The Tower
What was never stable comes down.
A sudden shake-up reveals what was not stable. Clear ground makes room to rebuild.
- upheaval
- revelation
- reset
Traditional association: Mars
What the card shows
A tall tower on a crag is struck by lightning. The crown flies off, flames burst from the windows and two figures fall. The sky is dark.
Sixteen is the number of the break. Mars, the usual planet, is the planet of sudden force. The tower is a structure built on a weak base, and the lightning is revelation as much as damage.
▲Upright
Something built on shaky ground comes down, clearing space for something more honest.
What was never stable that I have been propping up?
▼Reversed
The shock is being avoided, or you are in its aftermath.
What small honest change could I make before things have to break?
The Tower in a reading
In love
Sudden honesty or a change in a pattern; reacting to news.
Reversed: The shock is being avoided, or you are in its aftermath.
At work
Plans that no longer hold; rebuilding a different way.
Its shadow side: shock, fear of loss.
As a Major Arcana card
Life's big themes and turning points. A Major Arcana card points to a bigger theme than the everyday cards around it.
Related cards
16 adds up to 7 (1 + 6), the number of the sevens.
Seven of Wands
Seven of Cups
Seven of Swords
Seven of PentaclesRead it with other cards
Questions about The Tower
What does The Tower mean in tarot?
Something built on shaky ground comes down, clearing space for something more honest. Keywords: upheaval, revelation, reset.
What does The Tower mean reversed?
The shock is being avoided, or you are in its aftermath. Blocked: resisting something that is already coming apart. Fading: a slow unravelling. Inward: a private crisis.
What does The Tower mean in love?
Sudden honesty or a change in a pattern; reacting to news.
What does The Tower mean for work?
Plans that no longer hold; rebuilding a different way.
What question does The Tower ask?
Upright: What was never stable that I have been propping up? Reversed: What small honest change could I make before things have to break?
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