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09/12/2010

THE TOWER

Basic Card Symbols

A tower on a rocky outcrop, a powerful bolt of lightning, one or two figures falling from the tower, sometimes waves crashing below.

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Basic Tarot Story

As the Fool leaves the throne of the Goat God, he comes upon a Tower, fantastic, magnificent, and familiar. In fact, The Fool, himself, helped build this Tower back when the most important thing to him was making his mark on the world and proving himself better than other men. Inside the Tower, at the top, arrogant men still live, convinced of their rightness. Seeing the Tower again, the Fool feels as if lightning has just flashed across his mind; he thought he'd left that old self behind when he started on this spiritual journey. But he realizes now that he hasn't. He's been seeing himself, like the Tower, like the men inside, as alone and singular and superior, when in fact, he is no such thing. So captured is he by the shock of this insight, that he opens his mouth and releases a SHOUT! And to his astonishment and terror, as if the shout has taken form, a bolt of actual lightning slashes down from the heavens, striking the Tower and sending its residents leaping out into the waters below.

In a moment, it is over. The Tower is rubble, only rocks remaining. Stunned and shaken to the core, the Fool experiences grief, profound fear and disbelief. But also, a strange clarity of vision, as if his inner eye has finally opened. He tore down his resistance to change and sacrifice (Hanged man), then broke free of his fear and preconceptions of death (Death); he dissolved his belief that opposites cannot be merged (Temperance) and shattered the chains of ambition and desire (The Devil). But here and now, he has done what was hardest: destroyed the lies he held about himself. What's left is the bare, absolute truth. On this he can rebuild his soul.

Basic Tarot Meaning

With Mars as its ruling planet, the Tower is a card about war, a war between the structures of lies and the lightning flash of truth. The Tower, as Wang points out, stands for "false concepts and institutions that we take for real." When the Querent gets this card, they can expect to be shaken up, to be blinded by a shocking revelation. It sometimes takes that to see a truth that one refuses to see. Or to bring down beliefs that are so well constructed. What's most important to remember is that the tearing down of this structure, however painful, makes room for something new to be built.

Thirteen's Observations

No card scares a Tarot reader like the Tower - or the person they're reading for if that person knows anything about Tarot cards. It is however one of the clearest cards when it comes to meaning. False structures, false institutions, false beliefs are going to come tumbling down, suddenly, violently and all at once. What's important to remember as a tarot reader is that the one you're reading for likely does not know that something is false. Not yet. To the contrary, they probably believe that their lover is being faithful, that their religious beliefs are true and right, that there are no problems in their family structure, that everything is fine at work...oh, and that they're fine. Just fine, really.

Alas, they're about to get a very rude awakening. Shaken up, torn down, blown asunder. And all a reader can really do to soften the blow is assure the Querent that it is for the best. Nothing built on a lie, on falsehoods, can remain standing for long. Better to tear it all down and rebuild on the truth. It is not going to be pleasant or painless or easy, but it will be for the best.

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See examples of different Tower cards here.

Onto the next Tarot card, the Star...

Back to the list of Tarot Card Meanings...



The Tower - tarot card meanings and illustrations

Basic Meaning

Upright - Disruption. Conflict. Change. Overthrow of an existing way of life. Major changes. Disruption of well worn routines. Disturbance. Dramatic upheaval. Change of residence or job sometimes both at once. Widespread repercussions of actions. In the end, enlightenment and freedom.

Key Words: Change that cannot be avoided, reap what is sown, the paralysis of evil by love.

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Ill Dignified or Reversed - Negativity. Restriction of desires. Drastic change that may rob the individual of freedom of expression. Sometimes financial issues. More usually imprisonment within a set of circumstances which cannot currently be altered. Sudden changes out of one's control.

Key Words: Negativity, restricted desires, develop the self to avert risk.

The Tower card, as with the Death Card and Devil card, tend to cause the greatest amount of concern. However unlike the latter two, The Tower card really is one that offers a warning. The Tower card shows a tower that is built on false beliefs and lies. A thunderbolt of lightning strikes from above to shatter those believes and preconceptions.

