Many readers have a love/hate relationship with the Tower tarot card. Besides the Devil and Death cards, it is one of the most dreaded cards in the tarot deck, especially when it falls in the future position.
However, like all 78 cards, the Tower has positive and negative aspects.
You might wonder if a loss is around the corner if you’ve pulled the Tower card during a reading. As one of its meanings is release and tragedy, it very well could be, but the possibility of a fresh start is just as likely.
Keep reading for more information on this Major Arcana card and what its appearance might mean for you.
THE TOWER TAROT CARD KEYWORDS
Before delving deeper into the upright- and reversed Tower tarot card meaning and its connection to love, work, and life, below is a quick overview of the most important words connected to this Major Arcana card.
| Major Arcana | Intense and sudden change, release, painful loss, tragedy, revelation |
| Upright | Intense and abrupt change, liberation, sorrowful loss, calamity, epiphany |
| Reversed | Resisting change, evading calamity, a close call, delaying what is unavoidable |
| Yes or No | No |
THE TOWER TAROT CARD DESCRIPTION
With a black background and an unsettling overall feel, the face of the Tower tarot card contains just that: a burning tower of terror.
Sitting atop a jagged mountain, the fiery spire is several stories tall. The head of the steeple is missing, replaced by a lightning bolt and flames — smoke billows out of the top and the sides.
Flames are also emanating from the three windows, and specks of fire fill the sky. Although the Tower tarot card can represent many different situations, the crown at the top of the card symbolizes the material world and ambition.
What is most disturbing is the desperate people who have jumped from the Tower and are now perishing. It is evident that total annihilation is imminent, and there is no turning back.
UPRIGHT TOWER TAROT CARD MEANINGS
If we had to redesign the upright Tower to a more modern-day representation, a crashing airplane would be an accurate alternative image.
The Tower card portrays complete destruction. If you’ve received the Upright Tower tarot card, be prepared for things to be leveled and dismantled. You will undergo a sudden change.
However, just like any loss, this will likely be a distressing process. It can also lead to a new beginning. Before you can make these favorable changes, you’ll first have to confront the truth about a situation.
Are you ready to remove your blinders and confront this personal crisis head-on? Seeing past illusions and letting go of your desires for how things should be is the very first step.
Money and Career Significance
The Tower upright represents insecurity in every aspect, particularly concerning career and finances.
Some of the circumstances that often follow the collapse of the Tower include losing a job, a prolonged period of unemployment, or a highly stressful work environment. In terms of business, the Tower can indicate sudden failure.
The same can be said for finances, as the Tower often symbolizes financial devastation, legal issues, or bankruptcy. Unless the card has ended up in the past position, now is not the time for extravagant spending or major purchases.
Stay focused and adopt a conservative mindset until this phase passes. Fortunately, even the profound changes that the Tower brings will not last forever.
Love and Relationships Significance
When it comes to relationships, the Tower usually predicts the end of a friendship, a breakup, or a divorce. If the Tower tarot card is one of the Major Arcana cards drawn in a love reading, the chances of success are not good.
The end is often linked to some form of deception and the eventual revelation of the truth. Anger outbursts and emotional meltdowns may occur. This will definitely not be the amicable ending that most people hope for when closing a chapter.
Losing the person you love or had hoped to build a future with can be a humbling experience filled with pain. But this transition will be necessary if things are not meant to be.
Sometimes, the most difficult part is the initial change. Remember, it is far better to accept the truth and move on than to live a falsehood.
Health and Spirituality Significance
If you guessed that the Tower tarot card represents poor health, you were correct. The Tower often appears in a reading before or after a sudden illness, the loss of a pregnancy, or a deep period of depression.
Feelings of grief, sadness, and discouragement are commonly associated with card number 16. Do you feel trapped in your mind or body, unable to change the things you desperately want to be different?
While you may not be able to prevent the collapse represented by the Tower, you can come to accept your current state in this present moment. Instead of fixating on what cannot be changed, focus on what you can do to create change.
