XVI The Tower
'I shake things up so you can rebuild what wasn't working.'
Demolition, Destruction
Essential Meanings
Keywords
Ruin, Reduction, Breakdown, Shock, Explosion, Dispute, Liberation, Estrangement, Chaos, Sudden Change, Disruption, Opening, Lightning, Uncork, Divorce, Castration, Enlightenment, Orgasm, Overthrow, Punishment, Estrangement, Separation, Humility, Chaos, Impact, Burst, Disillusion, Exile, Prison
Element
Fire
Yes/No/Maybe
No
The Tower represents destruction before reconstruction, liberation from a self-constructed prison and false pride crumbling to the ground.
The Tower card is all about those self-made prisons we don't even realize we're stuck in. Picture yourself behind barred windows and high walls, feeling safe but not knowing you're trapped. When the Tower crumbles, it's like crawling out of the ruins and into the open air, ready to start fresh and embrace change. This collapse? It's pure liberation and a real cathartic moment.
The Tower card nudges you to ditch your old certainties, long-held opinions, and comfy surroundings. It's urging you to explore new, uncharted territories. To reach the ultimate goal, symbolized by the World card, you've got to go through the Tower, no matter how uneasy it feels.
Think of the Tower as a wake-up call, a sudden insight, or a life-changing message. It's that jolt you need to shake things up and move forward.
Golden Art Nouveau
Symbols
Fire
Fire is a wild and destructive force, growing stronger by devouring everything in its path.Lightning
Lightning represents a powerful strike from above, showing divine wrath hitting the Tower of Man.Falling People
These figures symbolize lives thrown into chaos, as everything they once knew crumbles away.Windows
Windows stand for our understanding of the mental, intellectual, and physical planes, all of which are now collapsing.Tower
Much like the Tower of Babel, this Tower represents human pride and selfish certainty. Built by man, for man, it offers an illusion of safety but is actually a spiritual prison.
Radiant Wise Spirit
What the Card Says
This is what the Tower would communicate to you if it were able to express itself in words:
'I am the destroyer within you, here to sweep away what never truly fit. I come unexpectedly, like a flash of brilliance or a crack of thunder - a sudden realization. I don't appear often, but when I do, I shake things up so you can rebuild what wasn't working. Don't fear me. I'm essential for your growth. You’ll rebuild stronger, wiser, and better. Welcome to the new you.'
Description of The Tower Card
The Tower has retained many of the features that appeared in its earliest incarnations, even in the most modern Tarot card decks.
Visconti-Sforza: The Tower card is either missing or was not included in the original Visconti-Sforza deck, along with the Devil, the Knight of Coins, and the Three of Swords. An artist has rendered it for the modern version to complete the set.
Marseille and Radiant Wise Spirit: The Marseille and Radiant Wise Spirit Tower cards depict a crumbling building under attack from a flame shooting out of the sky. Two people are seen plunging from the Tower to the ground, and spots of various colours tumble from the sky, symbolizing chaos and destruction.
Pictorial Key: In the Pictorial Key, the wrath of Heaven strikes the Tower, setting it on fire and sending the King and Queen, embodiments of hubris and pride, plummeting to their deaths. This dramatic scene emphasizes the sudden and destructive nature of the card's message.
Lesson
The Arcanum of the Tower card is all about rolling with the punches when things go wrong and breaking down those emotional barriers that hold you back. It's a fresh start for new growth and making things happen.
Thelema Affirmation
I seek to liberate those inside the tower. They cannot see the world's beauty.
Harmonious Teachings
Collapse, breakdown, unhappiness, tears, destruction, sudden change, crisis.
Certainties crumble with the Tower card.
Alternative Names
House of God, The Thunderbolt, Skyscraper
Marseille Keywords
Change, collapse, release, downfall
Pre-Raphaelite
Tear down the walls that imprison you.
Explosion, collapse, liberation, enlightenment, body, inspiration, hubris.
Studying the subjects listed will help you to gain a greater understanding of the Arcana:-
ViceVersa (Back)
We have seen the broken mask before, behind the gallows of the Hanged Man, as well as the Sphinxes from the Chariot card. How did they get to the Tower, set in the middle of a lonely sea? Look back over the events and choices that have led you to your present situation. Did you listen to your own inner guidance? Or did you thunder along the wrong road, oblivious to your destination? There is nothing for you here, but you can learn from your errors.
ViceVersa (Front)
There is no way to prepare for the Tower, other than to know that it is coming. Look for the weaknesses in your foundations. Where are you complacent? Where are you vulnerable? Do you have the inner and outer resources you need to deal with great change? It is good to be alarmed when you draw the Tower card. It is both a wake-up call and a cautionary tale. Don't sugar-coat the message, for the time for denial is long past.
Universal Celtic
A stone arch embedded with skulls is struck by lightning and falls down. The Tower represents solitude, the removal of oneself from the world.
John Bauer
Lightning strikes, illuminating a dark figure who towers over a small boy. The boy stands before the figure, a sword at his waist. Conflict is brewing, stand up for what you want, remove obstacles in your way.
Arcanum
Illuminati
