The Tower

In Tarot, I find many different interpretations for The Tower. While this has not been a card that has appeared in many of the readings I have performed over the past few years, it has been coming up frequently in the readings I have done for my friends, clients and at events. Since this card has been on my mind a lot lately, I decided I would present a few ideas regarding its interpretation.

When 911 occurred, many Tarotists saw The Tower as representing the airplanes striking the twin towers in New York City. While I seldom interpret this card as an actual physical event, I generally see it as the emotional and internal struggles one experiences when an event occurs or is about to occur--anxiety and stress. Many Little White Books ("LWBs") or books on Tarot see it as a chaotic, possibly catastrophic event. Because I read intuitively, I am never locked into any LWB or reference interpretation with The Tower.

As I teacher, I notice that the cards will present themselves, in whatever layout is selected, in manner that supports someone's individual style of interpretation. Over time, everyone's way of interpreting should continue to expand, change and evolve. I know my ability to interpret has changed quite a bit since I first picked up a deck when I was 15 years old. I love to tease my students after they interpret a reading. I swoop in and show them another perspective on how to interpret the cards--an overlay sometimes, and who knows what. When they pick their jaws up off the floor, I tell them, "that's why I'm the professional." To me, interpreting Tarot is like a puzzle. How many accurate pieces of information can we mine from the cards selected? It varies. That's what I find so exciting about Tarot.

I performed a reading for someone, recently, in connection with a possible home foreclosure. Interestingly enough, The Tower showed up front and center. This indicated to me that there would, indeed, be a foreclosure on her home. Why did The Tower appear instead of the Three of Swords, the Death card, or the Ten of Swords--all loss cards? For me, this was not just a termination of her residence and a fresh start or just a plain termination--at least at this point in time. Using practical knowledge, a foreclosure doesn't just happen out of the blue. It is a process, starting with a preforeclosure notice. It follows a legal time frame, and depending upon the bank's ability to sell the home, may or may not give someone additional time to vacate the premises and find a place to live, etc. Since this was a chaotic situation The Tower was perfect. It showed strong emotional, mental and physical consequences related to an action or event.

The individual called me back to inform me that The Tower moment for the day was the fact that her trash bag broke and the trash men left it and its spewed contents--several pounds of used kitty litter (ewww) in the driveway for her to clean up. While this could be considered a good explanation of The Tower, I was dumbfounded. Her interpretation seems valid to me, however, using Tarot to explain something mundane as a trash mishap is not something I consider Tarot worthy. OK, so I am a Tarot snob and proud of it.

For me, interpreting The Tower and its surrounding cards is about providing an accurate interpretation that can help someone when they are dealing with a chaotic situation or the emotional "stuff" related to that situation or event.

In terms of the above-referenced individual's reading with The Tower as the focal point, she did receive a feel-good moment as an outcome. It was paired beautifully it with the Six of Wands. With the Six, she will be able overcome whatever catastrophe The Tower represents in terms of her foreclosure and make the outcome a positive experience. Of course, if she had received some other feel-good card instead of the Six, there would have been more information for her to use. However, she's pretty much a cut-and-dried type of person who favors yes/no answers. Most people know that I do not really do those types of readings. However, this was the closest I came to giving her a yes/no. What other cards that represents growth or happiness, or any positive Major Arcana card such as The Sun or the World would you pull to pair with The Tower and how would you interpret it? I'd like to know.

Reflection on the Tarot Partnership of The Hierophant and The Devil

When I interpret Tarot spreads, I like to see all sides of the situation, whenever possible. For today's post, I used the Universal Waite Tarot deck. The Hierophant drew attention to himself before I even shuffled. So, my intent to just use one card was changed by Spirit. After I shuffled, I pulled The Devil (reversed). Looking at both of these cards, they present a multitude of interpretations--all with the theme of change. Why change, you ask? Because that's how we grow as individuals and as souls. Today's interpretation is with the reversal of The Devil.

The Hierophant represents society, rules, education, structure and belief systems. The Devil can represent bondage to the material, the lovers in Hell, and the struggle between Spirit and the physical world--entrapment.

How would I interpret these two cards in a partnership? I see these two characters working together because of the reversal of The Devil. The resonance for me is about restoring order, structure and putting a framework in place to remove the negative energies that we struggle with on a daily basis. That sounds a little bit like spring cleaning. I think so. For everything that we shut away in our minds, hearts, and bodies, we occasionally need to face our demons and air out our closets--the closets in our homes and in ourselves.

Why do we hold onto the past? Do we hope that we can go back in time so we can have a second chance or change our past and then our future? Perhaps. Time is linear--rather a timeline is linear. A timepiece moves in a circle.

Is change good for us? Yes. Though sometimes the process of change is extremely difficult. Ultimately, we all end up embracing change. Whether we face it willingly or fight it, sooner or later we must change. The rules (The Hierophant) of the society in which each of us live presents challenges. We must work with the rules that are handed down to us by our governments. Most societies allow us to have a say in how our government works. That is a gift that was handed down to us by those who who came before--those who found a way to create change.

While it may take us a long time to release the bonds of the devil, we know that if we "let go" of that which no longer serves us, we will provide ourselves with a new way of living our lives and we should be able to deal with whatever comes along.

In summary, The Hierophant shows us that we need order, structure, rules and beliefs to support us on our journey in life. The Devil shows us where we get stuck--usually it's fear or bondage to a way of life. When the rug is pulled out from under us, we should always get up and start all over again. Find a new way. If we trust, all will sort itself out--in time.

There is so much more to say about these two cards in partnership. We can apply the fundamentals of these cards to countless situations. Let me know what you think about these two cards working together. Let me know what you think about these two cards in opposition to one another.