Liminal/New Liminal Tarot - Devil

15 – Devil

This Devil could be the guy next door if it weren’t for the horns, wings and tail wrapped around his groin. He playfully holds out a collar attached to a chain while behind him the hands and feet of captives try to escape a thicket of golden ropes.

The Devil is a personification of desire, not a bad thing in general. But our desire for praise, success, pleasure and fame can turn into an obsession, a fevered longing and thirst that can bypass ethical and healthy parameters. Hooked by a craving we’ve defined as happiness, we develop a frenzied desire for things to be other than they are. Once under the spell of this hunger, we are willing to go to any length to get what we want. Rationalizations are offered for our behavior – excuses and blame that only make sense in a delusional reality. Yet we alone are accountable for the chains made of our choices. As Oscar Wilde put it, “We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.” But Fortuna whispers in our ear that what we chase is ephemeral, a ripple in a stream that won’t last even if we grab it. What will truly satisfy us can only be found within; otherwise, we’ll spend our life frustrated as we chase one pleasure after another.

“When we explore directly, we can see for ourselves how craving obscures the natural ease and openness of mind, and how in moments free of desire, wanting, and clinging, we can recognize the taste of happiness and peace.” —Joseph Goldstein