The Tower is one of the Major Arcana Tarot cards and it is a sign that major change is coming. It usually signals a catastrophe or disaster that you can’t avert. You will have to embrace the destruction and find a way to rebuild afterward. While this is challenging, being given a clean slate is also an opportunity.
Upright Tarot Card Meanings – In Brief
In the upright position, The Tower suggests that a major change that will feel disastrous is about to happen. There is nothing that you can do to avert this, and your best course of action is acceptance. The sooner you realize that something is beyond your control and can’t be changed, the sooner you can focus on how you will rebuild yourself even better.
Reversed Tarot Card Meanings – In Brief
In the reversed position, The Tower card suggests that you are ready to make some big changes in your life. Perhaps you are hesitating out of fear? The reversed Tower reassures you that now is the time and that you can reshape your life. It can be hard to imagine something completely different, but you are only ever one decision away from a completely different life.
Number – 16
The Tower card is linked with the number 16, which embodies ideas of personal freedom and autonomy. In the case of The Tower, this is a reminder that while you cannot control the chaos that is happening in the world around you, you can control your response to it. This is the best way to start to regain some form of control over your world.
Element -Fire
The Tower card is linked with the element of Fire, which is that all-consuming force that burns brightly for a period, but then leaves ashes in its wake. It indicates that you are about to pass through a highly intense period, at the end of which you may feel like you are burnt out. It is up to you to find the energy and the motivation to rebuild yourself.
Planet – Mars
The planet Mars rules The Tower, and this is the planet of intense physical activity, aggression, and war. You are entering a fight, and it will take a lot of your energy. But while it will cost you in resources, the best things in life are worth fighting for. What you are left with in the end will be more valuable than you can now predict.
The Tower – Tarot Card Description
While The Tower card appears differently in different decks, most pull on the symbology represented in the Rider Waite deck.
A magnificent tower stands on top of a precarious cliff. While the structure is strong, the foundations are precarious, making the entire set-up unstable. The tower is struck from above by lighting and is set alight. These lightning rays represent new knowledge and insight that turn everything on its head.
Two people jump from the burning tower, plunging without a parachute into the unknown. They are surrounded by 22 flames, that represent the 12 signs of the zodiac and the 10 points of the Tree of Life. These are a reflection of order in the universe, and a reminder that things unfold as they must.
The Tower – Upright Tarot Card Meaning
When The Tower appears upright in a Tarot reading, it is a sure sign that something unexpected is about to happen. But not just unexpected, but catastrophic in the sense that it will fundamentally change your world. It could be divorce, losing your job, or someone important dying. Whatever it is, it will feel beyond your control.
This experience will probably be very challenging and painful, but it will also open your mind. You will realize how misguided you were about certain things in your life. But now you will be able to tap into your intuition and see things more clearly.
The fact is that whatever destruction is happening in your life is necessary. The process will burn you up and feel you leaving like you have nothing less. But like a phoenix, you can emerge from the ashes. But you need to choose to find ways to start again and rebuild.
What to do?
When The Tower card appears upright in a reading, you should prepare yourself for major upheaval and change. But don’t fight it or try to stop it. What will happen is inevitable and beyond your control. Embrace the destruction and the opportunity for a fresh start that it brings. Focus on how you are going to rebuild completely from the ground up.
The Tower – Reversed Tarot Card Meaning
When The Tower card appears reversed in a Tarot reading, it suggests that you are about to instigate a major change in your life. You have probably had a revelation that changes your outlook on many things, and it is forcing you to rethink.
The Tower reversed reassures you that now is an appropriate time to make the major changes that you are imagining. It reminds you that you are only ever one decision away from a completely different life and you have the power to create the life that you want.
This card may also appear reversed as a warning of an oncoming disaster. But this is a disaster that you can avoid if you trust your intuition and take appropriate steps. If you want to change the outcome of what is ahead of you, you need to act now.
What to do?
When The Tower card appears reversed in a Tarot reading, it is time to embrace the change of your own making. Either you know that you need to make a major change and the card assures you that you are on the right path and now is the right time or something big is coming on the horizon and you need to act to avoid disaster. In either case, now is the time to act.
The Tower in Relation to Other Tarot Cards
When analyzing The Tower in relation to other cards in the Tarot deck, its presence profoundly underscores themes of upheaval, revelation, and the dismantling of false structures. Symbolizing sudden change and the destruction of well-established but ultimately unstable foundations, The Tower embodies the concept of liberation through chaos, urging the querent to recognize the transformative power of breaking down to rebuild. This card invites the querent to face the truths unveiled by disruption, to let go of obsolete beliefs or situations, and to embrace the opportunity for profound renewal and growth.
Relationship with the Major Arcana
Within the epic journey of the Major Arcana, The Tower acts as a catalyst for radical change, challenging the querent to confront the impermanence of external circumstances and the illusions of security. Its interactions with other Major Arcana cards can illuminate the process of transformation and the liberation that comes from embracing the unpredictable:
– The Tower and Death: This pairing accentuates the theme of endings and the necessity of letting go. While Death symbolizes a more gradual process of transformation and release, The Tower represents the abrupt collapse of what no longer serves, together illustrating the spectrum of change from subtle shifts to sudden awakenings, and the potential for rebirth that follows destruction.
– The Tower and The Star: Together, these cards speak to the hope and clarity that emerge from chaos. Following The Tower’s destruction, The Star shines as a beacon of healing, inspiration, and guidance, suggesting that after the storm clears, there is an opportunity for renewal and a deeper understanding of one’s purpose and path.
– The Tower and The Fool: This combination highlights the journey from upheaval to new beginnings. The Fool, representing innocence and the willingness to embark on a new path, gains significance in the aftermath of The Tower’s shake-up, reminding the querent that every ending carries the promise of a fresh start and the freedom to choose a new direction.
Relationship with the Minor Arcana
The Tower’s connection with the Minor Arcana showcases how themes of disruption, insight, and rebuilding manifest in the querent’s everyday life and personal evolution:
– The Tower and Ten of Swords: This pairing reinforces the concept of hitting rock bottom and the inevitable conclusion of a cycle. The Ten of Swords, depicting betrayal or a final downfall, paired with The Tower, emphasizes the harsh but necessary end to certain situations, paving the way for a new dawn and the courage to rise again.
– The Tower and Ace of Wands: When appearing with the Ace of Wands, The Tower suggests that from the ashes of destruction, new passion and creativity are born. This combination encourages seizing the creative spark that arises from chaos, embracing the chance to innovate and to pursue new ventures with enthusiasm and vigor.
– The Tower and Four of Cups: This pairing highlights the awakening from stagnation and the reevaluation of missed opportunities. The Four of Cups, symbolizing discontent and apathy, alongside The Tower, indicates that upheaval can jolt the querent out of complacency, revealing new possibilities and motivating action towards fulfillment.
The Tower Tarot Reading
When The Tower appears in a Tarot reading, it means that change is coming, one way or another. Upright, a change is being thrust upon you and you are going to have to find a way of living with something catastrophic and rebuilding. Reversed, you are the one who is ready to turn everything on its head with a major decision.
The Tower card often points to the big things in life that we can’t control. But it also reminds us of what we can control: our attitude and our response to things. While these might seem trivial in the bigger picture, The Tower is a reminder of just how powerful these things are.
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