The Devil

The Devil quick reference

What does The Devil card look like?

A horned figure crouches on a pedestal above a chained man and woman. The chains around their necks are loose enough to lift off. A horned figure sits on a pedestal above a chained man and woman. Their chains are loose. The loose chains suggest freedom is possible.

A horned figure with bat wings squats on a black pedestal, one hand raised and the other holding a lit torch pointed downward. An inverted pentagram sits on his forehead. Chained to the pedestal are a naked man and woman with horns and tails, the man's tail tipped with fire and the woman's with grapes. Look closely and you will see the chains are loose. Either could lift them off over their heads. The background is black, a world without perspective. The card is about attachments that feel permanent but are not.

What number is The Devil and where does it sit in the Fool's Journey?

The Devil is number fifteen, which reduces to six and links it with The Lovers. Smith drew the two figures in the Devil card as a darker mirror of the couple in card six: the same man and woman, now with small horns and tails, standing before a horned figure instead of an angel. Waite wrote of the card as the dweller on the threshold, a picture of the limits we place on ourselves.

The Devil is number fifteen.

After balance, the traveler faces his shadows.

Notice Capricorn, ruled by Saturn. Capricorn energy is ambitious and disciplined, and the card shows what happens when ambition becomes control.

What does The Devil mean upright?

Read it as attachments, habits and patterns that hold you. The loose chains are key: what binds you may be easier to remove than it seems. Upright, it invites honest awareness of what controls you.

Notice a horned figure above two chained people. Look closely: the chains are loose enough to remove. It talks about habits, attachments and patterns that feel binding but can be changed. It tends to show up when something is costing more than it gives.

What does The Devil reversed mean?

Reversed, The Devil often signals breaking free, recognizing a pattern and beginning to release it. It is a card of reclaiming choice.

Reversed, you may be breaking free from a pattern, or facing one honestly for the first time. The reversal can be a hopeful card.

Blocked or internalized: two ways to read The Devil reversed

When the energy is blocked

Reversed, this card shows you trying to break free but meeting resistance, whether from other people, money worries or the pull of an old comfort. Persistence matters more than one dramatic exit.

When the energy is turned inward

Facing your own shadow honestly: admitting a habit, a jealousy or a need for control. That honesty is the moment the chains start to lift.

What does The Devil mean in love?

Signs point to intense attraction, but also unhealthy attachment or control. It asks whether the bond is freely chosen.

If you are single

Watch for intense attraction.

If you are in a relationship

The Devil warns of unhealthy patterns.

If you are hoping to reconcile

The card asks whether you want the person or the pattern. Strong attraction is not always a sign of a healthy bond.

What does The Devil mean as feelings?

Keep an eye on strong desire, possessiveness or obsession.

What does The Devil mean for career?

Picture feeling trapped, or chasing reward at the cost of wellbeing.

If you are job hunting

Notice staying in an unhappy role only for the salary, status or fear of starting over. Ask what you are trading away, and whether a smaller step, such as a course or a side project, could loosen the chain.

In your current role

The card can point to overwork, a toxic culture or habits like checking email at midnight. Here the card gently asks you to notice which demands are real and which you have accepted out of fear.

In creative work

The Devil can be a rich source of honest material about desire, shadow and temptation. It also warns against perfectionism or comparison that keeps you chained to the same piece forever.

What does The Devil mean for money?

Look out for looking at spending habits that feel compulsive.

Is The Devil a yes or no card?

No The Devil answers no.

What is The Devil advice?

Name the chain, then notice that you can lift it.

What does The Devil mean in past, present and future positions?

In the past position

Read it as a habit, relationship or job you felt stuck in, and the lessons that came from leaving or changing it.

In the present position

The Devil challenges you to notice what you are attached to that costs you freedom. Name it honestly.

In the future or outcome position

The Devil warns of a temptation or pattern that could tighten if unchecked. Awareness now keeps the chain loose.

What is a common misreading of The Devil?

The Devil is not evil. Look out for patterns we can change.

Example readings with The Devil

Sita asks, "Why can't I stop scrolling?" She draws The Devil. The loose chains suggest she can break free. She deletes the app.

Picture a woman asking about her phone habits. Her spread shows The Devil, the Four of Swords and Temperance. The cards point to a compulsive pattern, the need for rest and the value of moderation. A prompt for her: what would one hour offline give me?

How does The Devil read next to other cards in a spread?

• Next to The Lovers, the card shows passion turning into dependence.
• With the Eight of Swords, the trap is mostly mental.
• Beside The Tower, a pattern breaks suddenly.
• With the Four of Pentacles, the attachment is about money or control.
• With Strength, you have the inner power to break free.

What does The Devil mean with other cards?

• 
  The Devil + Eight of Swords

  Mental traps.

• 
  The Devil + The Lovers

  Temptation.

• 
  The Devil + Four of Pentacles

  Attachment.

Crystal and reflection prompt for The Devil

Black tourmaline Black tourmaline is popularly linked with protection and boundaries, matching the Devil's lesson about what we allow.

Which habit am I treating as a chain when it is only a choice?

Journaling prompts for The Devil

• Which habit am I treating as a chain when it is only a choice?
• Look at the loose chains around the two figures' necks. Where in my own life do I see something like it right now?
• What would one more ounce of attachment change for me today?
• Is there a part of me that leans toward release? What does it need?
• If The Devil were a chapter title in my life story, what would the chapter be about?

More on The Devil

• The Lovers and The Devil
• Temperance and The Devil
• The Devil and The Tower
• The Devil and the zodiac
• Crystals for the Major Arcana cards

The Devil FAQs

What does The Devil mean in love?

Think of intense attraction or unhealthy patterns.

Is The Devil a yes or no card?

As a rule The Devil leans no.

What does The Devil reversed mean?

When reversed it reflects release.

Why are the chains loose?

They suggest freedom is possible.

Is The Devil evil?

No. It reflects attachment.

Is The Devil a yes or no card?

This one tilts no or yes with caution.

What zodiac sign is The Devil?

The Devil is linked with Capricorn.

What does The Devil mean as feelings?

From their side they may feel strong attraction, obsession or a sense of being stuck.

What does The Devil mean in love?

Look for intense attraction, possessiveness or unhealthy patterns.

What does The Devil reversed mean?

It often shows breaking free from a habit or pattern.

Is The Devil a bad card?

Not necessarily. Consider patterns and attachments that limit you, and the loose chains suggest you can change them. Many readers see it as a card of awareness.

What does The Devil mean for career?

Pay attention to a job that feels like a trap, overwork or chasing money at the cost of wellbeing. It asks what you would change if fear were not deciding.

What do the loose chains on The Devil mean?

They show that the trap is not as fixed as it feels. The figures could lift the chains off, which is why the card is often read as a call to awareness and choice.