XV | The Devil

Evasion is Used for Discomfort, Not Stupidity

Sometimes the facts are right in front of us, and we still can’t see them.

Not because we’re unintelligent. Not because we’re incapable. Not even because we’re hateful.

Really, it’s much simpler.

Emotional destabilization is a bitch.

The brain is wired to keep us alive. Protection in the seduction of life’s known comforts.

The Devil is about the thoughts that keep us chained to old or limiting beliefs. It’s the fear that keeps us from moving forward when reality challenges us to be different.

In the reverse, it’s when we start to see beyond the smoke and mirrors. The chains don’t disappear; we just realize we may be the ones holding them.

Like its close cousins, The Tower and Death, The Devil card gets a bad rep. It shows up when we think we are stuck and have no choice left.

Not because we’re incapable. Not because we’re cruel.

And to think, that’s only one way this pattern shows up.