Card of the Week: The Tower
“Every moment is a fresh beginning,”
- T.S. Elliot
Similar to the Death card and the Devil card, the Tower card gets people nervous when it pops out in their reading. I mean, look at it: You have people falling out of a tall tower that has been struck down by lightning and fire. In the Rider-Waite deck, the crown of the tower has been knocked off, implying anyone can suffer at the hands of this destruction, even royalty. As destructive as this card looks, it portrays a very meaningful time in our lives, a time where we have no choice but to change our direction or approach to a certain aspect of our lives. As we commonly refer to them, tower moments come into our lives when a situation that we brought unto ourselves desperately needs to be cut off. This could be a job we hate, a toxic relationship, or bad spending habits. Whatever the situation might be, we were already aware that changes needed to be made but decided to ignore our intuition in the name of comfortability. We built a tower of safety around ourselves in hopes of feeling secure in the unknown. But, as we know we can’t just hide away from our problems and stay locked up in that castle forever. So, the Divine, your spirit team, and God created a tower moment in your life to wake you up and get you moving.
Due to tower moments being consistent in our existence, the more you pay attention and stay alert, the better prepared you will be when the time comes. So that you are not being thrown out the window each and every time, maybe next time you can just walk out the door when lightning strikes.
Upright
Past: Due to a major wake-up call in your life, you had to change your course of direction. Depending on your outlook, this could be seen as good or bad. You could have lost what was once your dream job a few months ago and now work somewhere less fulfilling. However, that dream job kept you from seeing your family and having any substantial time off, which led you to feel exhausted and alone. This new job allows you paid time off, and you are home by dinner to spend quality time with the ones you love.
Moving towards the future, you can find a job that is more fulfilling and still allows you personal time. However, the tower moment was necessary to show you what you were willing to sacrifice and how those sacrifices end up hurting you more. Hopefully, you are no longer willing to sacrifice the same thing and have learned the lesson.
Present: Life may seem hectic and out of your control. It might seem like everything you have done and are doing is in vain and only moving you further away from your dreams. When you begin to feel like this, take it as a sign from your spirit council that it’s time to change and surrender. As humans, we can’t really change how a tower moment will play out in our lives; all we can do is stay prepared and open-minded. Now is not the time to put on your controlling hat and try to run the show because the way you have been running things is no longer working. When this card comes out in the present position, just know that whatever is being taken away or torn down is for your own good and growth.
“What is destroyed in conjunction with this card has served its purpose and needs to go (Alexander and Shannon 65).”
Future: This is probably the nicest position for the Tower card to come out in. If this card comes out in a reading for you or someone else, you are being warned to make slight changes to certain matters in your life. As mentioned earlier, the Tower card shouldn’t be all that much of a surprise, and despite what some people might claim it’s usually not. If you know a certain person in your life is no good and only has negative intentions for you, and you still decide to have them in your space and in your case and this card comes out… you have been warned. Either cut this person out of your life or expect them to be taken away. This can happen through a big fight, huge betrayal, or something worse.
Trust your intuition and do what is best for you. Sometimes what is best for us is the complete opposite of what we are doing.
Reversed
*Disclaimer: Reading tarot cards in reverse is totally up to the reader. There are many who choose not to. There is no right way to do it; go with your intuition. For some readers a reversed means that the energy of that card cannot manifest into reality due to a block. So if you are someone who chooses to not read reversed cards, you may skip this part, however if you are that reader, keep reading!
Remember to always be authentic with your spiritual practices.*
The Tower card reversed is the equivalent of never learning from past tower moments. For example, in the past year, you were fired from three jobs all due to the same reason-your attitude towards the job. You were unhappy at the first job and your attitude every day showed that. When you got fired, you quickly went to find another, similar job. You were unhappy there as well and that showed in your behavior. Once you were fired from there, you did not take even a moment to decipher why two employers told you that you are unhappy and suggested you work elsewhere. You simply blame your employer and keep it pushing. Now you are at job number three just as miserable and unfulfilled. At some point, you will realize the insanity of doing the same things and expecting a different outcome. This is why it is best to normalize tower moments and do not fear them. They are simply divine moments trying to bring you closer to your desired path and outcome. Do not resist change and moments of shake-ups; instead try to figure out the cause and lesson at hand.
Advice
If you are feeling stuck and stagnant, it’s time to look over your life and see what can stand to be taken out and what needs to be brought in. The Tower card in this position is like spring cleaning your home. Yes, it is quite tedious and many people choose not to do it. However, the people who do never seem to regret the decision. Take stock of your life at this point: Are you as happy as you can be? Are you fulfilled where you are? If you had a Fairy Godmother, what would you ask for? Become that Fairy Godmother for yourself.
If you want better and more reciprocal relationships, it’s time to end those friendships that do not offer that. In addition to ending those friendships, you need to bring an end to the mindset and actions that led you to attract said relationships. Remember tower moments are not just here to point the finger at others, but rather bring a mirror to ourselves.
Work Cited
Alexander, Skye, and Mary Shannon. The Only Tarot Book You'll Ever Need. 1st ed., vol. 1, Avon, Adams Media, 2019. 1 vols.
-Symone Smith, @aquaa_CUNT