17: The Devil
The Devil card depicts a large rat perched on a pile of wealth and excess, lording over a struggling community of mice. This imagery illustrates how the pursuit of power, greed, and instant gratification can distort our humanity and spiritual purpose. The Devil is consumed by unhealthy attachments—addiction, control, and domination—believing that they are the source of fulfillment. Yet these forces only lead to emptiness, despair, and an endless hunger for more.
This card suggests that a negative force or pattern is exerting control in your life. It might be a toxic relationship, destructive habit, or limiting belief keeping you trapped in a cycle of short-term comfort but long-term dissatisfaction. The Devil calls you to recognize and confront these forces, reclaiming your freedom and rediscovering the path toward deeper meaning and purpose.
If You’re Feeling Blocked
If you’re stuck, you may already be aware of these darker forces but feel powerless to escape their grip. Breaking free from destructive cycles can be scary—whether it’s the fear of change, the loss of perceived stability, or the discomfort of confronting your deepest truths.
This card encourages you to:
Acknowledge the darkness within. Name the negative forces controlling you and understand their root causes.
Face your fears. Avoidance only strengthens the Devil’s grip.
Envision a better path. You are capable of breaking free and creating something meaningful from the ashes of destruction.
You are not your darkness. The Devil’s power lies in illusion and fear, and by confronting it, you can reclaim your agency and move toward a more purposeful life.
Creativity Exercises
Create a Postcard for Your Shadow: Inspired by the PostSecret project, make a postcard sharing a dark truth or secret you’ve been holding inside. Use images, colors, or words to express what you’re afraid to confront. Choose whether to keep it, destroy it, or share it as a symbolic act of release.
Work in black and white: The Devil is often thought of in terms of good and evil, love and hate, light and dark, black and white. Make something in black and white that focuses on duality and extremes.
Evil Personified: Think of a great evil, injustice, addiction, or force of destruction in your life. Turn it into a cartoon, a comic villain, or a poem.
Freedom Tour: Get inspired by a past or future trip you have taken or want to take. Create a souvenir from a place you miss the most or plan a special day trip or weekend away.
