The Devil and the Illusion of Chains
When a Baphomet—with bat wings, goat horns, and cloven hooves—looms suddenly in a spread, most people’s first reaction is fear, as if the reading has turned up some “evil spirit” or catastrophic omen.
But the tarot is not responsible for exorcisms. In a psychological context, “the Devil” is nothing more than the instincts we have refused to face, our greed, and those comfort zones where we “hurt yet enjoy it.”
The Most Glaring Flaw in the Image
The brilliant artist Pamela Colman Smith left an extraordinarily clever visual metaphor in the details of this card.
Look at the naked man and woman chained to either side of the pedestal. They have grown horns and tails, as if regressing into half-human, half-beast slaves. Everything looks hopeless, doesn’t it?
But zoom in on the iron chains around their necks—those loops are extremely loose. If they wished, they could lift the chains off their heads at any moment, turn around, and walk away free.
So why don’t they? This is the core teaching of The Devil: this bondage is voluntary. Beneath the surface of entrapment, this toxic relationship, this draining job, or this addictive habit must be providing you with some hidden benefit—perhaps a sense of security, the ease of not having to take responsibility for yourself, or fleeting physical pleasure.
The Black-and-White Mirror of The Lovers
If you place Card Fifteen, The Devil, next to Card Six, The Lovers (15 split into 1+5 equals exactly 6), you will find they form a perfect yin-yang reflection:
- Identical composition: a man and a woman, with a towering dominant figure between them.
- Inverted state: The Lovers’ backdrop is daylight, with the Archangel Raphael (healing and love) above, the man and woman free and open. The Devil’s backdrop is night, with the demon representing material extremes above, the man and woman restrained by chains, gradually becoming bestial.
This tells us: The Devil often depicts a state of “The Lovers gone sour.” What was once a union born from love and soul resonance has degraded into an inability to separate—due to benefit, dependency, physical need, or habit. It is no longer “I chose you,” but “I can’t leave you.”
Upright: Admitting “I’m Hooked”
When The Devil appears upright, it is often accompanied by an intensely strong material pull or emotional tug. Common situations include:
- Toxic Relationships: Knowing full well the other person is draining you, knowing your values are misaligned or you are suffering endlessly, yet still refusing to let go because of some infatuation or sunk cost.
- Material Entrapment: Doing a job that violates your conscience for a high salary, or sinking into a debt quagmire.
- Addiction and Escape: Alcohol, gaming, endless scrolling, and even addiction to “playing the victim.”
The upright Devil is not judging you. It is simply reminding you: stop lying to yourself. You look as though you have no choice, but in truth, you chose this descent.
Reversed: The Sound of Chains Falling Away
The reversed Devil is an immensely encouraging card, though the process may come with pain.
When the card turns upside down, the inverted pentagram slips, and the loose chains finally fall from the man and woman’s heads. It signifies awakening and breaking free. Perhaps you finally blocked that entangled person. Perhaps you suddenly grew weary of an addictive vice. Or perhaps you finally decided to stop selling all your time for money.
The reversed Devil is often followed by Card Sixteen, The Tower. The reality after breaking the chains may collapse—but that is clearing the rubble for you, reshaping the foundation.
A Practical Question to Ask
The next time you draw The Devil, do not rush to blame fate or cast yourself as the victim. Quiet your mind and sincerely ask yourself this slightly jarring question:
“By staying in this miserable situation, what ‘hidden benefit’ am I actually getting?”
Tear off that fig leaf. That is the moment you lift the chains from your neck.