The Devil card is about the intensity and gravity of our experience. This card usually depicts a beastial figure standing over two humans who are chained to posts. The card represents how our habitual ways of perceiving become chains hooking us to a set pattern. It follows after the Temperance card. Temperance is our ability to create from a place of freedom, while the Devil is the creation itself, which becomes inert form. Temperance is the hot molten metal flowing into the mold, while the Devil is the mold as well as the object that cools and becomes fixed in the shape of the mold. The Devil is anything that has us caught in the pull of its gravity. It is our senses and the physical world, as well as any habit, addiction, or pattern of behavior from which it is difficult to break.
In Vedic astrology, the Devil corresponds with the sign of Capricorn. Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign ruled by Saturn, the planet of structure and control. Capricorn tends to be a conservative sign, seeking to establish security by honoring the bottom line. Capricorn looks to the traditions of the past that have been tested by time. The positive aspect of the Devil card is the ability to ground oneself in the earth, to embrace the physical and instinctive realms, and to commit to something fully. The Devil can also represent the fear of scarcity that Capricorns often feel, causing them to be miserly and conservative in their spending.
In my understanding of Toltec shamanism, the Devil is the first of six cards representing the mastery of intent. This is the last of three masteries described by don Miguel Ruiz. In the Toltec philosophy, everything is a dream and what you dream is entirely determined by your perception. The mastery of awareness is about learning to stalk your perception. The mastery of transformation is about taking responsibility for your perception and learning to transform it. The mastery of intent is about creating a new dream by perceiving consciously and allowing your perceptions to be in line with your center. The Devil is the first card in this mastery because it shows the power of our past intent, which seems to hold us prisoner in old ways of perceiving.
The Devil has to do with the Toltec concept of the petty tyrant. The petty tyrant is anyone that hooks our energy and sends us into the false personalities of the judge and the victim. A petty tyrant could be an abusive partner, an unreasonable boss, a nagging parent, or a bitchy friend. Anyone and anything that pushes your buttons is a petty tyrant. Petty tyrants are great allies because they show you how your energy is getting hooked. They show you the intent of the past, which created patterns of perception to help you survive. The judge and the victim are merely strategic masks that helped you survive times of apparent scarcity or vulnerability.
The Devil is a very powerful card. It is a symbol for the raw power of intent, which is exactly like the force of gravity. The force of gravity keeps our bodies hooked to the Earth so that we can have the experience of being on the Earth. In Vedic astrology, the sanskrit word for planet is graha. Graha means to grasp or hold, and it is related to the word gravity. The planets are points of perception because they hold our perception through gravity. Toltecs call this holding of perception the assemblage point, and Toltec shamanism aims at allowing the assemblage point to be fluid, so that the dream of life can change and evolve.
Find the Devil card from your favorite Tarot deck and place it somewhere you will see it often. Meditate on the Devil and welcome its energies into your life. Notice whenever your attention gets hooked by a petty tyrant. Notice what patterns you tend to gravitate towards. Instead of judging or feeling victimized by these patterns, learn to accept and honor the intense gravity of your past intent.
Next: The Tower
(c) 2004 by David Ray
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