The Tower in brief
In the Rider-Waite tradition, The Tower stands for sudden change and upheaval, the fall of a structure that was built on false ground. Modern readers often take it as a card of revelation, a flash of truth that clears away the old so something more genuine can be built, while the reversed card points to change that is being resisted or happening on the inside.
Labyrinthos calls it change “in the most radical and momentous sense,” and notes that the event it marks does not have to be something terrible. Biddy Tarot reads it, in its most positive form, as a chance to break free from old ways of thinking.
The card’s picture
In his notes on older packs, Waite gave the card’s full name as “The Tower struck by Lightning” and listed its other titles: the Castle of Plutus, God’s House and the Tower of Babel. In that last reading, Waite noted, the figures falling from it are held to be Nimrod and his minister. Waite called it “assuredly a card of confusion.”
In his own reading, Waite agreed with the writer Grand Orient that the card shows the ruin of a house where falsehood has taken hold, and “the rending of a House of Doctrine.” Waite read the two falling figures as “the literal word made void and the other its false interpretation.” He also quoted the old saying that “except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it,” and wrote that in a deeper sense the card may signify “the end of a dispensation,” the close of an era.
Modern guides describe the scene in detail. Biddy Tarot reads the tall tower on a rocky mountain as ambitions and goals made on false premises, solid in itself but brought down by one bolt of lightning because its foundations were shaky. Biddy Tarot reads the lightning as a sudden surge of energy and insight that leads to a breakthrough, and the 22 flames around the falling figures as a sign of divine help even in upheaval. Labyrinthos reads the falling tower as a clearing out of the old ways so that something new can be welcomed.
Upright meaning
Waite’s divinatory list for the upright card is misery, distress, adversity, deception and ruin.
Modern readers keep the sense of sudden change but frame it as clearing ground. Labyrinthos reads the upright Tower as foundational, groundbreaking change, in which old truths are set aside and new beliefs, values and ways of doing things take their place. Labyrinthos also reads it as a time to replace old foundations with something more genuine.
Biddy Tarot reads The Tower as a moment when a bolt of clarity cuts through illusions and the truth comes to light. Biddy Tarot also reads the card as a sign that a person who is in tune with their inner guidance may see the cracks forming and make changes before the whole structure falls. Biddy Tarot adds that a Tower experience can leave a person stronger, wiser and more resilient, with a new perspective on life.
Reversed meaning
Waite listed the reversed card, by one account, as the same as upright in a lesser degree, and also oppression, imprisonment and tyranny.
Labyrinthos reads the reversed Tower as sensing a crisis on the horizon and struggling to avoid it, when the breakdown may in fact free a person from reliance on something false. Labyrinthos also reads it as a call to become more self-reliant.
Biddy Tarot reads the reversed card as a significant personal transformation that a person starts themselves, questioning their own beliefs, values and purpose. Biddy Tarot also reads it as resisting or delaying a change that is needed, and sometimes as an intuitive sense of a big change ahead, which can soften its impact.
The Tower in love
In love, Labyrinthos reads the upright Tower as great, fundamental change, especially where a relationship’s foundations are weak. Labyrinthos also reads it, for single people, as a shift in what love itself means, with old beliefs about love making way for a clearer sense of one’s needs.
Reversed, Labyrinthos reads the card as a chance to deal with problems in a relationship before they grow, such as resentments that have been left unspoken. Labyrinthos also reads the reversed card as readiness to leave a relationship that has not been working.
The Tower in career
For work, Labyrinthos reads the upright Tower as stress and sudden disruption, such as a new boss or a jump in responsibility. Labyrinthos also reads it as a reminder that temporary mess can lead to a better fit in the long run, such as a more suitable job or a calmer workplace.
Reversed, Labyrinthos reads the card as having pulled through a stressful time at work. Labyrinthos also reads it as a push to leave the comfort of a monotonous job and look at what else might be possible.
The Tower and money
Labyrinthos reads the upright Tower in money questions as unwelcome surprises that act as a wake-up call, with a prompt to build a resilient support system and tend to what matters.
Reversed, Labyrinthos reads the card as relief after a hard time, and as a prompt to face a difficult situation honestly rather than put it off.
The Tower as feelings
As feelings, Labyrinthos reads the upright Tower as a storm of emotion: someone overwhelmed by the strength of their feelings and moved to rethink their choices. Labyrinthos also reads it as one’s own sudden realizations about love and relationships.
Reversed, Labyrinthos reads someone shaken by past events but beginning to find clarity, with a wish to rebuild and reconnect. Labyrinthos also reads the reversed card as one’s own sense of relief after turmoil.
Questions to reflect on
- Which belief or plan rests on ground that no longer feels solid?
- What truth has recently come to light, and what does it ask for?
- Is a needed change being held off?
- What could be built in the space that opens after something falls?