The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

The Devil in tarot is not something you necessarily want to see when consulting the cards. Just as the card Death doesn’t mean you’re going to die, the Devil doesn’t mean you’re going to hell in a handbasket, but it’s definitely a possibility. The old goat on his hellish throne with his chained slaves before him is not an image that inspires confidence in the future. Determinedly upbeat interpretations see it as an invitation to seek empowerment in one's passionate nature, but look at that damn card. Does that look inviting to you? I don't go to the tarot to be constantly reassured, I go to get in touch with inner truths, and they aren't always easy. Doing the right thing rarely is.

I use tarot to ask questions of my subconscious. The mythical, archetypical, contradictory images prod my imagination while focusing my concentration. It’s almost like a meditation, but a meditation with a story and pictures. Typical; I'm drawn to the practice that includes an illustrated book. But, it’s not a spiritual belief system for me; more of a tool.

Methinks she doth protest too much. We could debate the relative merits of a variety of practices, but let’s not. Leave it to say, the Devil came up in my tarot reading, you know, Lucifer, Beelzebub, ol' Scratch. To me, he's a symbol of attachment to the world, destructive desires, enslavement to impulse. He was in the position of “what crosses me” and, hell yeah, I struggle with attachment to my desires.


The final card in a spread symbolizes the possible outcome, the result of the choices made and yet to be made. The Tower came up. There are three cards that I would just as soon not see in a reading, and two of them came up in this one: The Devil and The Tower. The Tower represents destruction. A skyscraper-like turret under attack, light in the sky, fire, people falling to their deaths. Does that sound horribly familiar? And no, the card does not mean that a plane is going to hit a building (again). It advises that following a particular path, continuing to make a particular set of choices, will result in disaster. Disaster can manifest in many ways, mundane or cataclysmic, but it's never a good thing and is to be avoided if possible.

The Devil and The Tower. The wages of sin are death. That’s a strong message from my subconscious to get my shit together, check my intentions, and act with integrity. Good advice, regardless of how I accessed it.