The Tower is one of the most disruptive and disheartening tarot cards. Its imagery often depicts a tower being struck by lightning, with people falling from it. At first glance, it may seem like a symbol of chaos and destruction.
In readings, the Tower represents the need for upheaval and change to grow and evolve. It signifies a time of significant transformation, frequently through unexpected and painful experiences. The Tower asks us to break free from old patterns and ways of thinking to embrace a new way of being.
In everyday life situations, the Tower is a call to examine our lives and assess what is no longer serving us. It can represent the need to let go of old beliefs and behaviours that are holding us back, even if it feels uncomfortable or painful. The Tower reminds us that transformation and growth typically require the breakdown of the old in order to make way for the new.
It is important to note the Tower is not all about destruction and chaos. Rather, it is about the necessary process of breaking down what no longer serves us in order to build something better in its place. The Tower teaches us that sometimes we need to let go of the familiar and comfortable to grow and reach our full potential.
Questions to Consider
- In what areas of life do you feel stagnant or stuck?
- What beliefs or behaviours are holding you back from growth and transformation?
- How can you embrace the upheaval and change represented by the Tower to move forward with purpose in your life?
Exercise Ideas
- Journal about a time when you experienced significant change or transformation. What did you learn from that experience?
- Create a visual representation of the Tower card, and write down the old beliefs or behaviours you need to let go of to move forward purposefully.
- Meditate on the imagery of the Tower card, and visualise yourself breaking free from old patterns and ways of thinking.
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Surrealist |
Diary |
bifrost |
Langustl |
Rider-Waite |
Variations of the Card
This card is normally viewed as a bad omen of the tarot deck. The card would seem apparently inspired by the biblical story of the Tower of Babel. In the Bible, it also says that if the LORD didn’t build the house, those who work on it labour in vain. These verses share the theme of vanity. When pride stops working, perhaps it may have crossed over into the realm of vanity. When the ego comes crashing down, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
The Surrealist version shows a devastating lightning bolt breaking the tower in two. The card captures the essence of destruction.
Diary‘s variation on the image of destruction has to be the most depraved of the group. From a glass tower, onlookers witness a person hitting rock bottom in the worst way. It is particularly tragic when a person can not even realize the value of their own life.
It is difficult to find one’s orientation when it comes to the Langustl Tower. There is a Tower, but the perspective is twisted to the point where it can’t be certain if the Tower has fallen, or the reader is falling off it while dropping their things.
The bifrost version of this card has the Tower of Babel. Perspective can be viewed in different ways in this image. A dark magus uses destructive magic on his ascent to the top. Tough competition is met with harsh, drastic measures. But do the ends justify the means?
