Astrological Influence: Capricorn
Key words and phrases: Bondage; the power of negative thinking; finding it hard to let go; pessimism; refusal to leave a bad situation; excessive
dependency; unnecessary guilt; heavy commitments; confronting your personal demons; darkness; the need to see things clearly; excessive attachment to material goods; vanity; selfishness; unhealthy attachments; greed; lust; powerful sexual urges; inhibitions; fears; hang-ups; self-doubts; hopelessness; oppression; ties that bind; unhappy choices; feeling stuck in a confined situation or relationship; co- dependency; enslavement; imprisonment; indulgence; addiction; caught in a vice of your own making; obsession with power, sex or money; sadism; cruelty; a conflict between money and spiritual well-being; primitive urges; uncontrolled passions; addictions; perversions; sexual instincts; repressed fears; one’s Achilles’ heal; Jung’s concept of the Shadow.
Symbolic Meaning
In the Waite deck the Devil is standing on a pedestal in the form of a horned goat with the wings of a bat and the claws of an eagle. On his forehead is a reversed pentagram, and in the pit of his stomach is the sign of Mercury. His right hand is raised with his fingers extended, and in his left hand there is a large inverted inflamed torch pointing towards the earth. There is a ring on the front of the pedestal where two chains are attached to a male and female who have horns growing from their heads.
The devil is usually depicted as a demon with bat wings, claws, horns and tails because of the Judaeo-Christian attitude of superiority over animals and
nature. Christianity chose to follow the Judaic idea of demons as being angels who fell from heaven when Satan rebelled against God.
The name Satan comes from the Hebrew “adversary” or “opposition.” As Christian imagery evolved the devil became portrayed as a new terrifying image of a monster, and probably because during the early Middle Ages he was seen as wicked but not frightening. If we try to understand that the devil is just a symbol of an aspect of our Shadow side that needs to be confronted, then the devil will lose its potency. It basically signifies that we are in a
negative situation and our judgement is clouded, and we should take time to look carefully at the dilemma and maybe ask for advice.
The horned goat is an ambiguous symbol that signifies virility, lust, cunning and destructiveness in the male, and fecundity and nourishment in the female. In Roman myth the cornucopia derives from the horn of the goat, Amaltheia, the revered wet-nurse of the baby Zeus.
In its negative aspect, the horned goat signifies the darker side of human nature, immortality and open sexuality. In its positive aspect signifies creative energy and masculine vitality. As a strong climber, the goat signifies that our ambitions and determination are strong and we will eventually reach our aims.
The goat’s symbolism changed through the centuries. In early Europe the male goat was a symbol of procreative power, the libido, fertility and the life force, and was sacred to the Greek gods Dionysus and Pan. Then in the Old Testament book of Leviticus, the goat became a “scapegoat” for the sins of humanity, and came to symbolise sexual excess and associated with evil, and by the Middle Ages the goat’s characteristics became attributed to the devil.
The reversed pentagram has two upper points, therefore is associated with the horns of the devil, evil and witchcraft. It is a symbol of terror, disharmony and evil thought. An upright pentagram is used as a defence against witches
and demons, and in the Aurthurian stories, Gawain had this symbol emblazoned on his shield.
With the Devil card being a negative card, the sign of Mercury signifies that we need to be aware of changes in our career, home, or upsets in the family, probably through our own restlessness or lack of intelligent planning. It also signifies trouble through slander or malicious gossip, domestic squabbling and altercations, mistakes in matters involving detail, and accidents through
carelessness or lack of awareness on our part or those around us.
In Christian iconography, a hand represents God’s blessing and intervention, however the devil’s gesture with extended fingers reverses the blessing. Hands are two of the most expressive parts of the body and signify power and creativity. The open hand represents justice and may suggest that we are inwardly crying out for help, or we should give a great deal of thought and care to our situation.
The inverted torch is a symbol of illumination and signifies the need to carry the light in our hearts and minds. It suggests that we may need to light up the passage of our journey because we may need guidance to see our way forward.
The chains symbolise the bondage, enslavement and liability of our material life. They are a symbol of attachment and connection, and the relationship between two things. Chains suggest that we need to free ourselves from suppressing attitudes. They can suggest that a desire of ours has been
repressed because of guilt-feelings attached to it, or some part of us needs to be given more freedom of action.
The horns are symbolic of the male sexuality, virility and aggression, and the power of growth within the mind. Horns also represent the idea of the animal nature within us, or aspects of our psyche that we normally repress, but will
have to be resolved otherwise we will remain prisoners to our egotistical materialism. This is the side of our nature that can cause problems in our lives, and can even be transmitted to others.
On the whole, the Devil card shows a similarity to the sixth card, the Lovers, but after their fall from grace.
In Hebrew mythology, Satan is depicted as being similar with horns, bat-like wings, a tail and cloven hooves. He is a fertility god and a demon of sorcery, and one of the Grand Dignitaries in black magic.
