The Devil as Advice: Notice the Chain

Written by Chaya the Medium.

The Devil as advice asks you to look honestly at what binds you. Here is how, and what the reversal says about getting free.

If you want the short answer, the Devil as advice says: look at what has a hold on you. An attachment, habit or bargain is shaping your choices. Name it, and remember the chains in the picture are loose.

What the Devil advises upright

Tina Gong's the Devil guide at Labyrinthos associates the upright card with attachment, addiction, materialism, sexuality and bondage. In an advice position I read those meanings as an instruction: the attitude or action the card is asking of you, rather than a description of what will happen. The Major Arcana overview at Biddy Tarot is a useful second reference.

Upright, the Devil advises honesty about compulsion: what do you keep returning to against your own interest? Seeing it clearly is the first step.

What the Devil is not asking you to do

The Devil is not advising shame. It asks you to see, not to punish yourself.

The Devil reversed as advice

Reversed, the Devil as advice says you are close to freedom. Do not sign the same bargain again. A reversed card in an advice position is usually pointing at the habit that is getting in your way, not at a punishment.

The Devil as advice in love

In love, the Devil advises looking at whether the relationship is chosen freely or held by fear, habit or desire alone.

The Devil as advice for work and money

For work and money, it advises examining any arrangement that pays well and costs too much. Advice from a card is reflection. For decisions with legal, medical or financial weight, take it to someone qualified as well.

One step to take this week

Write down the one thing you feel unable to walk away from. Then write what it has cost you this month.

For comparison, the Lovers as advice and the Tower as advice ask different things of you. The the Devil card meaning page covers the card in full, and the Devil as a yes or no, the Devil as feelings and the Devil as timing cover the other questions people most often ask of it. You can draw a card for yourself with the free daily tarot tool. For a personal interpretation, my guide to an online psychic reading explains how readings work, and the three-card tarot listing and customer reviews are worth reading before deciding whether to order.