Thursday 14 March 2013

Edmonton Tarot: The Devil (XV)


Interpretation: The Devil card represents bondage and slavery. Some malevolent being, thing or process is controlling the person's life, with disastrous consequences. The Devil can be an outer or inner force. In our society, this card can often represent addiction of some kind which has the person in its remorseless grip.

Image: This monument on the grounds of Edmonton's City Hall memorializes the terrible suffering of the Ukrainian people during the Holodomor. In the early 1930s, Stalin deliberately engineered mass starvation in the Ukraine as an act of terror to force people to abandon their own farms and join the state's collective farms. Millions died during that man-made famine. Its horror is remembered by relatives and survivors in Edmonton, which has the largest Ukrainian-Canadian population in Canada.

[Photo by Debra She Who Seeks]

30 comments:

Unknown said...

That's not a card I'd ever want to see in my life.

You chose a great representation of it. Very moving.

turquoisemoon said...

Good Job!!! Love the way you "see" the signs...

mxtodis123 said...

Amazingly eerie. Great choice.
Mary

Miss Val's Creations said...

What a tragedy! The memorial is really cool. Great analogy!!!

Sulky Kitten said...

Interesting.I remember reading about that period in my history class.

A Beer for the Shower said...

Bondage, slavery, and addiction? Depending on who you talk to, that could either be horrible... or great.

Cperz said...

I agree with Anne's comment. That isn't a card I would want to see. The monument conveys suffering very well..powerful statement using minimal imagery.

Adam said...

I've heard of the Soviet famines before, but I had no idea that (at least one) was done on purpose. But then again Stalin did it, so I'm not shocked.

Jeanne said...

A very moving and powerful image for that particular card.

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

I can think of times (people) when this card played a role in my life.

The suffering of the Ukranian people is truly tragic. Stalin was one mean bastard.

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

I so admire your view of the tarot and it's representation in your own area. I'm thinking that now that the weather is changing for the better, that this would be an excellent way to encourage a "look around" trip here in the city for the grands. Sort of a seek and find if you will for maybe two card at a time. See now you've started something. Oma Linda

DWei said...

And that's why Stalin can be considered worse than Hitler.

And following the same logic, Mao is worse than Stalin.

DEZMOND said...

such a terrifying story!

jaz@octoberfarm said...

what humans are capable of doing to each other, eh?

Yvonne said...

Very interesting. Wonderful memorial.

PeaceLoveandSharpies said...

That gave me the chills for some reason...

Anonymous said...

I have been trapped by addiction for years, and finally those chains of addiction for me are being broken!

CraveCute said...

This is a wonderful representation of the Devil Card. Great photo Debra.

Magic Love Crow said...

Thank you for explaining the Devil card! I never thought of an addiction to be in the interpretation. Such horrible events that happened to the Ukrainian people! The monument is very powerful!

-E- said...

That's one of the better pieces of public art I've seen, actually.

Riot Kitty said...

I'm hoping there is a special place in bad karma land somewhere for people like Stalin.

Magaly Guerrero said...

Powerful card, image choice and description. Such a pretty, shiny image (just like the so called wonders of a 'good' fix), and how dark what lies in its belly...

SUZY8-TRACK said...

Hard to believe that something like that could ever be allowed to happen!

yellowdoggranny said...

no devil card for me..already did my time

mxtodis123 said...

You outdid yourself today. LOL!!!
Mary

Jim said...

My brother-in-law is a member of that community, and a very proud one at that!
Great memorial to help us to never forget that atrocity!

laughingwolf said...

:'(

Rose - Watching Waves said...

Again, I learn. Thank you for sharing the memorial and the information about it. Something I was not aware of. I love learning about things like this, not from morbidy but to encourage awareness and knowledge. What tragic things humans do other humans.

Anonymous said...

Great job!

Guillaume said...

I brought back from my trip in Manchester a few tarot post cards, drawn by Anthony Burgess. The Hanged Man and The Fool.