The Devil card symbolises our own ignorance and our blind pursuit of
pleasure without the consideration of anything else. It suggests that we need to recognise and balance the good and bad aspects of our nature. This card is about the seven deadly sins, lust, pride, anger, covetousness, gluttony, envy and sloth. Jung termed these characteristics as “the Shadow” or our dark side. In Aramaic mythology they believed that temptation came through Mammon, a demon of avarice or temptation.
The Greek Dionysus was credited with the invention of wine and became its patron god. During his life on earth he was accompanied by a band of satyrs, and a group of wild and frenzied women called the Maenads. The satyrs were gods of the woodlands and were part man and part goat with long tails, it is said they were the sons of Hermes and brothers of the nymphs. Dionysus drove mad the three daughters of Minyas, the King of Thessaly, when they refused his invitation to join his drunken revelry.
Pan, the Greek god of flocks, shepherds and woods was also part man and part goat. It was said that he seduced a number of nymphs and goddesses, including Echo, who was a nymph of Mount Helicon and could only repeat the spoken words of other people, Eupheme, another nymph and the nurse to the Muses, and Selene, a moon goddess and goddess of magicians. We can see
the connection here with the overindulgent characteristics of the Devil. Some also say that Capricorn was Pan.
The Devil is numbered fifteen which can be reduced to the number six (1+ 5 = 6), which is the number for balance but can show weakness when it comes to making decisions. The number six is also about adaptability and the need to make changes in times of difficulty. It is a symbol of union and equilibrium, and the number of celestial power and longevity. As a hexagon it signifies harmony and balance, and in Pythagorean theory signifies justice. Six is also associated with sin in the New Testament book of Revelation, as 666, it becomes the number of the beast of the Apocalypse.
The astrological influence of the Devil is the zodiacal sign of Capricorn, which is a sign of ambition, intelligence and strong willpower channelled towards a single goal. Capricorn focuses on the way we project our collective, absorbed and digested experiences upon the world, our conscious striving to attain a chosen goal, our position in the world and the way we earn our living.
Capricorns have a sensuous streak and enjoy wealth, comfort and pleasure. They always keep their cool and are logical, rational and level headed. This sometimes makes them seem distant, insensitive and closed to the ideas of others.
Interpretation
When the Devil appears in a spread there is a need for you to review your ties to destructive relationships, material possessions, uninhibited passions and money. This card also sometimes appears when you stay in a relationship for reasons other than love. It means that you may be overly concerned with material and physical things, and are clinging to limited beliefs and values that are holding you back.
You might feel that you are trapped in a relationship or some other oppressive situation, and feel angry or frustrated by the uncomfortable circumstances that
you find yourself in. Perhaps some other appetite or addiction is controlling your life, such as lust, greed, alcohol or drugs. However, you should try to avoid any temptation that may hurt you or others. Maybe your relationship is not love, but based on physical attraction, there are probably tears but you stay because you can’t physically bear to be parted, even though the arguments and yelling have become the everyday norm.
It could also be that someone has a hold over with money by trying to buy your friendship and love, and you stay for financial reasons. In these conditions you are tying yourself to limiting habits that keep you trapped in unpleasant circumstances, and choosing this negative approach that will cause unhappy results. Perhaps you are finding it hard to express your
negative feelings, or you have not yet found the solution to pull you out of this negative situation, you need to recognise these emotions and have the
courage to break free. Maybe you are tired of not having enough money and you have the urge to push yourself to reach your aims and improve your financial and material wellbeing. It could also be that you are harbouring guilt feelings from the past or habits you are embarrassed or ashamed of.
The Devil card is a sexual symbol and can mean that with women there may be a fear of sexual relations, and with men they may have a guilt-ridden attitude towards their own sexuality.
Once you realise the root cause of your difficulty, reflect a while on your situation or even ask others for advice. Eventually you will be able to take the responsibility for your actions and be able to break free. You may even start to save or collect items, which is fine as long as it doesn’t become obsessive. Don’t become a victim of your vanity and pride. Beware of your dark side.
Negative
There is a danger of damage to your prestige, and maybe upsets in your career or domestic life. Perhaps you are blind to your own faults or those of
others, or blind to the unrestrainable urges and desires that are destructive or self-destructive. Money and power may have taken over any other
considerations. This card is a warning against any abuse of power, money and sex. Is there emotional blackmail happening within your relationship that is making it hard for you to break free, even though you are unhappy? You may have fantasies about some sexual activities that you want to act out. It can also mean that you are involved in negative or underhanded activities or people. Maybe you are overindulging or addicted to alcohol or drugs. Don’t let obsession and the past get in the way of progress.
People
Those who are passionate, creative, productive or destructive and ready to use any means possible to reach their aims. Those who feel tied and
enslaved to a situation or relationship. Those who are trying to improve their domestic conditions. Those who are opening up to fresh avenues of