Tower Tarot Card Meanings
One look at this card and we know something is afoot, and it doesn’t look good. The Tower Tarot card is all about change; usually very sudden, not-so-pleasant change.
Changes in life are typically gradual. This allows our minds to accommodate change, or for us to become accustomed to different shifts in our lives. When a sudden, cataclysmic change occurs, such as what the Tower card suggests, it is an anomaly of sorts. Such a drastic upheaval means the Universe trying to wake us up from our zombie-like state. This wake-up call comes in the form of an event that blind-sides us and shakes us out of the fog we’ve been living in.
Key Words for the Tower Tarot Card Meanings
- Change
- Eruption
- Upheaval
- Exposure
- Cataclysm
- Blind-sided
- Sudden Shift
When we are so entrenched in one single way of life, or one inflexible way of thinking we sometimes need to get a little rattled to get out of our daze. This is exactly what the Tower card represents. It’s as if we’ve been comatose and the Universe comes along with those electric paddles to jolt our hearts back to life.
An interesting observation about this card, particularly in this rendition (Morgan-Greer, permission and rights for use detailed on the home page.) is its movement. Clouds are rushing, fire is thrashing, waves are crashing, people are falling, everything is at high-speed motion except for the tower.
This symbolizes that the signs have been all around us. However, we continued to sit in our “ivory tower” or continued to construct our lives based on errant thinking, all the while the storm is brewing, and a fire is blazing right in front of our eyes. So in actuality, the changes foretold in the Tower card aren’t so sudden, we were just too blind to the signs. We refused to admit the problems. We simply turned away.
The presence of the Tower card in a reading is nothing to sneeze at. If you’ve gone through a traumatic shift already, nurture yourself as best you can and learn the lessons that came with the event corresponding with the card. If this card is in your future position take heed of the warning and examine your life. By identifying your ivory tower of illusion, you may save yourself a lot of grief in the future.
Key Symbols Relative to Tower Tarot Card Meanings:
This section focuses in on a few select symbols that can help us further define the Tower Tarot card meanings.
Falling: Falling is a befitting way to convey the absolute loss of control. There is no railing and no net to save us. When we’re free-falling there’s not one thing that can be done but fall and hope for the best when we land. Most decks depict two figures falling: A male who represents conscious thought/action, and a female who represents unconscious thought/action. In this case, this is a symbol of duality and opposition. The two figures represent conflicting thoughts and actions, inevitably leading to an eruption. This concept is at the crux of all the Tower Tarot card meanings.
Fire: Fire is typically an aggressive symbol. It obliterates everything in its path, leaving little semblance of the original landscape. This is further indication that the Tower card means serious business, and when change comes it will significantly alter the landscape of our lives. It’s also worth mentioning that the fire in the card burns from the top down. This indicates that change is long overdue and that we may be “at the top of our game” when a shift comes. Read more about fire symbolism in the Tarot here.
Lightening: Lightening has long been seen by ancient peoples to be a direct signal from God. Some Native Americans thought lightning was brought about by a wink from the Thunderbird who was considered the Great Creator. In India, lightning was considered a flash from the third eye of Shiva, symbolizing the light of truth and enlightenment. Lightening is a powerful message of truth emanating from our highest source forcing us to conduct a reality check. Get more about symbolic lightning meaning here.
Key Questions Relative to the Tower Tarot Card Meanings:
When contemplating the Tower Tarot card meanings, ask yourself the following questions:
- What am I pretending about?
- Have I built my life on false or unhealthy values?
- Am I stuck in an unhealthy rut? What can I do to change it?
- Am I lying to myself about something going on under my nose?
- Am I living in an ivory tower of illusion? Living under false pretenses?
- Am I ignoring some tell-tale signs that I’m not being treated with the respect and love I deserve?