THE DEVIL

The
Devil, from the Latin “diabolous” literally means adversary. Note here that it
does NOT mean enemy, or evil. But it still represents some force that opposes
us, like an adversary in a game, and thus can be used to assist us to become a
more proficient player. What is this game I hear you ask?....It is LIFE.

I have
chosen this card in particular to discuss for a number of reasons:

·        
It
is generally viewed as a “negative” card when nothing could be more further
from the truth.

·        
Students
studying or using the tarot often find this card a challenge to understand and
to grow comfortable with.

·        
All
Western Esoteric Schools that truthfully trace their roots back to the ORIGINAL
Golden Dawn (or even further back) view the understanding of this card as a
vital part of FIRST DEGREE learning. And it is not uncommon for new initiates to produce this card in
readings until they master its meanings.

·        
It
represents the first stage of spiritual unfoldment, irrespective of what path
you follow.

·        
It
carries within it an understanding of the purpose of suffering and limitation
and how to overcome them.

Which
makes it, in my humble opinion, an ideal card to explore and discuss.  You will find at the end of this paper a
blank version of the card. You will get considerably more benefit from the
exercises and discussion that follow if you print out and colour it in
yourself. This will bind the symbolism of the card into your subconscious and
you will definitely find that this will bring further intuitions and
perceptions about the knowledge it conveys.

This paper represents only ONE
interpretation of the card. Although it is an interpretation that is based on
study of Tarot Masters’ opinions dating back to the 17^th century, it
is still only one viewpoint. Tarot speaks differently to each individual. DO
NOT take this paper as gospel but rather see it as a diving board to propel you
forward into your OWN interpretation and understanding of this wonderful Esoteric
Key.

Now this
card is usually not viewed in isolation, but as part of a triplet. However I do
not want to confuse you early on. I mention this only because I will return to
it in later posts. Perhaps, the two most important triplets (but by no means
the only ones) that are used in the Western Esoteric Tradition (From now on
referred to as WET) are:

·        
Key
1 The Magician, Key 8 Strength, Key 15 The Devil

·        
Key
10 The Wheel of Fortune, Key 15 The Devil, Key 2 The High Priestess

If you
have a deck of cards, set out the first arrangement of Keys 1, 8, and 15 while
you read this paper. Always have your magickal diary at hand and record any
impressions you receive.

I want
to divert at this point and talk a bit about tarot decks. You will find a lot
of romanticised fiction about tarot on the internet and in books. Contrary to
popular belief the images are not from Atlantis nor were they in the Mystery
Temples of Egypt. Tarot was invented by a number of senior adepts from the
inner planes who took physical form in the 12^th century. Certainly
the images and the symbolism they used can be traced back to the beginning of
human civilisation, but any person who undertakes an honest investigation into
the history of Tarot will find no mention of it before the 12^th century.
There are only two tarot decks worth purchasing, in my opinion, if you want a
deck that is actually based on the original esoteric deigns of the Masters.
These are the Builders of the Adytum (B.O.T.A.) Deck (which is the one I shall
be using and is simply the best available at this point in time), or the Rider
Waite deck – although it does contain a number of blinds. A “blind” is a purposely
misleading statement or symbol to put off the ignorant of egotistical. Blinds
were and still are commonly used in all forms of esoteric study. The B.O.T.A.
deck contains NO blinds although it does leave out details that are in the
never-published original deck. All other decks are useless for serious esoteric study with the exception of
Crowley’s Thoth deck, yet, as it deviates from certain core ethical teachings I
will not be discussing it. This DOES NOT mean that other decks are not useful
for divination, the more closely YOU personally feel aligned to a certain deck
the better your readings. BUT if you want to use Tarot to spiritually advance
and not just for divination then I recommend you purchase a B.O.T.A. deck. For
all of the discussions and exercises I will be giving I will supply images of
this deck, so if you are strapped for cash do not worry everything will be
provided!

Firstly
let’s look at the basic symbolism of the card.

·        
The
background is pure black. The colour black has many meanings in the WET, but in
this card it represents ignorance, suffering and bondage. This is the first
clue that ignorance of spiritual law is the only thing that can ever limit you.

·        
The
central figure is a fantastical beast. If you were to picture it in 3-D CGI it
would look completely ridiculous.

o  
It
has the horns and face of a goat that represent the zodiac sign of Capricorn
and refer to sensual materialism

o  
It
has the ears of a donkey which represents stubbornness and laziness.

o  
Its
eyes are red which represent the planet Mars which is exalted in Capricorn and
also represent Lust. But also represent the force that will free you from the
bondage this card represents. As Mars also represents RIGHT ACTION.

o  
Its
left side is feminine with a breast – in complete contrast to the pillars on
the Tree of Life

o  
Its
right side is masculine again in contrast to the Tree of Life. Implying that
what we are viewing is an illusion and not real.

o  
Its
lower body is that of an eagle. Now this is especially important. The eagle
carries great weight as a symbol in the WET. It represents the HIGHEST aspects
of the force of reproduction. What is being implied here is that the sexual and
driving force behind all human endeavours
has been corrupted.

