Tarot Card Combination
The Devil+Three of Cups
惡魔 & 聖杯三
The Devil's chains meet the Three of Cups' celebration, revealing a potent alchemy where earthly attachments transform through shared emotional waters. This pairing speaks of liberation found within community, where acknowledging shadow bonds can lead to authentic, abundant connection. It's the dance between binding materialism and freeing celebration, suggesting true power emerges when we face our dependencies together.
This combination paints a vivid picture of liberation through communion. The Devil (Earth, #15) represents the material chains, addictions, and shadow aspects that bind us—the parts of ourselves we keep in darkness. The Three of Cups (Water, #3) is the overflowing emotional celebration, sisterhood, and communal joy. Together, they suggest that our deepest bonds and dependencies, when brought into the light of authentic connection and shared emotional experience, can transform. The Earth of The Devil grounds the Water of the Three of Cups, creating fertile mud where new growth can emerge from acknowledged shadows. This isn't about breaking chains alone, but about finding the communal strength and shared joy that makes the weight of those chains bearable, and ultimately, transformable.
Elemental Analysis
Earth (Devil) and Water (Three of Cups) create a potent, fertile blend. Earth provides structure, manifestation, and grounding to Water's emotional flow and intuition. Here, the dense, sometimes stagnant energy of The Devil's Earth is irrigated and moved by the celebratory, connecting Waters of the Three of Cups. This interaction suggests emotional release (Water) through confronting material reality (Earth), and the grounding of fleeting joy into tangible, shared experience.
Numerology Insights
The sum 18 (15+3) reduces to 9 (1+8), echoing endings and humanitarianism, but 18 itself carries the vibration of abundance and karmic power. It is a number of material and spiritual harvest, often with a lesson about the use of power. Here, it underscores that the power dynamics and material binds (Devil) within the joyful community (Three of Cups) have karmic significance and potential for great abundance.
Reversal Meanings
The Devil Reversed
The Devil reversed suggests breaking free from bondage, releasing addictions, or rejecting materialistic illusions. The chains are loosening or being seen for what they are. However, this liberation might feel sudden or disorienting, leaving a void where the dependency once lived. It's a card of awakening, but the shadow material must still be integrated.
Three of Cups Reversed
Three of Cups reversed indicates a celebration turned sour, a friendship circle fractured, or emotional support withdrawn. Joy may feel forced, exclusive, or lead to overindulgence. There's a blockage in the free flow of shared emotion, suggesting isolation within a group or the hangover after the party.
Both Cards Reversed
Both cards reversed create a complex dynamic of liberation (Devil Rx) occurring amidst social or emotional disruption (3 Cups Rx). Breaking free from a binding situation may cost you your community or shared joy. Alternatively, the collapse of a celebratory facade could be what finally allows you to see and escape your chains. Integration is key.
Spiritual Guidance
Spiritually, this pairing is alchemical: transforming base earthly attachments (Devil) through the sacred waters of shared experience and emotional communion (Three of Cups). It teaches that liberation is not a solitary ascent from materialism, but a journey walked with others where shadows are acknowledged and celebrated as part of the whole. Your spiritual practice may involve finding the divine within seemingly binding worldly connections.
Yes/No Reading Guide
The answer leans toward a cautious 'yes,' but with significant conditions. Yes, there is power and potential abundance here, but only if you consciously navigate the binding elements (Devil) through authentic connection and shared celebration (Three of Cups). It's a 'yes' that requires awareness of strings attached.
Historical & Mythological Context
The Devil card's imagery draws from medieval depictions of Baphomet, a symbol of duality and earthly nature. The Three of Cups echoes ancient harvest festivals and rites of sisterhood, like the Greek Thesmophoria. Together, they mirror historical tensions between sanctioned communal joy and persecuted earthly or shadow practices.
Daily Affirmation
"Within our shared joy, I find the strength to transform my bonds."
Practical Advice
Do not seek to sever your chains in isolation. Bring them into the light of trusted community. Let shared joy and emotional support be the solvent that loosens unhealthy bonds. Celebrate your progress, not just your perfection.
Things to Watch
Beware the temptation to use celebration and connection as another form of escapism or to ignore the chains that still bind. True joy cannot be built on a foundation of unacknowledged dependency.
Individual Card Meanings
The Devil
惡魔
The Devil shows two figures chained at the feet of a horned beast, yet their chains are loose—they could leave if they chose to. This card represents the bondage we create for ourselves through attachment, addiction, materialism, or unhealthy relationships. It asks you to examine what holds you captive. What patterns, beliefs, or desires have become your prison? The Devil is not about external evil but about our shadow self—the parts of ourselves we deny or project onto others. When this card appears, it is time to honestly face your attachments and ask whether they serve your highest good or keep you in chains.
View full meaning →Three of Cups
聖杯三
The Three of Cups shows three women raising their cups in celebration, representing friendship, community, and joyful gatherings. This card indicates a time of happiness shared with others—parties, reunions, weddings, or any occasion bringing people together in celebration.
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