Symbolic Representation

Exhibited on the card is a winged devil with horns, looking like half goat and half man. He can be seen sitting on a black base, while a naked male and female figure are standing on his feet, chained to the base. An inverted pentagram can also be seen.

Tarot Story

Wandering ahead, the Fool stops at the foot of a huge black mount, which is controlled by a winged devil. Naked people are chained to his throne, indulging in every imaginable pleasure, be it sex, food, wealth or drink. The closer the Fool gets, the higher are his own earthly desires aroused. He suddenly undergoes all earthily desires like hunger, greed, lust or revenge.

Feeling that this is all happening to him by the power of that devil, he shouts, "I refuse to surrender in front of you!" The creature gives back an inquisitive look to him, saying that all he is doing is bringing out what is already hidden in him. "Such feelings are nothing to dread, nothing to be embarrassed of, or even to stay away from" says the Devil to the Fool. The fool is amazed, and looks at the chained men and women and answers back, "You say that even though they are enslaved?" to which the Devil says, " If you think they have been enslaved by me, I suggest you take a deeper look."

And as the Fool steps ahead to take a closer look, he realizes that the chained collars the men and women are wearing, are sufficiently broad for them to slip their heads out off them easily. It is now that the Devil reveals himself saying, "Though I am the god of your strongest desires, I have not chained them! They can be free if they want to." "But", he continues, "The people you can see chained or trapped are the ones, who have allowed their brutish desires to overpower them." Pointing towards the peak of the mountain, the Goat God further reveals that the Fool is not able to see so many other people, the ones who did not allow their bare desires to take control of them, and with the help of their impulses and aspirations were able to go up to the top of that mountain.

Tarot Connotation

Misunderstood as the Devil, the winged creature is not really "Satan", but Pan, the half-goat nature god of pleasure and rampant desires. Capricorn is its ruling sign, this is a card is all about inducement and needs.

This card can be a word of caution for the seeker, a one who is too reserved, and not indulging in fervent and bare ambitions. They are keeping themselves enslaved to the restrictions. Another significant aspect of this card is to remind the Seeker that any strings can be detached, any chains can be freed from, mostly the reasons for us to be enslaved is because we consent to it.