The Zodiac - Capricorn
The Devil XV
The sign of Capricorn is tied to the tarot card known as The Devil, Key #XV. This card can be viewed as a symbol of the trials, tribulations, and tests that inevitably pop up right when someone is in the midst of making progresss.
Today marks the beginning of the zodiac sign of Capricorn, which is associated with the tarot card known as The Devil, Key #XV. The association of The Devil XV with the sign of Capricorn is based upon the attributions laid out by the Golden Dawn more than 100 years ago and is based upon a cypher that correlates the 22 symbol-based cards of the Major Arcana to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The sign of Capricorn comes right before the sign of Aquarius, which is associated with The Star XVII — a symbol of new beginnings and a renewed cycle.
The Devil XV
The sign of Capricorn is associated with a water goat, a mythical creature that has the body of a goat and the tail of a fish. This goat-like symbolism echoes forth in The Devil, which features a figure with a goat-like head standing atop a rectangular stone, holding a downward-facing torch. There are two people chained to this stone, one male and one female, with the chains looped over their heads. If one looks closely, however, they will notice that the loops formed by these chains are larger than their heads, indicating that they could easily slip out of them if they so chose.
One way to interpret this cards is that we remain in Hell by staying attached to half-truths, beliefs, and falsehoods, as indicated by the rectangle, or half-cube. Since the cube is a perfect solid, it can represent wisdom and truth, making a half-cube a potential symbol for misdirection. The large loops indicate that this is a situation that we could slip out of if we desired to make our escape from by finding the courage to see things as they actually are.
While it may be tempting to write this card off as being purely negative in nature, this does not necessarily have to be the case. As one of my Buddhist friends mentioned many years ago, the small glimmers of light show up better in the darkness, and so it can also be with ourselves. When things are dark, it is easier to see the light of the smaller, and often more meaningful things in our lives. As I mentioned in yesterday’s posts, the dark can be a potent teacher — if we let it. There is also another way to interpret the iconography of this card, but to do so we first need to invert our perspective.
The Devil XV - Inverted
When card known as The Devil XV is inverted, an altogether different interpretation of the card is made possible, for the devil takes on the guise of a bat. The bat is an unusual creature, for it rests upside-down, which allows it to take in a different view of the world. As the Sufi researcher and writer Idries Shah has noted, a bat is awake when others are asleep, and perhaps most importantly it can also see in the dark.
In the depths of Winter, whether literally or metaphorically, we have the potential to see things in new ways simply by adopting a different perspective and working with, instead of against, what the darkness might be trying to show us — as difficult as that may be.
The sign of Capricorn is also viewed as one of the two gateways associated with incarnation. While the sign of Cancer is tied to incarnation, the sign of Capricorn is associated with the soul’s return to the stars, as indicated by The Star XVII card and Aquarius.
Thus, the sign of Capricorn can also be viewed as the time of trials and tribulations that naturally comes before a breakthrough or opening up of consciousness, similar to Campbell’s Initiation phase of the Hero’s Journey. As The Ace of Cups indicated yesterday, the key to working with the darkest depths of our soul is building a relationship with our feelings and emotions, without necessarily attempting to logically analyze them or “fix” anything. As the mirror card of The Chariot VII indicates, working with feelings and emotions is an inherently heart-based, intuitive process, similar to the way that one must work with their hearts and intuition when guiding horses. While this can be incredibly frustrating to someone used to using their intellect, it can also be incredibly freeing since there is nothing to “do” except remain present and open to what truly “is” — even the muddiest and most churned-up of waters will eventually clear of their own accord.
