Tarot Card for the Day – The Devil – The Mirror To Our Own Fear

In the Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot deck, the Devil card does not look “evil” in the classic sense. It actually looks playfully mischievous. Much like Aleister Crowley himself. He imagined himself the personification of this card and it clearly shows his perceptions of what a more balanced view of this archetype might be in a modern world.
In ancient times, the light and the dark were clearly defined and existed in opposite ends of the spectrum. But if one does any amount of research, one quickly discovers that the name, “Lucifer” translated means: Light Giver and Light Bearer. It also translates as the “Star of the Morning”. So clearly this is an angel that shines a light into what we hold hidden in our own darkness. Lucifer was expelled from Heaven because his sin was pride because of his incredible beauty. He represents what happens when perfection and the desire to hold onto that perfection ends up becoming corrupted by attachment.
With this card, Aleister Crowley started the process to have us see that within each of us are light and dark. Within each of us … we will battle against our own pride and that desire we have for forms of perfection.
For some that will be that they want perfection in money. We see even now, those with ridiculous amounts of money but they always want more and then do extravagant things that reflect their pride and wanting to appear “perfect in every way.”
But pride shows up in many forms throughout life and our desire for perfection is rooted often in deep inner insecurity and denied fear.
This card tries to shine a light on those dark and hidden attachments so we can bring them into the light and into a better balance.
We currently live in a time when humanity is beginning to understand that for us to be truly free and fully whole, we have to embrace both the dark and light sides of us. We have to become unified rather than divided.
Notice those souls that refuse to come together or come to a negotiation table. They are still caught in pride as they need their position and perspective to be right and validated. But everyone is right from their own biases. That is the point. This card attempts to illuminate those parts that are not fully integrated and are still judged and pushed away from the light.
The more we allow certain parts closer to the light the more they are able to evolve and grow. That is the way they become refined and allowed to become supportive and insightful voices inside that can help us with our daily life.

Because the truth is that everyone’s life has very bad and dark moments. We need to have a part that understands darkness and can detect darkness in others.
While we want our world to be a lollypop land of positive energy, the reality is that we live in a world of duality. There is as much light as there is darkness. Life in this reality is a balance. But the journey down here on earth is to first see the imbalance in the outer world and then to seek the balance inside us first.
Only then can we effectively create a world outside that prefers sanity over chaos?
When one denies the darkness inside or outside, that darkness manifests externally in the world as hidden saboteurs.
But when we embrace our own darkness, get to know it, and allow it to share its perspectives and insights. Then it becomes an ally rather than an adversary.
That is why with this card, Aleister Crowely created the goat having a powerful third eye in the middle of his forehead, and the goat having a smile on his face. It is a clear message that one cannot have intuitive knowing without first having integrated both the light and dark sides of one’s own nature. And then seeing the world with an eye that can have a sense of humor about it all. Intuition requires us to see what is hidden and what might potentially be a problem.
Intuition requires us to see that every soul has the power for good and evil.
This goat in this deck is fully aware of the darkness lurking and simply smiles at it. This goat fears nothing because he knows that the darkness is really nothing to fear. Darkness is only dangerous when it is denied. All things not allowed fully into the light … corrupt, distort, twist, and pull on us because they are being denied the light that is necessary for healing.
Besides, nothing is scarier than facing one’s own internal darkness. Once that is faced, nothing in the external world will ever feel as frightening again.
And that is the key.
The Devil card is a mirror that is trying to show us what still needs healing inside ourselves. Nothing will ever heal if it continues to be denied. Nothing can give its gifts if it is not allowed a place of honor and respect in certain situations.
There will be moments in everyone’s life when we need a warrior. That warrior will need access doors to come out fully into the light to protect those we love and the things that we believe hold great value. While that warrior is not always needed in the outer world, it needs a place of honor in our psyche.
When darkness is not honored … it will become more distorted and scarier.
The secret to the Devil card is that, at its core … it is a mirror of our fear. It is what we fear that we push out of the light into the shadows and darkness. We create our own devils inside by what we deny is true on the outside.
We label things as bad when they might be useful in certain contexts.
The lesson of the Devil card is to look at what you deny and to realize that what you deny will actually end up controlling you and your reality. The more you deny it, the more you will try to control others.
Then you become the darkest version of the devil card instead of the playfully inclusive, intuitive, and insightful goat that sees it all, and recognizes that all labels are masks hiding forms of truth.
The highest version of the Devil card shows … that when we are integrated … we do not judge but we give permission.
We hold no pride because everyone is special in their own unique ways. Knowing our own darkness acts as an early warning system to give us a heads-up when situations and people are not yet whole and intend to take from us rather than share with us.
The Devil card reminds me that there is always more for me to love and embrace. There are amazing things that mostly lie in the hidden spaces and dark places in my subconscious.
This card is an invitation to dance with your own darkness and discover what is asking to come back into the light.
~Suzanne Wagner~