The Tower Tarot Card Meaning

This card features the most startling imagery in the tarot, depicting a scene of disaster where a towering, majestic structure is destroyed by a sudden lightning strike. This scene is often referred to as "The Tower struck by Lightning," and while the card is named "The Tower," it does not represent the completion and stability of a tower, but rather a tower that has been struck down by lightning, or one that is in ruins or has collapsed.

The towering structure, which was a target for lightning strikes in ancient times, is a metaphor for natural phenomena. The danger of tall buildings still exists today! This reflects the deep-seated fears and unease associated with being high up and out of reach. Throughout history, this has been a common metaphor, with stories from mythology and ancient history providing relevant examples. The towering structure symbolizes human self-satisfaction, the pride of material victory, and the disregard for spirituality and faith. Therefore, anything that is too materialistic or spiritually inflated is also a target for lightning strikes.

The emphasis on the height of this tower easily brings to mind the construction of the "Tower of Babel." In this story, a building designed by humans was supposed to be praised by God and built, but later humans became too arrogant and complacent, thinking they could build a "heaven-reaching tower" to probe God and leave their eternal names for posterity. They also believed that from then on, human life could be worry-free and that they could compete with the heavens and God in height. This attitude led humanity towards destruction and eventually they were punished by God. The etymology of "Babel": in Hebrew, it means "confusion," while in Babylonian it means "gate of God."

The lightning in the tarot card scene destroys this Babel tower. Similar situations can be associated with buildings related to material desires or spiritual inflation, such as the Castle of Plutus in ancient Greece, a castle filled with mountains of money, which was also a target for God's disapproval. (This part is for entertainment)

The destruction of another magnificent building can also be seen from another direction, as the "House of God" being abandoned, losing its luster and eventually being destroyed. The historical Solomon's Temple, built by Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonian Empire due to being abandoned, which is a clear symbol. This is also a history that many people enjoy and pass on, so some people call this card "the House of God," but others call it something else, as this building can be occupied by anyone, so it is "the House of God," "the House of Man," or even "the House of the Devil," and it doesn't really matter what this card is called.

This tower not only stands tall but is also built on a towering mountain, with the top of the tower reaching into the clouds. The towering man-made structure is an unfamiliar situation for people, who are blinded inside, unaware of the impact on the overall environment, and still complacent, thinking they have reached the peak and can compete with the power of creation or nature, but ignoring the consequences that easily lead to danger. For example, the feedback force of nature and the physical and mental after-effects that humans themselves are not adapted to.

This tower was destroyed by lightning. The lightning that came from the sky, shining with a golden yellow light, turned three corners. The end is an arrow, looking like the symbol of Mars, with great destructive power. Does this lightning also represent God's arbitration and revelation? It also symbolizes all disasters, swords and weapons of war, and flames. Forming a "W" shape, it is very close to the Hebrew letter "ש", no matter where it comes from, it is a sin and punishment. Whose lightning is this? Thunder and lightning are things that humans fear, and in early Western times, it was also believed that thunder and lightning were weapons used by God Zeus to punish humans. Zeus is the god of thunder and lightning in mythology, and also the main god, using the weapon of this supreme ruler to express the action of this supreme ruler punishing humans.

This flash is also a kind of radio wave, a bright yellow fluorescent color, indicating the idea of clear consciousness awakening. It is related to enlightenment, breaking the chaos of ignorance. In fact, lightning is also a kind of stimulation and enlightenment, a sudden awakening, a thunderbolt, and a sudden awakening. And, maybe, the acquisition of higher wisdom, is to pay a higher price to obtain, sacrifice and break the past.

This tower, which has been devastated, is what kind of building? The whole tower is built of stone or bricks, with a dark gray color, representing rigidity and persistence. The crown is used to replace the top of the tower, indicating that this building is the top of wisdom, the crown of glory, the spiritual indicator. The lightning directly hit the crown, causing it to flip and fall, which is a failure of knowledge and a crisis of faith, and also implies that lightning has selective targeting. The crown symbolizes the spiritual side, and the crown that is held high by the material of bricks and stones is still inevitably falling. The whole tower collapsed and collapsed, in addition to the top of the tower caught fire and smoke, the tower's windows also emitted several flames, and the smoke was everywhere.