Although you may not realize it now, things are going to change. This card warns of a very rude awakening, because everything may not be what it seems. The Tower suggests the collapsing of the norm in favour of something much deeper and better. This card is indicative that change is coming. However no matter how disturbing any revelations that may come to light, or alterations to your life, please be assured that you will see that in the end it is all for the best. When this card shows up in your spread the most effective way to tackle it, is to accept that old outdated forms will come tumbling down but this will inevitably give rise to bigger and better things in your life. Freedom and enlightenment are starred.

Traditional Symbolism

Occult explanations attached to this card are meagre and mostly disconcerting. It is idle to indicate that it depicts min in all its aspects, because it bears this evidence on the surface. It is said further that it contains the first allusion to a material building, but I do not conceive that the Tower is more or less material than the pillars which we have met with in three previous cases. I see nothing to warrant Papus in supposing that it is literally the fall of Adam, but there is more in favour of his alternative--that it signifies the materialization of the spiritual word. The bibliographer Christian imagines that it is the downfall of the mind, seeking to penetrate the mystery of God. I agree rather with Grand Orient that it is the ruin of the House of We, when evil has prevailed therein, and above all that it is the rending of a House of Doctrine.

I understand that the reference is, however, to a House of Falsehood. It illustrates also in the most comprehensive way the old truth that "except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it." There is a sense in which the catastrophe is a reflection from the previous card, but not on the side of the symbolism which I have tried to indicate therein. It is more correctly a question of analogy; one is concerned with the fall into the material and animal state, while the other signifies destruction on the intellectual side.

The Tower has been spoken of as the chastisement of pride and the intellect overwhelmed in the attempt to penetrate the Mystery of God; but in neither case do these explanations account for the two persons who are the living sufferers. The one is the literal word made void and the other its false interpretation. In yet a deeper sense, it may signify also the end of a dispensation, but there is no possibility here for the consideration of this involved question.

Tarot Card fast find

Select a card below to learn more.

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|The Fool |The Magician |The High Priestess |The Empress |

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|The Emperor |The Pope |The Lovers |The Chariot |

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|Strength |The Hermit |Wheel of Fortune |Justice |

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|The Hanged Man |Death |Temperance |The Devil |

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|The Tower |The Star |The Moon |The Sun |

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|Judgement |The World | | |

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The Suit of Wands - tarot card meaning and illustration

Select a card below to learn more.

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|Ace of Wands |Two of Wands |Three of Wands |Four of Wands |

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|Five of Wands |Six of Wands |Seven of Wands |Eight of Wands |

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|Nine of Wands |Ten of Wands |Page of Wands |Knight of Wands |

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|Queen of Wands |King of Wands | | |

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The Suit of Cups - tarot card meanings and illustrations

Select a card below to learn more.

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|Ace of Cups |Two of Cups |Three of Cups |Four of Cups |

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|Five of Cups |Six of Cups |Seven of Cups |Eight of Cups |

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|Nine of Cups |Ten of Cups |Page of Cups |Knight of Cups |

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|Queen of Cups |King of Cups | | |

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The Suit of Swords - tarot card meanings and illustrations

Select a card below to learn more.

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|Ace of Swords |Two of Swords |Three of Swords |Four of Swords |

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|Five of Swords |Six of Swords |Seven of Swords |Eight of Swords |

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|Nine of Swords |Ten of Swords |Page of Swords |Knight of Swords |

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|Queen of Swords |King of Swords | | |

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The Suit of Pentacles (Coins) - tarot card meanings and illustrations

Select a card below to learn more.

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|Ace of Coins |Two of Coins |Three of Coins |Four of Coins |

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|Five of Coins |Six of Coins |Seven of Coins |Eight of Coins |

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|Nine of Coins |Ten of Coins |Page of Coins |Knight of Coins |

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|Queen of Coins |King of Coins | | |

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