Major Forces 17: The Devil

Your energy has drawn you to The Devil, depicted as a large rat perched atop a hoard wealth and drugs, lording over a weary and desperate community of mice below. This card captures the ways power, greed, and instant gratification distort not only our humanity but also our spirit and creative expression. The Devil operates from a place of fear and false fulfillment, rooted in attachment to control, validation, addiction, and illusion. It promises reward, but delivers emptiness. It fuels that restless itch for more, more, more, without ever offering peace.

When this card appears, it suggests that a negative force, belief, or pattern is exerting quiet but potent control over your life and creative process. It may be external, like a toxic relationship, a draining job, or an oppressive system, or internal, such as self-sabotage, shame, procrastination, or an inner hunger for approval. These influences often disguise themselves as productivity, success, or comfort, yet ultimately hollow us out. The Devil thrives on short-term reward at the expense of long-term freedom, trading meaning for momentum.

In the realm of creativity, the Devil may manifest through comparison, compulsive overwork, or fear of being seen as a fraud. It makes you feel like your creativity must always produce something profitable, perfect, or impressive. But the true joy of creative flow—the connection to your soul and spirit—is compromised when you're creating only to feed your ego or escape your pain. The Devil Card calls you to recognize these seductive yet destructive patterns and invites you to reclaim your power. What appears as comfort may in fact be a cage. What looks like control may be keeping you from your fullest creative potential.

If You’re Feeling Blocked

When the Devil holds sway, creative blocks can feel thick and sticky, like being caught in a loop of your own undoing. You may feel addicted to distractions, trapped in perfectionism, or enslaved by fear. Perhaps you’re so afraid of failure—or even of success—that you avoid your creative path entirely. Or maybe your creativity has become a mask, a tool for validation rather than a channel for truth.

If this card arises in a moment of stuckness, it is calling you to do one of the hardest and most liberating things: to face your shadows without shame.

To begin untangling yourself from the Devil’s grip, first acknowledge the form it takes in your life. What is the shape of your inner Devil? Is it the voice that insists you’re not enough unless you’re constantly producing? Is it the quiet compulsion to compare your work, your progress, your value to others? Is it the endless scrolling that numbs your inspiration and dulls your spark? Whatever its form, name it, claim it, and bring it into the light—because what is seen can no longer control you in the same way.

Next, face the cost. Ask yourself honestly: What is this pattern costing me? Creative flow thrives on freedom, authenticity, and connection. When your energy is trapped in cycles of avoidance, self-judgment, or false comfort, something precious is lost. Has your attachment to control or validation silenced your voice? Has your fear kept your art hidden? Recognize what you’ve given up to keep this Devil fed.

Reclaim your power. You are not your fear. You are not your addiction. You are not the rat or the pile of hoarded things. You are the mouse who looks up and realizes the cage was never locked. You get to choose what you create—and who you create it for. The moment you remember your agency, you begin to break free.

Use the energy as fuel. Like fire, destructive energy can be transformed. Let your fear become form. Let your pain find rhythm. Burn down the illusions that have kept you small, and rise from the ashes with something raw, honest, and alive. There is power in the darkness—not in being consumed by it, but in moving through it with consciousness and courage.

The Devil’s chains are often loose—you just have to realize you can slip them off.