I was recently asked to offer some thoughts on tarot Trump XV, traditionally called the Devil, but also known in some modern decks as Bindweed, Trickster, Error, Illusion, etc.

Some of my favourite key words for the Devil card are structure, limits, and boundaries.  I believe that every card, even a “scary” one like the Devil, is neutral; it’s up to us how we live any card’s concepts.  Does structure feel like a prison sentence or is it more like enjoying time in a sandbox?  Is a limit something you require to get things done or is it an enforced shut-down?  When is a boundary a border that contributes to segregation and when is it a necessary guideline for respectful interaction?  Does reining you in stifle your creativity or does it prevent you from making a huge social gaff?

 
There’s a strain of thought in certain circles that “the devil is merely the divine as seen by the unwise/uninitiated”.  It’s reassuring to think that the divine has a shadow side.  Knowing this liberates us from the obsession with perfection and transcendence that pervades our culture.  It’s OK to be flawed.  And it’s OK to use that flaw as a start point to be, do, or have something better.  To recognise Trump XV as the divine in disguise encourages us to honour our demons, addictions, and unhealthy projections (remember that the Devil is an invention of certain religious sects who were unwilling to claim their own “stuff”) as red flags that something is ready to shift or evolve.
 

The Devil card asks each of us, “What in your life feels like a flaw or saboteur, and what container will safely hold you as you commit to the process of remembering what is divine about it?”

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