T he Fool emerges from the intense visit to the Devil’s shadow self now ripe to allow even more to fall away and disintegrate. After facing the Devil’s insight into the chains that bind us, breaking free and dancing with their shadows, the Fool enters the realm of the Tower. From one kind of darkness into another, the Fool journeys to the ultimate magnificent construct of ego, self, limiting beliefs, and attachments that must be broken down to reveal wisdom, insight, and spiritual clarity.
The Tower is number sixteen—the one of the Magician as well as the six of the Lovers, associated with harmony, beauty, truth, connection, and love. Although perhaps difficult to understand in relation to the Tower, this is a card that may appear troubling and disruptive but its appearance is due to a deep longing for our soul to return to a sense of harmony and love that has long been outdated. Added together, the numbers create seven, a number of friction, growth, turbulence, and resurrection. The number seven connects to the Chariot, an energy of thrust, movement, action, and obvious outward changes. While the Chariot is generally positive in nature, the Tower most often presents as obstacles, difficulties, challenges, and chaos.
In medieval times, towers were used to watch for invaders, protect and defend castles and territory, and imprison people. Warriors could shoot arrows, loft cannons, or pour boiling liquids from the high places to make it difficult for attackers to advance. In modern times, towers are tall buildings that contain large amounts of working people who usually pour their time and energy into corporate endeavors as well as communication towers that transmit information. Towers are manmade attempts to get higher, have an advantage, create a sense of power over a situation. When the Tower comes crumbling down, it is the possible actual destruction of such a structure or symbolic dissolution of power that is being misused. Early versions of the card were called “Lightning,” a meaning that indicates unexpected fiery destruction.
The image of the tarot evokes a wild sense of dissolution, crumbling, and destruction of structures that are no longer able to withstand the soul’s need to grow, heal, change, and discover. In many traditions, the emphasis of struggling, suffering, pain, and hardship are necessary for true, real, and rich soul growth. When we struggle the most or face our deepest fears, we discover the riches of our true selves. When we mine the depths of the dark nights of the soul the treasures of truth and love are revealed. The Tower is akin to the Nine of Swords in which the questioner has come to the dark night of the soul. From here, there is nowhere to go but up.
The brilliant lightning strike above the tower is the flash of power and mystery and suddenness that can appear in our lives, turning well-formed plans into dust. As they say, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. And the Tower is the reminder of this. Belief systems, old structures, political and religious dogma must also crumble to allow the new ideas to take root. Similar to the destructive quality of lava, the Tower is the portent of chaos that leaves behind fertile new ground for something brilliant, inspirational, and completely new.
In the Waite-Smith imagery, we see a gray tower burning atop a craggy cliff against a black background and ominous clouds. Two figures are falling to their demise as lightning strikes and leaves behind smoke and ash. Above the tower is a golden crown tilted to the side appearing to also fall. This symbolizes the opening of the crown chakra or energy center at the top of our head. This can symbolize a kind of enlightenment or brief experience of illumination that follows the difficult dissolution of the tower. Flames emerge from the tower’s windows signifying the burning away of old structures and conditions. There is nothing left to do but fall.
In the Crowley deck, the Tower card has vivid and sharp imagery that indicates a kind of shattering. At the top of the card is an all-seeing eye which beams outward beyond the chaos and turmoil below, indicating the part of our soul self that survives any major change or upheaval. Forceful flames emerge from a wide open toothed mouth, fierce and all-consuming, symbolizing the unstoppable change. Yet in the background is a dove flying with a peace offering, a symbol of hope and grace even in times of turmoil.
The Tower certainly brings crisis and chaos and events that will be impossible to avoid. In a reading, the Tower indicates an external major transition such as loss of a job, divorce, chaos, and turbulent changes. Internally it may signify a loss of identity, sense of well-being, or emotional upheaval. This card always indicates difficult challenges in life; the reader should look to other cards to see what the Tower will be affecting the most, such as relationships, health, work, or spiritual matters.
If the Tower is in the future or outcome placement, the reader or client can be advised to prepare for a disruptive change. Sometimes the Tower works like an initiation in which everything is taken away so something new can emerge. If this is the case, we can also prepare for a time like this and enter change willingly or with more openness.
Essential Qualities: crisis, chaos, destruction, change, rubble, deconstruction, dissolution, loss of power, lightning, initiation, turmoil, upheaval
Suggestions: Look at the belief systems and stories that are confining you and preventing you from growing. Dismantle the old and make way for the new! Have a fire ceremony and write down a list of all that you are clearing away and burn it. Burn a bunch of papers, documents, art, and/or journals you no longer need. Turn the old into ash and lay that down on the earth to fertilize your way.
Oracle Vision
I am the Tower. I destroy limiting beliefs, identities, and attachments with no mercy. When I arrive, it is a time of ultimate surrender as change and chaos reign down upon you. If you struggle against the wild will of the Tower, you will experience further pain and suffering.
I remind you that loss is necessary and surrender is the flow of life. You have built up many walls around you that you thought would keep you safe. I am here to let you know that in life, there are no guarantees. There is no security but for the song and brilliance of your soul that only wishes to emerge more clearly from the rubble I cause.
From the ashes and dust that I create comes new life. Rebirth always follows death. Let me strip and burn away the facade that keeps you from experiencing the truth of everlasting love. Allow the fires of purification to clear and cleanse what has grown old and tired. Relinquish the old stories and clear the air for new power and beauty and wisdom.