o  
It
has the wings of a bat – a creature of the night- which in itself is a peculiar
mixture of characteristics from different animals. But also refers back to the
element of AIR. In All traditions air is closely related to the CREATOR.

o  
Its
right hand is raised with the entire palm showing and the imprint of the symbol
of the planet Saturn. What this essentially means is that what you ‘see’ is all
there is and what you see is only limitation. It is a lie. But one that the majority of humanity believe. Saturn
is the planet of limitation it is the force that enshrines force into form. It
is also a truly wonderful teacher, if you allow it to be. Most esoteric
gestures will have some part of the palm covered by certain fingers to imply
that there is still more to learn, more to unfold in your life. But not here.
Here the image is clear - what you see and the pain and suffering you have
created are simply your lot and your life.

o  
The
left hand holds a torch – yet it gives off no light. The surrounding blackness
is not lessened. It is a wasteful and downward pointing use of the human
ability to generate enlightenment. It represents the, often hard working,
efforts of humans to overcome their lot through false means which brings
disillusionment and a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. Again this is a
lie. This is the root cause of many people’s depression and anxiety.

·        
Note
that the naked human figures are held by chains that are not binding and could
be easily thrown off if the will to do so was present. We create our own
bondage and the moment to free ourselves is always NOW. The female figure represents Subconsciousness that has become
enslaved to sensual delight (the grapes of wine), the male figure represents
Self consciousness that has become enslaved to anger, depression and suffering
and pain (the tail of fire)

·        
The
Devil sits upon an alter that looks like a rectangle, but the creators of the
Tarot inform us that this is a cube split into two with both halves placed on
each other. I won’t get into the symbolism of the cube here but to say that it
ALWAYS represents YHVH the ULTIMATE SOURCE that is both female and male the
ORIGINAL SOURCE that came before creation. The half cube represents half
knowledge of life and its half hearted application to problems.

·        
The
tails, and horns and hooves of the human figure represent that humanity becomes
beastly or degenerates when it imprisons itself to materialism, to emotion, to
external experiences.

·        
You
will notice that the central figure has a belly button which firmly established
it as an invention of human error. Only human offspring have an umbilicus.

·        
Just
below this is a stylised figure of Mercury (I will come back to this)

·        
The
White beard of the creature firmly establishes it as an aspect of THE ONE. The
Devil is actually a representation of the CREATOR, but one viewed from the perspective
of a human mind lost in the illusion of materialism and sensation.

·        
Then
we have the inverted pentagram. The KEY
to the entire card. If you project an image of an upright pentagram, then
Human Spirit is held supreme over the four elements.

·        
If
you were to project this onto the Tree of Life then the apex of the pentagram
would occupy Da’at (Hidden Knowledge/ Sacred child of Understanding (Goddess)
and Wisdom (God)). Yet with the inverted pentagram the current of energy is
absorbed from Yesod the human LOWER EGO. It is a universally recognised sign of
evil – when really it is simply an image of human ignorance. It is a sign that
the human soul is ruled by the lusts and desires of its ego rather than its
higher self. This is the cause of ALL HUMAN SUFFERING. It is a magickal symbol
that would only ever be used by the ignorant and the foolish.

The Hebrew letter assigned to this
card is Ayin, (pronounced AY – Yin) which means “eye”. This is the Eye of
Horus, the Sacred symbol of the Creator that sees all, yet in humans who
possess free will we can use this sense to see the unity and beauty of the
Universe in ALL or to only see the superficial, the limited, the negative – and
to label these interpretations as REALITY. I have spoken previously about the
use of the Hebrew alphabet in the WET, but I will repeat my previous postings.

Many people
lament the fact that a lot of spiritual writing in the West is coded into the Hebrew language.  Pick up
any Western Esoteric Book and you will be assaulted with a new language
of Hebrew words. Why is this so? Although there are spiritual and
higher mental reasons the most powerful one was simply pragmatic. In much
the same way that all current scientific discoveries in flora and fauna
are still described in Latin, Hebrew was chosen at the time of the Great
Library of Alexandria to encode spiritual wisdom due to the diversity of the
language which allowed people from divergent cultures to converse. Hebrew was
chosen because each letter stands for either, a planet, an astrological
sign, or an element, each also represents a specific pathway in
consciousness and an archangel. And I could go on and on. Hebrew was
chosen as it was 
the perfect language to encode spiritual concepts
in with a minimum of fuss.

What is being strongly emphasised here
is that WHAT YOU SEE AS REALITY is LIMITATION AND BONDAGE. And it is NOT real.

What this Tarot Key reveals is:

·        
The
illusions we build around us are due to faulty perception of reality.

·        
The
correct solution to any problem is to view it through spiritual values.

·        
The
way out of bondage is simple. Remove the chains (the thoughts and images) that
created your bondage.

The real Key to The Devil is that
which manifests as bondage is an illusion. It is only an incorrect
interpretation of reality. You must see through it to find its meaning.

So how do we overcome this?  And why did we create it in the first place?

This is when we come back to the
first triplet of cards.

