The Devil Made Me Do It

Mid last year I was invited to participate in a special project to benefit The Ink People, Humboldt County's indie arts organization.  Twenty two local artists were chosen to create a piece of art that represents each person's take on one of the 22 Major Arcana cards in the tarot deck.  We had a ceremony where each of us chose our card ~ in actuality the appropriate card chose one of us to represent it.  My card is The Devil.

The finished artwork is due March 1.  Each piece will be photographed, a deck of Major Arcana cards will be printed and available locally for sale, and the original artwork will be auctioned off to benefit TIP. 

The Devil is one of two or three Major Arcana cards that strike fear in most peoples' hearts.  Actually, though, it is a card of transformation.  The Devil shows us the dark side -- our personal dark side, the dark side of society and civilization, materialism, overindulgence, dark political powers, etc.  The images at the bottom of my collage represent those very things. 

But the card shows us that we're only enslaved by ourselves.  The chains are loose, we each make the choice to wallow in the mire of modern culture or to lift ourselves out and move toward the light, the awakened spiritual life.  The Devil is also Lucifer, the bringer of light.  If we're willing to let go of everything that is not working in our lives personally and culturally and see ourselves as we truly are ~ spiritual beings having a human experience ~ then life is open at the top and we are gifted with pearls of wisdom.

The Devil is absolutely the perfect card for me to have drawn.  It speaks volumes about the spiritual growth I've been undergoing in the last year.  I am honored that I was asked to participate in this project.