| The seventeenth card in the sequence of the tarot | | | | lightning and promptly begins to crumble and collapse |
| deck is the Tower. Like some of the cards that have | | | | upon itself as a result. The denizens of the tower are |
| come before it in the sequence - Death and the | | | | falling to the ground as their world unexpectedly |
| Devil, for example - the Tower card is one that can | | | | begins to self destruct as well. Many tarot images |
| cause a bit of a fright when it makes an appearance | | | | also show a golden crown situated toward the top |
| in a reading, but mostly because it is a card that is | | | | of the tower, but inevitably falling along with the |
| highly misunderstood. The Tower represents a | | | | people as it cannot resist the forces at work around |
| variety of change that is both destructive and | | | | it either. The image as a whole serves to remind us |
| creative all at once. As is the case with physical | | | | how suddenly change can come about and how |
| structures built of brick and mortar, spiritual or mental | | | | drastically it can change our world. |
| structures can decay, become outdated, and require | | | | When the Tower makes an appearance in a tarot |
| demolishment as well. However, it is important to | | | | spread, it generally signals the approach of time when |
| remember that only by getting rid of the old ways | | | | truths, fantasies, and belief systems built on |
| that are no longer working for us can we make way | | | | falsehoods are about to meet their demise. The |
| for something new, fresh, and productive. | | | | changes that are spoken of will most likely come |
| The lesson the Tower teaches us has to do with | | | | about quite suddenly, throw the querent for a loop, |
| learning to take a look at the structures, belief | | | | and be very shocking or jarring. After all, it is never a |
| systems, and foundations that support our way of | | | | comfortable feeling to find out that something or |
| life and our manner of thinking or looking at the | | | | someone important to you is not what you always |
| world. Through the imagery and insight provided, we | | | | thought it to be. However, it is important for the |
| also learn to find the courage within to accept | | | | querent to note that ultimately, the changes that will |
| positive change into our lives, even if it doesn't | | | | come about as a result of this upset are for the |
| always have a tendency to come about in a way | | | | best. Only when lies, falsehood, and misconception |
| that is pleasurable or easy to accept. Human beings | | | | are finally swept aside can something truly strong and |
| have a tendency to want to cling to the familiar | | | | meaningful be built. |
| whether or not it is truly serving them in much the | | | | The changes specified could apply to any area of the |
| same way a young child clings to a security blanket. | | | | querent's life. They may find out that a trusted lover |
| Through the Tower we learn to willingly let go of | | | | or spouse is being unfaithful, that an important |
| what we have in order to finally gain what we really | | | | person doesn't have his best interests at heart, or |
| want and need at long last. | | | | even that his religious beliefs are unfounded and |
| The traditional image attached to the Tower | | | | groundless. However, the surrounding cards and the |
| illustrates these concepts by comparing the invisible | | | | actual positioning of the Tower within the spread |
| structures within the mind and spirit to an actual | | | | should give more insight into what the exact situation |
| tower. In the image, the tower is being struck by | | | | at hand may be. |