cautions you against gloating about all that you’ve achieved. When things are going this well, we often are tempted to share what we did to get ourselves where we are. This is fine to do when someone asks. Resist the urge to lecture those who struggle. You may have earned a reward for your hard work, but you are not in a position to tell others what to do. They must find their own way in the world. Be careful of feeling superior. As quickly as we rise up, we can also fall.