If you have drawn this card in relation to a question about spiritual or psychic development, the answer is slightly more positive. Although you may have to let go of old beliefs, now is the time to embrace your true self.
The Tower Reversed
Are you clinging to people, places, and things that are detrimental to you out of fear? This is a common situation exemplified by the Tower reversed.
We frequently recognize that it is appropriate to relinquish, but rather, we cling on more tightly. Eventually, things collapse, and we shake our heads as we reflect on all the time we wasted. That’s what the Tower Reversed implies.
Close your eyes and inquire of yourself this query, “What am I able to release?” If there are stuff or associations you would be better off without, it’s time to let go and accept. Carrying out so is challenging, but it will liberate you to engage in the positive aspects of your life that bring you genuine happiness.
You cannot progress and encounter a spiritual awakening if you persist in holding on to your former life – former thinking and former habits. Learn to let go and redirect your perspective to embrace a fresh chapter in your life. You will be astonished that the difficulty and heartbreak that accompany it will be worthwhile.
The Tower: Accept or Reject
The response is negative if you are pondering whether things will proceed successfully. The Tower tarot card in an Accept or Reject consultation indicates that this isn’t the moment to commence a new enterprise, diversify at work, or elevate your relationship to a higher level.
You’ll need to endure the tsunami wave that the Tower is about to unleash before you can consider implementing positive actions.
No need to fret, though. What ascends must descend. Trying times surely won’t persist indefinitely. Once this tempest subsides, you will reconstruct your life into something more magnificent.
Significant Card Combinations
Despite the fact that the Tower is clearly not a preferred card in a reading, it also possesses advantageous aspects. Particularly when combined with other cards, such as the Chariot or Temperance. Below, you can locate the most critical Tower tarot card combinations.
The Tower and the Chariot
Situations may be arduous presently, but when the Chariot joins the Tower, there is a shift in dominance. Even if it does not appear so, you are in charge.
What aspects can you alter, and what should you relinquish? What will it necessitate to secure a triumph or obtain what you yearn for? Be self-assured and do precisely that.
The Tower and Temperance
It’s time to discover a compromise. The Tower by itself typically brings about swift conclusions to various connections. However, when the Tower is paired with Temperance, a ‘Hail Mary’ may rescue the situation.
Instead of surrendering, seek out common ground and a means to remain together. All is not lost in this instance.
You will have to engage in some bargaining, however.
The Tower and Demise
The alterations that the Tower is bringing will have enduring effects. Mighty forces will be at play here if the card is combined with the Demise card.
The crucial point is to refrain from worrying or panicking. Instead, examine the other cards in the reading. Doing so will allow you to pinpoint exactly how/where the problem will arise. Having as much information as possible will enable you to remain composed and in command.
The Tower and the Distinguished Priestess
It’s time to halt evading the inevitable. The perpetual turmoil in your life is of your own making, even if others are involved. When the Tower and the Distinguished Priestess are matched, personal responsibility is crucial.
We cannot control other individuals, but we have power over who we welcome into our lives, what we accept, and who we allow to remain. We also have control over our reactions and how we progress after experiencing a loss.
The Tower Tarot Art
Although I compose all the descriptions based on the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, it does not mean I utilize other decks as well. And there are so many exquisite decks out there! I can lose myself browsing and scouring the web for gorgeous tarot cards.
Below, you can find a small selection of stunning Tower tarot cards. If you created a Tower tarot card yourself and wish to share it, I would love to hear from you!
Rebeca Catarina via Behance.net
Purchase The Contemporary Approach Tarot Deck Here
Ilaria Ricci via Behance.net
THE TOWER TAROT CARD IN A READING
That’s all for the Tower tarot interpretation! Hopefully, you’re not shaken up by the pulling of the Tower and recognize that life’s trials are just as significant as the ‘ups.’
It is a contradiction that helps us value the good times.
What aspects do you possess to express gratitude towards? Recording these fragments of thankfulness every day can have a significant impact on outlook and joy.
Are you a novice in Tarot? Acquire knowledge on how to interpret Tarot in this Guide for Tarot beginners.
