We have all been tempted.  Some people are tempted by chocolate while trying to avoid all sweets; others are tempted to reciprocate the flirtations of someone at work or to smoke a cigarette even though they “quit” last week.  Life is full of temptations; some are relatively minor and self-imposed (“From this point forward I am swearing off all bread!”); other temptations could potentially have more far-reaching implications or consequences for the person and possibly others (“If I change these accounting books just a little bit, I could pocket some of the business’s money and no one would know the difference.”)  A temptation is something people desire to do even though they believe they should not.  All temptations, small and large, share a common feature: if acted upon by someone who has a conscience (which is most of us!), the result is feelings of guilt. 

Because the word “temptation” brings to mind all sorts of nefarious activities that people tell themselves they should not do, even just the idea of being tempted has come to be commonly viewed as a bad thing.  As a result, people often have feelings of guilt from the moment they become aware of a temptation.  This is a problem for a couple reasons:  First, if a person already feels shame at the thought of eating a second piece of cake, that person is more likely to go ahead and give into that temptation.  After all, the emotional price is already being paid!  Second, by confusing the presence of a temptation with the decision to act upon those desires, people deny themselves a powerful opportunity for self-growth.

When I first began learning about tarot, the Devil card was one of my least favorite cards.  The word “devil” reminded me of going to church on Sundays as a child and teenager, wondering if I would go to Hell if I said, did, or even thought the “wrong” thing.  While my point is not to bash organized religion, I have come to realize that there is more evil in that kind of generalized fear and shame than there is in most of our actual temptations.  Temptations do not make us bad; they make us human. 

On many versions of the Devil card, there is an almost cartoonish devil character that seems to have as its prisoners a man and a woman.  These humans are in chains or sometimes have ropes or some other kind of tie around their necks or bodies, but the restraints and ties are wide and loose.  In fact, when you look closely at the image, it becomes clear that all the people need to do is unhook the chains, slip out of the rope, hop the fence, or in some other way choose to leave the voluntary bondage.  Similarly, when we give power to our temptations instead of to ourselves, we are choosing to be chained to our fears—the fear of being unworthy and inadequate as well as the fear of being more valuable and precious than we allow ourselves to imagine.

Temptation is the gravity that holds us to the ground and the resistance that makes our muscles stronger.  Instead of putting the chocolate in the highest cabinet in the kitchen- to help resist temptation- put it on the counter, and every time you pass by it—again and again—make the choice.  Every temptation presents an opportunity to become more empowered, to become less of a slave to base impulses that are not in alignment with how we want to live and our higher selves.  Every temptation presents an opportunity to choose forgiveness (of others and of self, when we fail), grace and humility when we resist, and self-discipline throughout the process.  For these things, we can be grateful.