The Major Arcane of the Tower in Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Marseille tarot and in the Rider Waite tarot is a card that can cause a certain impact when it is revealed within a spread, certainly having a determining meaning. When The Tower appears vertically, it is indicating disasters as something positive.
Meaning of The Tower in the Marseille Tarot by Jodorowsky and Rider Waite
Card XVI of the Major Arcane is the Tower and represents a tower of flesh-colored bricks that is revealed at the top by lightning. The Tower is located on a mountain and the open top is a crown. In the Tower there are three windows on fire and two people are jumping to escape from the stake. One of these people has a crown on his head.
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The dark sky is dotted with tiny sparks. The Tower is reminiscent of the Bible’s Tower of Babel, a work built by man to compete with God, but never finished: the workers suddenly spoke different languages, a sign of divine curse. Therefore, the tower symbolizes sudden change, the destruction of the lifestyle you are used to, and the collapse of defenses.
In response to the destruction, a solution must be found to start another life. In this perspective, past situations seem inadequate and it is necessary to give space to new situations.
The test that the Tower card brings is represented by the resistance to changes: in fact, the transition occurs drastically and can overwhelm with its violence. In tarot cards, the Tower usually represents pride that God punishes with his wrath, and in a divination, the card can mean serious danger. The card also indicates conceit, greed, desire for conquest. Here the Tower invites you to change the size of reality and not to make claims beyond your capacity, but also not to look for the competition.
If placed as an obstacle card, the Tower indicates problems on the path taken, and the possibility of seeing no solutions. In love, it can mean a crisis in the couple, a painful breakup that, however, begins a completely opposite recovery. As far as work is concerned, a document indicates the moment in decisions, which invite you to reflect on solutions and allow you to evaluate other opportunities, therefore, change positively.
If it appears reversed, the card warns that something serious is about to happen, but it also indicates that it is possible to make a strategic move to solve the problem in a single gesture. Through a challenge to show skills and diplomacy, but without pride, everything can be resolved.
The Tower to the right
When it appears to the right, the meanings of the Tower are explosion, inversion versus violence, something that happens suddenly and cannot be avoided. It is often excessive pride that triggers this change.
It is a series of small things that disturb and give rise to suspicions that, by themselves, have no concrete basis, but added together they make the vase overflow. When the Tower comes up in a consultation, it is a clear sign that so much energy has built up, especially negative energy, that if you don’t release it you risk an emotional breakdown.
The relationship has reached the limit, and what will happen will be suggested by the cards that go out with her. For example, if among the online tarot cards they came out together with the Judgment card, there would be a release from the torment given by this link, if instead it came out with the Wheel of Fortune, the moment of change is not yet near, there is an impasse in the relationship, and we should verify with another additional document the development of the situation. We feel oppressed, the pride of being right could make us commit imprudence, we are destabilized and like a volcano ready to erupt all the lava and lapilli that it has at the bottom.
While the Tower generally represents disaster, emotional struggle, and sudden change so intense that it alters the foundation of the person or organization in question, it also serves as a warning that one can no longer hide from the unpleasant realities of life.
You will eventually discover that this change or series of changes turns out to be positive. Once you get over it, you’ll come out of the experience much less naive and much better equipped to deal with the world. The unpleasant truths that you will soon face should serve as a catalyst for your emotional and spiritual awakening, which will prove to be crucially important for your well-being in the future.
The Tower in Health
On a health level, you feel especially vulnerable to illness and, as such, you must do everything in your power to live in the healthiest way possible. Even if you don’t necessarily feel compromised or sick right now, we recommend that you schedule a full medical exam, including blood tests and any X-rays your doctor requires.
The Tower in Love
The Rook in a love reading is rarely a positive sign, rather it signifies an unhealthy relationship primarily marked by conflict.
It usually portends something unexpected and disastrous that is about to happen, like discovering that your lover is having an affair with one of your closest friends or siblings. Similarly, if you have been cheating on your partner, you are about to be caught and forced to face the consequences of your infidelity.
