Let’s get right to it: The Devil tarot card has intriguing connections to the Capricorn zodiac sign. We’ll delve into exactly why, and along the way we’ll also discover the other tarot cards connected to this ambitious, disciplined sign.
But first, a quick clarification: there’s no direct correlation between zodiac signs and tarot cards. What exists are fascinating symbolic links between tarot and astrology, meaningful and revealing, yet never set-in-stone truths. Those are exactly what we’ll unpack below.
Quick answer: which tarot card represents Capricorn?
The tarot card that represents Capricorn is The Devil, a Major Arcana card of ambition, materialism and the chains we place on ourselves; a surprisingly precise mirror of Capricorn’s drive for worldly success. Because Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, it’s also linked to The World, Saturn’s own card of mastery and completion.
While within the Minor Arcana, as an earth sign, Capricorn belongs to the suit of Pentacles, and its three decans line up with the Two, Three and Four of Pentacles. In short: one ruling card (The Devil), one Saturnian echo (The World), and a trio of Pentacles. We unpack each below.
How The Devil tarot card captures Capricorn’s essence
While the Devil card’s name might evoke fear, its symbolism offers deep insights into the nature of Capricorns. Often misunderstood, The Devil card isn’t simply a representation of evil! It holds layers of symbolism, as numerous as the key figures depicted on the card. For a deeper dive, explore The Devil tarot card’s meanings, key symbols, and love interpretations.
The card features a winged creature on a pedestal, resembling a goat: this goat is the first key connection to Capricorn, which we’ll explore further in the next paragraph.
The Devil represents the material world and the desires that can hold us captive. This aligns perfectly with Capricorn’s reputation for ambition, drive, and focus on achieving worldly success. They possess a strong work ethic and a relentless pursuit of often material goals. With a practical mindset, they navigate life methodically and with organization.
As an embodiment of Capricorn energy, the Devil reflects their unwavering determination, sometimes at the cost of neglecting other aspects of life.
The card serves as a reminder for Capricorns to maintain balance between ambition and other areas, like personal relationships and emotional well-being. We’ll delve deeper into this balance in the article’s section about the Capricorn-Cancer axis.
Yet, the Devil highlights potential pitfalls Capricorns might encounter if they become consumed by material pursuits. It serves as a warning against becoming overly rigid, controlling, or fixated on power and status. Capricorns must be mindful of their ambition leading them down a path of greed, manipulation, or isolation. Recognizing these shadow aspects helps them find balance and avoid succumbing to negative tendencies.
The Goat: symbol of both Capricorn and The Devil card
As mentioned earlier, a prominent symbol connects Capricorn and the Devil card: the goat.
The tenth sign of the zodiac, Capricorn, is represented by the goat. In the Devil tarot card, the central figure is indeed depicted with goat horns in most decks. This includes popular choices like the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, as well as classical decks like the Marseille and Visconti tarot. All these decks were included in our “Best Tarot Decks of the Year” list for beginners and advanced readers alike.
In the Rider-Waite version of The Devil card, this half-human, half-goat creature, also known as Baphomet, transcends duality. In mystical traditions, Baphomet, the Horned Goat of Mendes, embodies balance. This symbolism is reflected in The Devil card, which carries an energy that entices seekers to explore finding harmony within chaos. Baphomet represents various dichotomies, like male and female, human and animal, and even good and evil…
Similarly, we can encounter duality in Capricorns. As we’ll see in the Capricorn–Cancer axis dedicated paragraph, while they are driven by ambition and a strong work ethic, they also crave introspection and connection with loved ones. It’s important to remember that each sign also embodies characteristics of its opposite sign; for Capricorn, this is Cancer. In birth charts, these signs are part of the axis of the 4th house (ruled by Cancer) and the 10th house (ruled by Capricorn).
Thus, while a goal-oriented focus is crucial for Capricorns, engaging in activities that bring joy (such as hobbies, creative pursuits, or time in nature) and spending time with loved ones helps them achieve inner fulfillment and emotional balance.
Which of The Devil’s keywords resonate with Capricorn?
