The Tower (XVI)

Meanings according to Rider-Waite:

ASTROLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Uranus / Saturn as a symbol of a burst abscess.

THE TOWER. The Tower tells us that for quite a long time we have considered our position stable and secure, and suddenly everything has collapsed. What collapses are precisely those structures and conventions that we have already outgrown, which have become too confining for us. This may concern our convictions or life principles, as well as work, finances, friendships or other relationships that seemed stable and unchanging to us. In any case, the Tower symbolizes a certain concept that for a long time provided us with confidence in the future, and perhaps a sense of security, but has now ceased to correspond to our heightened level. As a rule, this comes as a surprise to us: when an old concept suddenly collapses, many perceive it as a stroke of lightning. And since what collapses is precisely those structures that constituted the very foundation of our confidence, it often looks like a catastrophe. Only when the first shock passes do we discover that, as it turns out, we have rid ourselves of long-standing ballast. This realization comes either on its own or as a kind of hint from outside.

From the book: Hajo Banzhaf. THE TAROT HANDBOOK. Translated from German by E. Kolesov. Publisher: Center for Astrological Research, 1999.

16 - THE TOWER Mars The sixteenth card of the MAJOR ARCANA is called THE TOWER and depicts a crowned tower collapsing from a stroke of lightning. The crown, being significantly smaller than the roof of the tower, evidently indicates that the destruction occurred because of its weakness. The lightning sometimes takes the form of the zodiacal sign of Scorpio, and the tower is regarded as a phallic symbol. Two human figures fall from the tower — one in front and the other behind. It is generally accepted to associate this card with the fall of man. When his summit is destroyed, man falls into the lower world and brings upon himself the illusion of materiality. Here is also contained the key to the mystery of sex. The tower, filled with gold coins pouring in a stream from the breach formed by the strike, presumably symbolizes potential forces. The human soul, in order for that which has been created within to be made manifest outwardly (for the word to be spoken), turns inward upon itself. But the spoken word destroys the former inner integrity: therefore, when man sees the power of the word, he keeps silent, for in speaking he ceases to understand the meaning of what is said, since the spoken word loses its integrity, which gives the possibility in the creative process to touch the essence of things. On the Sixteenth ARCANUM OF THE TAROT is depicted a tower collapsing from a stroke of lightning. (The lightning shatters the Babylonian tower of "one's own world" built by man, revealing what is hidden within.) Two figures fall from it: one is a crowned KING, the other a pauper in rags. This ARCANUM symbolizes the destruction of former chimeras brought to man by his openness and interaction with the external world, since in our life disillusionment with one's own illusions, hopes, and rational constructs spares neither the strong nor the weak. Man is imperfect, and people's knowledge of the world is always only partial. Therefore, the more a man knows, the closer he is to the Socratic understanding that he knows nothing. Astrologically, the planet Mars corresponds to the card "THE TOWER" — the personal moral principle of man, dominant over fate, granting physical strength, spiritual impulses, and... the hope of immortality. But the hope of immortality comes to man only when he has "fallen from his Babylonian tower" and... nothing else remains for him besides this hope. That area of life where you considered yourself reliably protected has suddenly become too confining for you, and the TOWER reaching up to heaven, representing your views, has unexpectedly trembled and fallen, collapsing together with the old picture of the world. In a fuller sense, the Sixteenth ARCANUM symbolizes the destruction of form, the overthrow of values. "THE TOWER" may mean both blind destruction (Hiroshima) and the fall of what has grown decrepit. This is the pain that stands on the path to rebirth. The image of the TOWER may also signify the structures by means of which man tries to shield himself from spiritual growth and the difficulties associated with it. Man becomes cramped within himself, yet he stubbornly forces himself to hunch over, only so as not to grow, out of fear of pain (of life). And then the tower of human views turns into a prison. In THE TOWER, as in no other arcanum of the TAROT, the influence of Mars is especially palpable (cosmic energy in its crude materialistic form), as well as such planets as Pluto (globality and mass scale, "nowhere to hide"), Uranus and Saturn (sudden destruction and renewal). THE ALMSHOUSE — the most severe card of the MAJOR ARCANA.

Upright position: the card symbolizes the end of an existing situation under the influence of external forces, both unexpected and very swift. The collapse of the existing order of life. This is a suddenly made decision to change one's place of work (or profession), place of residence. It may also signify the renunciation of former relationships or a very severe test of love or friendship, after which your opinion of those close to you changes sharply. Alongside good cards, the ARCANUM signals the disintegration of existing evil, foreshadowing the end of a dark stretch in life and deliverance from the heavy burden of the present.

Reversed position: the card speaks of a strong dependence on existing circumstances, which at the present moment cannot be changed — your possibilities are limited, and your individuality is oppressed. You are walking in your own footsteps (along the same road), living in the old rut.

"Console yourself with the thought that to suffer means to labor in the striving to free oneself from matter, that is — to clothe oneself in immortality." Papus