If you are single, the Tower could infer that you feel especially empty and lonely as a result of your relationship status and that you are still suffering from abandonment issues from your last serious relationship.
The Tower in the Money
You must be especially careful and prudent with your expenses. In it it is more negative, the Tower portends failure and bankruptcy, perhaps the result of repeated bad investments. If you still have the resources, now is a good time to start saving some money.
Prepare for the worst, as the financial catastrophe that awaits you will be completely out of your control. Maybe the markets will crash, or you will be audited and you will find out that you owe them a lot more money than you have at your disposal.
The Tower at Work
In terms of employment, the Tower denotes working in a negative or hostile environment, or employment that is potentially dangerous, such as a firefighter, underwater welder, or soldier. It often indicates a lack of job security or actual job loss.
At the same time, it indicates that a stressful and highly emotional change is about to take place. This could involve being promoted to a position that you can barely navigate at first, but promises to bring great reward once you’ve gotten over the learning curve.
The Tower upside down
Apparently reversed, the Tower card does not change the basic meaning. Simply, the intensity with which this discomfort is experienced is less than if it had come out directly. He has not yet reached the end of the resistance, the mood is nervous, but still controllable. The liberation of this discomfort, however, is not within reach, previous negative experiences have not been stored.
The crisis of the relationship is perceived, but one does not have the courage to face it and seek a solution, for better or for worse, which is always good. The shock that triggers a change is not there, everything remains mute, including discomfort. If it then comes out together with other negative tarot cards, it is definitely necessary for the consultant to be strong and find all the necessary courage to start the storm that will lead to change.
When the Reversed Tower appears in a spread, it means that a crisis is looming in your immediate future, and you will not be able to prevent its manifestation, no matter how much effort you spend trying.
This change can be painful, but it will ultimately be beneficial as you will emerge from it all a wiser and more self-reliant individual. At the same time, when reversed, the Tower can indicate that all of the above will still take place, but you’ll be blessed with a bit of breathing room before it all hits the fan.
The Tower in Health
You can ignore the warning signs of serious illness by irrationally believing that these symptoms will go away on their own. Obviously, you should abandon these thought patterns and make an appointment with a medical professional for a complete checkup.
You can feel very relieved knowing that there is nothing wrong with you and that the symptoms you have been ignoring are nothing to worry about. No matter the outcome, you’re not doing yourself a favor by not facing your health situation head-on.
The Tower in Love
In a love reading, the Reversed Tower suggests that your current relationship is for all intents and purposes over, except that you continue to delay the inevitable out of fear of the pain you hope it will bring.
You need to face reality head-on and end the relationship, because even if you keep holding out hope, things will eventually change for the better, deep down you know they won’t. By ignoring the truth, you are doing yourself a great disservice. As long as you continue with the charade, you will lose opportunities to find your true soulmate.
The Tower in the Money
Finding the Tower inverted in a reading about money suggests that you are trying to escape inevitable financial ruin. As terrible as it sounds, it certainly may not be as terrible as you think. Perhaps it motivates you to start a new project, one that you would have noticed if it weren’t for your financial problems.
Filing for personal bankruptcy could allow you to put your financial obligations behind you and start thinking clearly again, minus all the stress your debts have been causing you. For example, maybe you should consider defaulting on your mortgage, so hand over the keys to your house and start renting again.
These are definitely tough decisions, but in the end being proactive about your financial situation will make you a happier person.
The Tower at Work
The inverted Tower is an indication that your job is in jeopardy, but you are managing surprisingly well under very difficult circumstances. Your job is stressful at the best of times and even more challenging now that events have taken a turn for the worse.
However, if you do fail and ultimately lose your job, remember that being out of your comfort zone often serves as an inspiration to pursue paths you probably wouldn’t otherwise follow. Although stressful, these roads sometimes have a way of leading to great things.
The Tower: Combinations | special editions
An important factor to consider when analyzing a spread in which the Tower card appears is that its meaning may vary according to the other cards that appear next to it, so it is of great importance that they all be known and each one of the possible combinations for its best interpretation.