In this disaster, two people fell from the tower, what kind of people are the two people who fell down? Are they fleeing or are they shaken down? This picture can be a man and a woman, or if it is two men, or even two women, this is deliberately blurred by the author to allow people to extend. A man and a woman can be said to be the emperor and the queen, and the crown on the head of the person falling on the left side of the picture also fell down at the same time. Of course, it can also be seen as Adam and Eve who were exiled by God. If you think both of them are men, then the other represents the highest clergy, they can be the king and priest of the temple. Of course, they can also represent the emperor and the Pope, both representing the disintegration of the organization, or the conflict between politics and religion or the disintegration together.

The situation of these two people is a fall, but it is also a return to the origin, to the ground. They are shaken down, not jumping down calmly. It is worth noting that these two people are also upside down in the picture, which is similar to the hanging man's upside down, but more intense (falling from a high altitude). The overall feeling, the picture of this tower card in the Waite card is more vivid than the classical card painting, not only more three-dimensional and layered, but also more correct in proportion, so that it can show that falling down will be very tragic, otherwise it is just like falling from the second floor.

Regarding the three windows of the tower, they are arranged in a triangular shape. The windows are arranged in a triangular shape, representing organization. It represents the body, mind, and spirit, the past, present, and future. Now the three windows are on fire, emitting flames. The flame represents burning, all of which are represented. There is a thick smoke around the tower, and the gray clouds are diffused. These smoke that comes out is the annihilation and transformation of the existing, and the smoke will also obscure thoughts and vision, and also symbolizes negative emotions such as anger and fear. There are four clouds of smoke, symbolizing the four elements of annihilation, and each is the past clouds, the fog in front of the eyes, the uncertainty of the future, and the complete ignorance.

Additionally, on both sides of the high tower, twenty-two yellow dots fell, like things scattered in the building. The dots on the left side surround the emperor, and the dots on the right side are above the smoke under the lightning. However, the shape of these dots is very special, and it contains special meanings. This shape is the so-called "Finger of God," which comes from the Hebrew alphabet. This letter has only one dot, which is the simplest stroke and is also the most creative meaning. This Hebrew letter is also the first of the "Holy Four Letters" of the name of God, "י" "ה" "ו" "ה", and is the first creation of God's will. The "Finger of God" י represents the great power of God's creation revealed here.

There are twenty-two of these "Finger of God" dots, twenty-two is the number of the tarot major arcana, so it also connects to the tarot, and also shows the importance of this card in the tarot. These dots are divided into two sides, there are twelve dots on the left side of the tower, twelve is a whole number, representing the perfection of the body and mind? Is the whole zodiac, is twelve months or twelve hours. There are ten dots on the right side of the tower, representing the end of an old cycle and the beginning of a new cycle. The emergence of these "Finger of God" light spots also indicates that God is involved in this event, and the whole event is actually related to God's will. These dots, these numbers and arrangements, can also be regarded as signs of causality and fate phenomena.

The whole scene is full of chaos, the design of the pattern is like this, and the meaning and connotation are also like this. The dark background represents darkness, emptiness, heaviness, and oppression. The dark blue part is a kind of melancholy and confusion of reason. This card is a failure, and it is also a deviation. The material structure of the tower is close to God, but the spirit is far from God, and tends to the devil. It may also offend the should not, and in addition to not being rigorous enough, what kind of mistakes have been made? This is a question worth thinking about.

The Tower Itself

The central structure, tall and solid, symbolizes the constructs and institutions we build in our lives, be they beliefs, values, or relationships. Its sudden destruction reminds us that even the most seemingly permanent and stable things can be upended in an instant.

Lightning Bolt

The bolt of lightning that strikes the tower signifies a sudden, unforeseen force of change or realization. It can also be seen as a divine intervention, cutting through our illusions and making us see the truth.

The Crown

Falling from the top of the tower, the crown represents loss of power or control. It emphasizes that no matter how high or mighty, everything can be toppled.

Figures Falling

The human figures plunging from the tower symbolize the abruptness of the change, the sense of being ungrounded, and the chaos that can ensue when our foundational beliefs are challenged or destroyed.

Flames

Emanating from the windows of the tower, the flames signal distress, turmoil, and destruction. They embody the purifying nature of fire, which clears away the old to make way for the new.

Gray Clouds

The dark clouds surrounding the scene emphasize the stormy and tumultuous nature of the event, underscoring the sense of upheaval and unpredictability.