As many tarot enthusiasts know, each card has associated “keywords”, concise phrases or single words that capture its essence. These keywords offer a quick reference point for understanding the card’s meaning and guiding interpretations.
The tradition of associating keywords with tarot cards originated in the 18th century with the Etteilla Tarot. Etteilla, a renowned French occultist, played a significant role in popularizing tarot within esoteric circles, as discussed in our article on the History of Tarot.
Now, let’s explore how specific keywords from The Devil card, both upright and reversed, resonate with the characteristics of the Capricorn sign:
- Materialism. As said, Capricorns possess a strong work ethic and often set ambitious goals, frequently material in nature. However, The Devil card reminds Capricorns that the pursuit of material possessions shouldn’t overshadow other aspects of life.
- Bondage. The Devil card can represent feeling trapped or restricted. For Capricorns, this might manifest as being overly rigid in their routines or clinging too tightly to their goals, neglecting personal growth or flexibility. The card encourages them to loosen their grip and embrace change.
- Power imbalance. For Capricorns, this could relate to their leadership style or their approach to achieving goals.
- Control. It can be a double-edged sword. While a healthy degree of control allows Capricorns to achieve their goals, excessive control can lead to negative consequences.
- Detoxification. Sometimes, Capricorns need to “detox” from their need for control or from their ambition! Enjoying chill moments is the key.
- Reevaluating desires. The Devil card prompts Capricorns to re-evaluate their desires. Are they driven by genuine aspirations, or are they chasing external validation or societal expectations? – Tip: If you, reader, are a Capricorn, answer this question on paper – black on white – and reflect on it.
- Empowerment. Releasing control and embracing vulnerability can ultimately empower Capricorns and lead to deeper fulfillment.
Saturn’s limitations and The Devil’s chains
Capricorn is ruled by the planet Saturn, known as the “great teacher“. While we recommend a deeper dive into Saturn in Astrology, here’s a quick glimpse of its influence.
Saturn is associated with discipline, rigor, and challenges. These challenges aren’t punishments, but opportunities for growth, resilience, and maturity. Saturn teaches us to confront and overcome limitations through discipline, responsibility, and perseverance.
Saturn also represents limitations and obstacles. These obstacles act as “proving grounds” for our resilience and determination, revealing areas where we need to grow or adapt. They can be external restrictions or internal struggles.
Now, let’s connect these ideas to the Devil card, particularly the imagery in the Rider-Waite deck. Notice the two figures, a woman and a man, chained together. They appear limited, but a closer look reveals the chains are loose. They could break free if they chose to. This image reflects a key lesson for Capricorns influenced by Saturn. They might feel limited or restricted, but these limitations can be self-imposed or driven by external expectations. The Devil’s chains are an illusion: true freedom lies in recognizing this and taking action.
Similar to the figures on the Devil card, Capricorns may feel restricted by expectations (both internal and external). However, they always have the potential for change and freedom. By acknowledging their limitations and harnessing Saturn’s influence (discipline, perseverance), Capricorns can break free from self-imposed restrictions and unlock their full potential!
The World: Capricorn’s other Major Arcana card
The Devil is Capricorn’s headline card, but it isn’t the only Major Arcana archetype that echoes this sign. Because Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, it also resonates with The World — the card traditionally attributed to Saturn and the very last of the Major Arcana.
Where The Devil shows Capricorn the trap of ambition, The World shows its reward: completion, mastery and the satisfaction of a long climb finally reaching the summit. It’s a fitting pair for the sign of the mountain goat. The Devil is the shadow of Capricorn’s drive; The World is its fulfilment. Read together, they map the full arc of the Capricorn journey — from being chained by material desire to standing, at last, in earned accomplishment.
Earthy connections: the Pentacles Suit and Capricorn
While the Major Arcana explores broader themes, the Minor Arcana delves into the intricate details of daily life. Within the Minor Arcana, each of the four suits resonates with a specific element – Wands (Fire), Cups (Water), Swords (Air), and Pentacles (Earth).
The Suit of Pentacles is associated with the element of Earth. It embodies themes of stability, practicality, material security, and building a strong foundation. These earthy qualities resonate deeply with Capricorn, an earth sign.
