When you look at the image of The Tower, your first impression might be “Yikes!” Indeed, the image of The Tower looks very troubling – not a pretty picture. When The Tower strikes, it is usually totally unexpected and sudden. It creates havoc and chaos. Basically, your world as you know it has changed drastically. The other side of The Tower is transformation, enlightenment, clarity and healing – a rather intense mixed bag of emotions. That’s what The Tower is about. It throws you into a new reality and into the unknown future without much warning. The Tower hits hard and fast and usually when you least expect it. It can bring incredible loss. It blows the top off anything that is false or fake. The Tower’s purpose is to wake you up to something you have been missing or ignoring.
We all get caught up in the status quo of whatever feeds our ego. Sometimes, out of that, our worlds become more and more materialistic; our values and desires may get mixed up or become false to who we really are. The foundations that we built (emotional, material, spiritual, mental) may just be a projected exterior illusion, and not really fulfilling. Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our own little world, and our universal vision becomes so blinded, we are not aware there is a problem. This is when The Tower enters. When it hits, almost anything that is not true and strong is going to crumble. It covers the gamete of life’s experiences: career, relationships, home, accidents, financial loss, reversal of fortune, setbacks, personal values, dreams. It’s big medicine. Get ready to do some deep soul- searching.
There are times when The Tower hits and it seems there is no answer for why a terrible thing has happened. Sudden loss and devastation through war, crisis, sudden illness, death of someone or something very close to you – these are all things that jolt us to a different space in our hearts and lives. Acceptance of our destiny is the only way to shift and begin to heal. The Tower can motivate us to connect with our higher selves and ask for the guidance that we need to move us toward truth and renovation of ourselves and our new world. We must trust that what falls on our path was put there by God/Creator to learn from. So when the lightning bolt hits your life, remember: change was meant to come your way. Stagnation, inertia, blocks, restricted attitudes, relationships, situations, or jobs – whatever it is, The Tower’s job is to transform the challenge into something more meaningful and true to you. The Tower re-awakens our spiritual fire. It leads us back to our authentic selves. It is not an easy lesson. But the light is bright at the end of the tunnel. Be kind to yourself.
Symbolism in The Tower Image
The lightning bolt represents the descent of Divine energies into the physical world, breaking up anything material that is false. The light of Truth shoots down the center of the tower, crumbling its foundation.
The Tower is surrounded in a volcano that exploded the moment it was hit by the lightning bolt. It is engulfed in fire. The spirits of false beliefs flee in horror. The spirits also represent the release of pain and bondage from unconscious behavior. The volcano erupting represents the mouth of truth and how violent it can be after being suppressed for a long period of time.
In ancient times the comet represented “The Messenger of the Gods,” as well as “The Harbinger of Doom.”
The sun rising with the eye is the “Eye of God” – always there, always constant. The sun represents a new day dawning, renewal. The dove represents healing, new life and new beginning – moving past the destruction to a more peaceful place.
The planet Mars is associated with The Tower. It is the planet of courage and physical action. It transforms stagnant energy. The Hebrew letter associated with The Tower is Peh, meaning mouth or communication.
The Tower as a Lifetime Personality Symbol
As a Lifetime Personality Symbol, The Tower represents one who has a strong character, needed for all the ups and downs in life. The Tower personality has a natural ability to heal and transform situations. You have an interest in the art of healing. You are the ray of light to others, when all seems dark. You usually are the easygoing one in the bunch.
As a Tower personality, you have a natural ability to see what is out of balance or not in sync, and a talent for recreating things to a more enlightened nature. It’s important for you to check in on your life and review the parts that are beginning to be stagnant or outgrown and make the appropriate changes.
More than once, your life may have major changes that will catapult you into a whole new situation. You are able to take upsets in stride. You are not afraid of life and its catastrophes. You may not like it, but you understand the process of natural disaster and rebirth. Tower personalities know the healing power of ‘acceptance’.
The Tower as a Yearly Growth Symbol
During The Tower year you may want to renovate parts of your life. It is a year when you get rid of things that don’t work in your life anymore. Its a year of change. Anything that is false, outgrown or stagnant is brought to light and changed or discarded. This is a year to liberate yourself from any blockages. It is an excellent time to break with the past. Break old habits and preconceptions and plant the seeds of new ideas and supporting lifestyles and beliefs. Create room for renewal and for a fresh start.
