The main feature of this card is a large building. Often it is shown as being struck by lightning and on fire. It will look like it is about to crumble even if there is no lightning. Sometimes you will see figures falling as well.
Where the Death card deals with natural changes and endings, the changes heralded by the Tower card feel like they came from out of nowhere. But one of the harsh truths of the Tower is that it was never built on a firm or realistic foundation. There were ignored signs that something might not have been as stable as was thought. The Tower appearing in a spread is often a sign of a (shocking) truth suddenly revealed. The truth revealed to Malcom Crowe at the end of The Sixth Sense is an example of a Tower moment.
The Tower Upright Keywords: total disruption of the status quo, something long-hidden revealed, destruction, a shock to the system, shattered illusions
The shock of the Tower upright is still there. But it was better to have that flaw or harsh truth be revealed than continue to live a lie. From the rubble of the Tower, there will be plenty of material to rebuild with. And this time the Tower will have strength in its foundations. In the movie Legally Blonde, Elle’s world was shattered when her boyfriend broke up with her, but she discovered aspects of herself that never would have come out had they stayed together and built a solid life for herself.
The Tower Reversed Keywords: a chance to rebuild, a clean slate, moving on after hard times, bad things fall apart so good things can come together
To get a better understanding of the Tower and other so-called negative cards listen to our Tarot on a Tangent Podcast - Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Tower? by Psychic Donovan