For Capricorns, the Suit of Pentacles holds particular significance. This connection reflects their natural inclination towards building a secure future, focusing on finances and resources, and achieving tangible goals.
The Pentacles of the three decans
The suit connection gets far more precise when you zoom in. In many esoteric systems, each zodiac sign is split into three decans of about ten degrees each, and every decan is matched to a numbered Minor Arcana card.
Since Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign, its three decans fall within the suit of Pentacles — specifically the Two, Three and Four of Pentacles — and each carries its own sub-ruler, adding a second planetary layer on top of Saturn.
Here’s how Capricorn’s decans line up with the Pentacles:
- First decan: Two of Pentacles (≈ 22 – 30 December, sub-ruled by Jupiter).
Keywords of balance, juggling and adaptability. This is Capricorn managing competing responsibilities and keeping money, work and life in equilibrium — expansion (Jupiter) meeting structure. - Second decan: Three of Pentacles (≈ 31 December – 9 January, sub-ruled by Mars).
Keywords of skilled work, craftsmanship and collaboration. Here Capricorn’s ambition becomes concrete: building something of lasting value, brick by brick, with disciplined effort. - Third decan: Four of Pentacles (≈ 10 – 19 January, sub-ruled by the Sun).
Keywords of security, holding on and material control. This is the most quintessentially Capricorn card of the three, and the one that most closely rhymes with The Devil’s warning about clutching too tightly to what we own.
You may also see the King of Pentacles (and, in some systems, the Knight of Pentacles) linked to Capricorn as its court-card counterpart: the master of the material realm, prosperous, reliable and rooted in the earth. As always, treat these as frameworks, not fixed rules, different decks and traditions draw the lines slightly differently, exactly as we cautioned at the start.
Taken together, the Pentacles of the decans give Capricorn something the single Devil card can’t: a practical, day-to-day map — balance, craftsmanship and security — of how this sign actually builds its world.
The Capricorn-Cancer Axis and the Devil’s Dance
Throughout our exploration of Capricorn and the Devil card, we’ve emphasized the importance of balance. This theme takes center stage once again when we consider the Capricorn-Cancer axis.
The astrological concept of axes explores the dynamic between opposing signs. In this case, Capricorn and Cancer form the cardinal axis, representing the foundation (Capricorn) and the nurturing force (Cancer). While Capricorn strives for ambition and achievement (earthly realm, The Devil card’s material desires), Cancer seeks security and emotional connection (building a safe haven for loved ones).
The Devil card, with its potential for indulgence and neglect of emotional needs, can manifest as an imbalance on this axis. Or it can simply serve as a reminder to be careful not to lose that balance. For Capricorns overly focused on material pursuits, the Devil serves as a reminder to nurture their emotional core.
Finding balance is key. By acknowledging the opposing energy of their axis and learning from The Devil’s lessons, Capricorns can achieve greater fulfillment. They can integrate emotional well-being into their ambitious drive. The Capricorn-Cancer axis, with its opposing yet complementary energies, offers a rich tapestry for personal growth, reminding us that true success encompasses both material security and emotional well-being.
Whether you’re a Capricorn or simply curious about astrology and tarot connections, if you have any doubts or something to share, please leave a comment below. We’re happy to provide more information or hear your thoughts about this sign and its card connections.
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FAQs about Capricorn’s tarot card
Capricorn’s main tarot card is The Devil, a Major Arcana card of ambition, materialism and self-imposed limitation — themes that mirror Capricorn’s disciplined drive for worldly success.
Because the two share the same core symbolism: the goat (Capricorn’s emblem and the Devil’s horned figure), a focus on the material world, and the chains that echo Saturn’s lessons about limitation. The Devil isn’t about evil — it’s about desire, control and the freedom to break loose.
Both. Capricorn’s headline card, The Devil, is Major Arcana (with The World as a Saturnian echo). In the Minor Arcana, its three decans map to the Two, Three and Four of Pentacles.
The suit of Pentacles, because Pentacles embody the earth element that governs Capricorn.
Saturn — the planet of discipline, structure and limitation — which is why Capricorn resonates with both The Devil (Saturn’s shadow) and The World (Saturn’s mastery).
