For someone who is new to the tarot and its archetypes, pulling the Death card or Devil card might send a shiver down their spine. But to a seasoned tarot reader, it’s the Tower card that arguably foreshadows some of the most unsettling feelings and changes. When this infamous card presents in a tarot spread, it usually means that it’s time to expect the unexpected — as some unforeseen shifts and upheavals may lie ahead. Ifyou’re interested in reading the tarot and learning more about its MVPs, then understanding the complexities of the Tower card’s meaning is a must.
If you’re unfamiliar with the structure of a tarot deck, know it traditionally includes 78 cards, and it’s made up of two parts known as the major arcana and the minor arcana. The Tower is one of the 22 major arcana cards, and these generally relate to larger themes in your life and greater karmic lessons that are being learned. Unlike the remaining 56 cards in a tarot deck — known as the minor arcana — the majors don’t have suits. Instead, the various archetypes within the major arcana tell the story of the soul’s journey through life, beginning with the naiveté of the Fool and ending with the wholeness of the World. The Tower is card 16, and its meaning is about the destruction and demolition that must sometimes take place in order to make room for something new and more meaningful.
“Conceptually, towers are manmade objects that symbolize power and protection, [so] whenever you see a tower in a tarot card, themes of power and security may be an element of your interpretation,” tarot expert Annabel Gat tells Bustle. While towers of sorts show up in various images in the tarot, there’s no card that more potently embodies the understanding that all structures and powers must eventually fall than the Tower itself.
Read on for a deep dive into the meaning of the Tower in tarot.
What Does The Tower Tarot Card Mean?
The Tower card in tarot represents a period of turmoil and conflict, significant or unforeseeable changes, or the disruption of someone’s status quo. “In the Tower card, we see power and strength struck down by nature or the heavens, depending on your interpretation,” Gat says of the card’s classic depiction. “The Tower card is also a reminder that if a structure in [someone’s] life isn’t working, it’s eventually going to crumble.” Things tend to fall apart when the Tower card is at play, and any weak points or shaky foundations in a situation will be exposed.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. While the Tower can certainly indicate a chaotic period of sudden change and drama, it’s usually for the best — as it’s shaking something to the ground that wasn’t going to last anyway. In fact, the Tower’s sudden shifts can catalyze great awakenings and personal transformations, bringing flashes of truth and illuminating insights that cut through the flimsy facades in your life and pave the way for something better. Additionally, when you consider the evolution of the major arcana, the destruction of the Tower card gives way to fresh growth. “After the Tower comes the Star card, which is the card of hopes and dreams,” Gat says. “That’s where new possibilities open up.”
Studying the imagery on each tarot card can also help in interpreting its meaning, and the Tower’s archetype is particularly iconic. In the widely-recognizable and beloved Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the Tower card depicts a tall building being struck by an arrow-like bolt of lightning. The top of the tower (which appears to be a crown, symbolizing power and authority) has been blown off by the lightning strike, the building is going up in smoke, and flames are coming out from the windows. Two people are falling head-first out of the tower, indicating chaos, danger, and turmoil. While the tower is tall, it also appears to be built on jagged, uneven rocks — reminding us that even our sturdiest ideas and endeavors are only worth so much if they’re not built on something reliable. Overall, this imagery can be seen as a depiction of how forces beyond your control have the power to demolish old structures in your life.
What Does The Tower Card Mean When It’s Upright?
Some tarot practitioners take into consideration whether a card is pulled upright or upside-down, and interpret the meanings slightly differently based on that. When the Tower appears in a tarot reading upright, its most general and straightforward interpretation is usually used, although that can shift based on the other cards that appear in the same spread.
While even the most challenging tarot cards have their silver linings, there’s no use in sugarcoating the intensity of the Tower: This card is all about chaos, conflict, and a total disruption of something that feels foundational. It points toward something falling apart or being dramatically torn up, whether that’s an unhappy relationship, an outdated way of thinking, or a career path that wasn’t quite right for you. According to Gat, pulling the Tower card in a reading can indicate the “loss of an opportunity, starting from scratch, or being cut down — the impossibility of moving forward with the status quo.” In other words, when the Tower is involved, it’s likely that something is going to change or come crashing down in a big way, whether you like it or not.
That said, the aforementioned silver linings exist within the Tower archetype, too. “The Tower card removes structures in our lives that were unreliable or built on shaky ground, ultimately giving us more room for change, authenticity, and transformation,” Gat says. It’s comparable to the energy of a metaphorical bolt of lightning or a wildfire in the querent’s life — it can denote total upheaval and turmoil, but it can also leave plenty of space for fresh inspiration and new growth in the wake of its chaos. Whatever is destroyed with the Tower wasn’t going to serve you well for much longer anyway, so it’s important to trust that these explosive changes are for your greater good.
What Does The Tower Card Reversed Mean?
If the Tower card comes up reversed in a reading (and you choose to use reversals in your tarot practice), then the interpretation can be shifted. Generally, a reversed tarot card is thought to either invert its meaning in some way or indicate a blockage in the card’s energy. When it comes to the Tower card reversed, it may indicate that there is turmoil coming from within the querent rather than those shake-ups being caused by external forces beyond one’s control. Because this card is so strong in its message, some tarot readers may also view the Tower reversed as echoing its upright meaning but simply with less intensity.
The Tower card reversed may also indicate that someone is fearful of inevitable change, or that they are in denial about a transformation that needs to occur (or has already begun). “With the Tower, it’s especially interesting to consider it reversed, because then the images on the card are falling up, not down, defying gravity,” Gat says. “That in and of itself is an impossibility — it’s a fantasy that things can fall up, which mirrors the right side up interpretation.” This reversal begs the question: What in your life may be standing on unsteady footing? Even if a situation hasn’t come crashing down yet, the Tower in reverse is an indication to get real with yourself about how well-built your foundations really are.
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