Don't Fear The Devil

The devil card is one of those cards that comes with a caveat. You know what I mean; when you are reading for a client and the Devil pops up and then you have to immediately say “Now don’t freak out”. It is scary to look at, usually depicting some sort of demon with humans, chained and suffering – it is certainly not the most comforting of cards. But The Devil has a much deeper and more empowering message.

The devil represents fear. He is the face of all our nameless terrors, big and small; the nightmares we have in the dead of night to the small jolts of anxiety that punctuate our day when our buttons are pushed. Fear can be a big, ugly, looming demon or a little hellhound nipping at your heels. Either way, it sucks.

Most of our fear is rooted in our long-held beliefs about ourselves and about the world. How we are brought up, our belief systems and our personalities all play key roles in determining what scares us. Some of us have phobias – such as heights, spiders, tight spaces – and some of our fears are more commonplace, yet no less frightening.

When the Devil card pops up in a reading, it usually means that your fear is in the driver’s seat. Your fear is making your choices and taking the lead on your endeavors. Your fear is your motivation. In The Devil card, you will notice the figures are chained to the devil, they are chained to their fear. They struggle against the chains. They face away from the devil, not wanting to look at the fear that holds them hostage.

Therein lies the secret of the devil card. You have to face you fear in order to conquer it. You have to be able to name it, identify where it is coming from and root it out. Confront it. Say all the things you were too afraid to say. Yell, scream, throw things. Then, all of a sudden, that big, hulking demon doesn’t look so scary.

This is what we shadow workers do on the daily. It is a large part of my path as someone who actively cultivates personal development. Demon hunting is the new shadow work.

Facing your fear can manifest itself in different ways depending on what works best for you. You can write your fear a F*** you letter. Tell it to take a hike in as harsh and unforgiving a way as you like. You can write down you fears by name on a piece of paper and burn them, letting the sacred fire cleanse away all that no longer serves you. You can greet your fear like an old friend, have it over for tea, talk to it and make it see your point of view. Journal about it. Sing about it. Dance it out. Do whatever you have to, but shake those shackles loose baby!

You may also notice that the figures in the fear card have their hands free. At any point the figures can reach up and set themselves free. If they stay, it is because of their own volition – although it often doesn’t feel that way because of the fear. Fear tricks us into thinking that we are making decisions that are best for us or are in alignment with our desires, but actually it is just the fear taking control.

How many times have you stayed in a relationship, job, city, friendship, house, paradigm long after it stopped serving you? I know that I have been guilty on all accounts at some point or another. Are you afraid to speak your mind? To take up space? To go after that new job? To move to another city? Another state? Another country? Are you afraid to break up with someone? Or are you afraid to say “I love you”? Are you afraid to face your addiction? Are you afraid to let go? Are you afraid to hold on? Are you afraid of ridicule? Are you afraid of judgment?

Face it. Name it. Figure out why you fear, where it comes from and what triggers it. Then give it a new role to play in your life. You will probably do this many different times, but each time you face your fear, you get stronger and that devil gets weaker.

So the next time that The Devil pops up, don’t freak out. Crack those knuckles, bare those teeth and get in there babies.

For another in depth and deeply knowledgable take on The Devil, see Evergreen's post here!

XOXOX

#Tarot #fear #personaldevelopment #spirituality