The MAGICIAN represents in its most
basic form self consciousness. In this card self consciousness is shown at its
most refined, channelling only the HIGHER into the garden of the subconscious.
Yet humans can and frequently do pervert this power. It is this power that
gives interpretations and details to Subconsciousness. Subconsciousness then
directs ALL mental aspects to follow the original direction. This is shown in
Key 8 with the female figure, representing subconsciousness, under the influence
of Self consciousness attempting to mould all forms of matter (represented by
the King of the animal Kingdom the Red Lion) to the original thought. If the
thought is “I am no good” or “I suck” then you can hardly blame the Universe
for your current predicament. The whole point of the card represented by THE
DEVIL is that YOU are in
charge of your life and you need to direct it, otherwise the aspects of your
being will degenerate to your basic lusts. Lust is often a misunderstood term.
It doesn’t always refer to sexual urges, for most people lust after oblivion
and thus follow the pathway of drugs or fundamental religion (including Wicca),
or some other form of behaviour that sublimates negative emotion. NOW is the time to take charge. NOW
is the time to decide to live a better life. This is the message of this card.

So how does one ‘dissolve’ the
problematic thoughts that this card represents? In the WET the attribute of
MIRTH is attributed to THE DEVIL. The devil and all he personifies is
ridiculous. Appearances deceive when we are so ignorant as to take them at face
value. When we do, we slander ourselves and others. If we accept that the way
things look as being reality, then it is inevitable that the grinning masks of
terror shall frighten us.  Whenever our
comfortable assurance that we live in an orderly universe is tested by some
apparent exception to the rule, it is natural to be frightened, natural to view
with alarm, natural to get defensive, natural to hate, natural to get
depressed.

Whenever we look into the world of
appearances we find duality. Male and Female, Electric and Magnetic, positive
and evil, good and bad. This is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. To eat
of it is death.....yet it is good to look upon and when we know how to enjoy the
phenomena of outward experience, we can get as much fun out of it as children
get from playing in the dirt. Yet human consciousness can go beyond this.

All conditions that manifest as
bondage on this dimension are illusions. They are incorrect assumptions (often
fear based) (represented by the Magician) that are fed into subconsciousness
(represented by Strength). Subconsciousness then manifests these impressions as
your own personal ‘reality’. This ‘reality’ often takes on the appearance of
the Devil.

One needs to look beyond the
superficial ugliness of this and to discover its true meaning.

Let me give you a modern correlation.
Imagine someone you have seen or interacted with recently that left you with
the superficial feeling of ugliness or bondage. Maybe it was a homeless person
begging for money or a story in a newspaper about a single mother who abused
her children. LOOK DEEPER. The more you explore the more you will discover that
these superficial impressions are incorrect, and that these people are victims
of abuse or trauma or mental illness or even worse. The same process occurs
within yourself. FORGIVE YOURSELF. The same judgemental intolerance we apply to
others we ALWAYS apply to
ourselves. Which is why, all great Masters have preached the importance of
treating others with respect or as aspects of the Creator itself. The famous
saying of the Master Jesus “Whatever you do to the least of my brethren you do
unto me” could just as easily and truthfully state “whatever you think or feel
or do towards others and your own self you implant within your OWN
SUBCONSCIOUS”

When you permit your own ‘Creator-given
talent to control the circumstances of your own life’ to be controlled by your
base emotions then your life experience descends to the next level below
conscious humanity.

This is the world of Nature in all of
its beauty and brutality. Where only the fittest rule. This is the world where
fatalistic forces of mathematical averages survive. This is where the most
powerful thought complexes within yourself will dominate. This is the world
where the weak perish and the strong survive. And if your strongest thoughts
are negative, well, you need to make some changes and NOW. Watch any nature
documentary and you will understand the rules of this dimension. But to human
consciousness it is anathema and only promotes depression.

The inverted pentagram is a
falsehood. Spirit can NEVER be dominated by appearances or the elements,
although humanity via free will can always choose to accept this lie.

EXERCISE

This is an ancient technique linked
to this card. First of all colour it in. Meditate on the card after reading the
interpretations above. Then picture the DEVIL representing everything that is
limiting you in this life. Focus on the inverted pentagram. Then see it become
golden in colour create a sense of humour and laughter within yourself at the
silly illusions you have created, then picture the pentagram upright itself. As
it does see the DEVIL shrink into nothingness with the glorious LIGHT of the
DIVINE transforming the figure into an archangel or any other representation
that has meaning for you. Do this exercise for at least a week , everyday and
you will achieve results that will amaze you. I promise! If you work regularly
with the tarot then see this card transform into Key 6 THE LOVERS. Numerologists will note that 15 reduces to 6. This is NOT an arbitrary association.

Here Subconsciousness (the female)
receives information directly from the higher self (The Angel) NOT the false
impressions of the Self Consciousness (the male). Spiritual Law is the
controlling force of the organism, not false impressions. Also notice the
similarities between these cards and if you feel inclined comment on them.

Please post your successes and
failures. Please ask any questions you may have on this card.

All queries will be answered.

With much Love and Light

David