The Devil

It’s not that I have sympathy for the Devil but like every tarot card, The Devil is a teacher, that is giving you an opportunity to confront your shadow.

In the deep dark parts of your shadow lurks your unresolved trauma, pain and fears, which when unaddressed breeds escapism through excessive materialism, addiction, over indulgence and obsession, not only is it vital to confront your shadow, you must own it, knowing that you and only you are responsible for your actions and happiness. If you choose not to take responsibility, you run the risk of falling into victimhood, constantly blaming others and looking at the world from a nihilistic perspective.

One thing for sure The Devil ain’t lazy, no siree, he uses every trick up his sleeve to seduce and entice us. The devil loves to overload the senses taking you away from what truly matters, hypnotizing you into believing that our material world is all there is, so why not indulge if there’s no higher truth, why take personal responsibility for your life if there’s no consequences, in this disconnected state of being one can easily become obsessed with instant gratification, wealth, fame and power over others, often leading to destructive sexual behavior and substance abuse.

The devil throughout history has been used by organized religion to scare and control people, making them believe sex is sinful when it’s just the opposite, sex is sacred, it’s part of nature, it’s when it becomes destructive, that it goes against nature, as with if a person constantly engages with meaningless sex they’re likely to feel empty.

There’s a running theme through the tarot, one of duality, that also applies to addiction and obsession, it’s not always just what you indulge in, it can also apply to how you restrict yourself, living your life to be so ‘healthy’ that you end up not really living at all, so live and let live, it’s all in the balance, after all what would life be like without a little Sex, Drugs & Rock’n’Roll.