I find that the Devil usually indicates self limitation in a variety of ways, can be drugs, alcohol, sex any addiction or obsession or simply not believing in yourself and your own power.

The Devil.... well lets start by looking at some of the symbolism in the card itself.  Well we can associate the Devil with Capricorn, the goat, for obvious reasons. His wings are that of a bat, a creature of the dark while his horns apart from linking him to Capricorn also link him to his animal instincts. Notice the sign he is making with his left(as you look at it) hand, not quite the sign the Hierophant makes, rather more a pervision of it. The two people chained below him are of course the Adam and Eve from the Lover's card but the angel that heralded love had become a fallen angel of darkness  and self absorbtion. In the Lovers card they stand by trees, she by the Tree of Knowledge and him by the Tree of Life, so look at their tails now, this connects them to both those trees by the fruit on hers and the flames on his. This card shows us these two chained to their base desires, they have fallen from their position.

Although the Devil does represent those things which are selfish, obsessional and excessive, he really does have a role to play in saving you from yourself. This is a card that asks you to face your shaddow side and acknowledge and take full responsibility for your own actions. He reminds you that the choices are always your own.

It really is a card that helps us to look at the material world and to try and achieve living in it without becoming trapped by greed, obsessions and the glitter of bright lights. It tells us that the choice is always ours and that the dangers are only dangers when we wish to ignore the signs, and this is when we really haven't mastered living in the world.

The Devil is not telling you that it is wrong to have these desires, just that you need to control them in a responsible way.

This is the card that puts you face to face with your shaddow side, the energy in this card is strong and perhaps at times we need his energy when faced in a situation where your life may be threatened , and then you may have to do something you would not normally consider.

However for the bigger part this is a card about meeting ones own wants and need without any consideration for the consequences.

If this card comes up in a reading perhaps some of the questions it may raise for you are, "what am I doing in access?" "what part of myself do I try to ignore?" Where am I not taking responsibility for my actions?"

A nice little quote by Titus Maccius Plautus is:

So watch out for that Old Devil!  

Bella

I have always been very interested in this card and I wanted to see what others have posted on it. The last post by Bella was really comprehensive: she went deeper than most when looking at this card.

While most associate it to addictive behavior, in actual readings that meaning does not come up very often -thankfully-. I get it most when the querent has just realized that the relationship he/she is entangled with is becoming unhealthy for some reason: either obsessive, possessive, a little violent, maybe. If, on the next reading, we get it upside down, then the person is well on his/her way of leaving the situation behind.

But the meaning I personally like better, as Bella stated, is that of the dark side of ourselves. The one we do not like to look at closely -although we know it is lurking there, somewhere- and hope no body will find out, specially compulsions and emotions we have been educated to repress for being "evil", like wrath, for example, or desire, which we all experiment as part of life.

Problems and worries that may not give you much peace and quiet. endings and new beginnings, rebirth and regeneration. Ruled by Scorpio, not all changes are going to be plain sailings. The death card can be positive, cos it usually guarantees the situation will not stay the same.

Either one or another person is looking for some kind of change or progression and obviously something old has to die away before something new can be reborn. It should be a time of having a 'deep and meaningful' to see if you want the same things (if a relationship) or whether you have enough in common and can 'sing off the same hymn sheet'. If you can it will transform into something stronger, But if not will break....