Seeing Light in the Shadow Side Of The Devil

Inevitably, one is to get some cards in a reading that one doesn’t like. It can be upsetting. Every archetype has a shadow and a light. You just have to know how to find it.

The New York Times has a health column called Well and they run articles with headlines like, “Is Coffee Good for You?” How many times over the years have we read about these studies that coffee can be good for us, but a few years later—Wait! It’s bad. What a yoyo ride!

We’re inclined to order things into two basic categories: Good or Bad. But of course the story is deeper than that. And that’s where I’d like to help you…

I always look for the best outcome in every reading, looking for the light and humor. Let’s turn around whatever difficult situation you’re going through in your next reading.

Since the 1600s images in the tarot have been boiled down to convey their most essential meaning. Three of cups for example often features three children holding hands dancing in a circle. Sweet! The Ten of Swords however features a man face down with ten swords in his back. Many make the mistake of seeing it literally. “You mean I’m going to get stabbed in the back?!!”

Well, it is a figure of speech isn’t it? How many times have we heard, say, a colleague, or anyone really, tell a story of feeling like they’ve been stabbed in the back? If you think about the ludicrousness of TEN swords! It’s absurd.

The card simply means a conclusion, the end of a chapter. A new chapter is upon us. Swords is the suit of thoughts and ideas. We have goals and agendas and we can be passionate, stubbornly insistent on achieving them. So how else are the cards to beat you over the head (there’s an image) than to graphically show you that this isn’t going to work, that you may have to redirect your plans?

The Devil is another one. No one wants him coming around. But he gives you a tap on the shoulder to point out any vices (or those of others) that might need treatment. On the lighter side, for someone who’s withdrawn or shy he urges us to go out and dance. Play, let loose.

Once you get over the disappointing impression of an image, you have to see the light side of the card. The Devil indicates Healthy Skepticism. Questioning rules that deserve to be questioned instead of obeying blindly. That's not so bad is it?

How about Liberation? Breaking free from unhealthy guilt, shame, or oppressive systems. Sometimes thoughts have a hook in us. Or we are plagued by persistent problems. Surrounding cards will inform as to how to break free of them.

Other positive thoughts: Authenticity. Owning your desires instead of pretending they don't exist. Facing Your Shadow so it no longer controls you unconsciously. Creative Disruption. Challenging stale traditions to make room for innovation. Unconventional clamor and rebellion can be healthy.

FUN FACT! Do you recognize the face on the left? I cut that image for this collage out of a National Geographic Magazine on skin tattoos. That's a tattoo on a guy's back of Jack Nicholson in The Shining.

---