XV · MAJOR ARCANA
The Devil
Intense desire
Upright keywords
Affirmation
“I own my desire; it does not own me.”
Upright
The card stands tall
You feel the pull of pleasure and ambition vividly — magnetic, alive, aware of your chains. The Devil is desire owned, not denied.
Reversed
The card turns
The chains are loosening. Reversed, you break free of an attachment, name an addiction, or reclaim power you'd given away.
Intense, magnetic attraction — passion that can either electrify a bond or bind you to what isn't good for you.
Ambition and appetite at full volume; the drive that builds empires, and the trap of being owned by what you chase.
The archetype
The Devil looms over two chained figures — but the chains are loose enough to lift off. This is the part of you that feels the pull of pleasure and ambition vividly, magnetic and alive and honest about its own hungers. The Devil is not evil; it is the shadow you refuse to disown. Its lesson is that the chains we notice are the ones we can choose to remove.
Which tarot card are you?
Twelve quick questions map the way you move through the world onto one of the 22 Major Arcana. Find the archetype that mirrors you — it might just be The Devil.
Take the free quiz →Frequently asked
What does The Devil mean in tarot?
The Devil represents intense desire. Upright, it speaks to desire, attachment, temptation. You feel the pull of pleasure and ambition vividly — magnetic, alive, aware of your chains. The Devil is desire owned, not denied.
What does The Devil mean reversed?
Reversed, The Devil points to breaking free, release, reclaiming power. The chains are loosening. Reversed, you break free of an attachment, name an addiction, or reclaim power you'd given away.
Is The Devil a good card to draw?
No tarot card is simply "good" or "bad" — The Devil is a mirror, not a verdict. It highlights intense desire and invites reflection rather than predicting a fixed outcome.
What does The Devil mean in love?
Intense, magnetic attraction — passion that can either electrify a bond or bind you to what isn't good for you.
What does The Devil mean for career?
Ambition and appetite at full volume; the drive that builds empires, and the trap of being owned by what you chase.