The Tower Keywords: Sudden Fall, Catastrophe, Upheaval, Revelation

The Tower Tarot Card Description

A bolt of lightning strikes the top of a tall tower. The result is catastrophic. A golden crown is knocked from the top, flames shoot from the windows, and two people can be seen falling from the tower to the jagged rocks below.

The Tower calls to mind the story of the Tower of Babel. The lightning is divine fire sent to cleanse the materialistic ambition of the inhabitants. It easily topples the golden crown of materialism and engulfs the Tower in flames. The inhabitants of the Tower are forced to jump to save themselves. What appears to be a sturdy structure can’t save them.

What The Tower Means In A Tarot Reading

As with all Tarot cards, The Tower has many layers of meaning and how you interpret it will vary from reading to reading. At its core, it’s about destroying the old to make way for the new. A new way of life that’s built on integrity and on secure foundations.

Prepare for sudden catastrophic change and upheaval when The Tower shows up in a reading. This is an event that will shake you to your core. Your sense of security will be undermined and what you took for granted in life will no longer be certain. What happens will change you forever.

We see two people who have ascended to the top only to be cut down without warning. This card can appear in readings for people on their way to the top, or those who have already made it. It’s a warning not to be complacent, not to worship materialism while ignoring spirituality. The Tower is a warning to the ruthlessly ambitious that they should change their ways and learn humility. Ambition is not in itself the problem, but they must learn that materialism rests on shaky foundations and shouldn’t be relied upon at the expense of spirituality. If the warning isn’t heeded then the result may be bankruptcy, job loss, divorce, or some other catastrophe that will bring your world crumbling down.

The Tower can also have a more subtle meaning and, quite often, you’ll find that this is the meaning in your reading. We see the lightning bolt strike the tower like a jolt out of the blue. Suddenly the world of the inhabitants is changed forever. In the same way, The Tower can represent a flash of insight that will change you forever. This change will always be for the better. You will suddenly realize something, or learn something, that will change how you see yourself and your surroundings. This will happen quickly and in the most unexpected way. You’ll be shattered to your core, but you’ll emerge with more awareness than you ever had before.

The Tower Love And Relationships Tarot Meaning

There’s a difficult situation, or lesson to be learned, up ahead, that will rock your relationship to its core. You’ve believed, until now, that your relationship was rock solid; that nothing could affect it. In fact you may even have been smug about it when you compared your relationship to others. But The Tower tells you that you’ll suffer a shock of some kind that will severely challenge the relationship. But remember that what you build in its place will be even better.

If you’re not already in a relationship, then The Tower is telling you that you have a lesson to learn before it will happen. You’ll have a flash of insight that will teach you something about yourself and will prepare you for a relationship. The relationship you build with someone after this event will be based on solid, true values and integrity.

The Tower Career Tarot Meaning

The Tower often appears in readings for those who will stop at nothing to reach their career goals. These are people who are on their way to the top, or who are already there. It’s a warning that if you don’t keep your ego in check, you risk being cut down suddenly and brutally. This will be a harsh lesson in humility. You’ll be a wiser, stronger person after the event for sure, but you won’t learn this the easy way.

If you’re just starting out in your career, The Tower is a warning of what might happen to you if you pursue your goals without any regard for others. Don’t let your ego stop you from being good and kind to others. If you ascend to the top by trampling on others, then be aware that The Tower is warning you of the consequences you face for your actions.

There’s nothing whatsoever wrong with being ambitious and making it all the way to the top of your field. Just remember to do so in a way that doesn’t cause harm or distress to others. We can’t prosper and reach our full potential unless we help ourselves. However, there’s no reason to do this at the expense of others. The Tower reminds us of the consequences if we do.

The Tower Correspondences And Attributions