Energy 15 of 22
Arcanum 15 — The Devil
desire, magnetism, ambition, influence, temptation
The Devil in the Destiny Matrix is the energy of desire and of everything a person does with it. It gives magnetism, ambition, a sharp eye for other people’s motives and a real capacity for big money. It also raises the theme of dependence: on a habit, a person, a win. The task it sets is to own one’s wants honestly, so that desire serves the person and never the other way around.
At its best
- natural charisma and magnetism
- a sharp eye for people’s real motives
- strength in business and negotiation
- big ambitions and the nerve to pursue them
- humor and honesty about one’s own shadow
Out of balance
- manipulation and games of control
- dependence on habits, people or wins
- jealousy and possessiveness
- greed and dishonest money
- provoking others to test their limits
What this energy is about
The fifteenth card shows two figures on loose chains they could lift off at any moment. That detail is the key: nothing holds them except what they want. In the method this energy carries no evil; it stands for desire, temptation, sexuality and the shadow side everyone has. The question it puts is “Who is in charge here, me or my craving?”
In a person it shows as charisma that is hard to explain. Such people walk into a negotiation and leave with a better deal, see what the other side wants, and joke about things others are afraid to name. They think in large sums and plans, enjoy pleasure openly and often do well in business, sales and anything with a stage.
The shadow is the chain. Out of balance, the Devil manipulates, provokes, grows jealous and controlling, or gets caught in a dependence: on gambling, on drinking, on a person, on the next win. Money made dishonestly tends to leave the way it came. The task of this energy is mastery, which is different from denial: to know one’s own shadow well enough to steer it, to use influence in the open, and to enjoy life in a measure that leaves a person free.
The Devil in the zones of the chart
The same energy reads differently depending on the point of the chart it stands in.
- In the character
- There is a pull about you that people notice before you say a word. The Devil at the point of personality gives magnetism, a quick, ironic mind and large appetites: for success, for pleasure, for influence.
- In the talents
- You read people fast: what they want, what they fear and what they are not saying. This is the core of your talent, and it comes with two more.
- In the comfort zone
- Intensity is your natural habitat: a big game, a strong desire, pleasure taken without apology. You feel most alive when something is at stake: a deal about to close, a party in full swing, a plan that makes other people nervous.
- In the karmic tail
- This is the lesson of desire: who is in charge, you or the thing you want. The Destiny Matrix treats the Devil in the karmic tail as a history of bondage on one side or the other: tempting people and tying them down, living by passion alone, or being held captive oneself.
- On the money line
- This is one of the strongest money energies in the chart, and one of the most demanding. The Devil on the money line gives a feel for large sums, a head for deals and the charisma to close them.
- In relationships
- Attraction comes easily to you; the real work starts after it. The Devil on the relationship line brings strong chemistry and partners who are just as magnetic: bright, passionate, a little risky.
- In the family lines
- Big desires run in your family, along with the price that was paid for some of them. The method reads the Devil in the family line as a history of extremes: large money and large losses, a relative with a drinking or gambling habit, someone who ruled the household through fear and control.
- In the purpose
- Your task is to show that desire can be mastered without being stamped out. With the Devil as a purpose, the work is to turn the shadow into strength: to want a great deal, to go after it honestly and to stay free while doing so.
- In the year forecast
- The year of the Devil tests what you want and how far you will go to get it. Appetite grows in every area.
The full text is in your reading if 15 stands in this zone of your chart.
How to bring out its best
- Before any deal, ask whether you could describe it openly to a person you respect.
- Set your limit before you start: a sum, a number of drinks, an hour to leave.
- Say what you want directly instead of arranging things so that people hand it to you.
- Keep one day a week free of your strongest habit and notice what comes up.