The Tower

Re-evaluate the structures in your life and rebuild where needed

When we resist confronting the shadow in The Devil, we get a cosmic whack which shatters our little world and our ego illusions, forcing permanent change. We must push through this upheaval; we cannot go back (and we probably won’t be the same afterward.). We can avoid the more chaotic Tower events by proactively re-evaluating the structures and beliefs we’ve established (whether personal, professional, spiritual, etc.) and rebuilding where needed so that we are enlightened by the Tower’s collapse rather than exposed. The Tower comes in various states and stages and forms; it doesn’t have to be a disaster.

It may feel like divine intervention, and the crown often included in the card signals the involvement of our higher self, with the lightning bolt as illumination. The ego must submit to the divine, which can be traumatic (a blow to the ego isn’t easy for anyone), but it invites us to shift, realign, and grow in its wake. While it may appear suddenly, Jung explained that the inner workings of this archetype “have been at work for a long time in the unconscious, skillfully arranging circumstances that will lead to the crisis.” This is an invitation to re-evaluate the structures we have built and clear out what we’re not meant to carry anymore so that we may rebuild with a stronger foundation.

(-) In resistance, as with The Devil (and a continuation of it), the shadow of The Tower appears when we refuse to confront destructive patterns or established structures, and the stagnation that comes with that. The pressure condenses and eventually blows. We may be trying to maintain a facade. A fear of falling (or failing) may be indicated, here, as well.

(+) In excess, it can hint at the need to create catastrophes and drastic eruptions out of everything — and, perhaps, chaos in the lives of others.

Questions we may be prompted to ask when this card appears include

• Where have you been complacent?
• What structures or habits have you outgrown? What is ready to be released?
• Do you tend to ignore the advice of the cards when they’re not saying what you want to hear?
• How does your authentic self differ from the persona you project to the world?
• What fear keeps you locked in safety, afraid of exploring your full potential?
• What societal structures are you ready to break down?

What else? The archetypes of the majors are complex and you may have other insights. How has this card come up for you? What are some examples of this card’s energies?