Today’s card was selected by my 11 year-old daughter. She is a wise young girl who received the following welcome from the midwife, just minutes after she was born: “Oh, this one’s been here before, she’s a wise old soul; I can tell”. I mention this, because for a child to pick a card that has to do with turmoil and unpreventable change, it makes more sense when you see it from the perspective of one who ‘knows’ without having to analyse. Some children have such a grasp on the laws of nature – perhaps because they are closer to the time of birth, perhaps because they still have what we call innocence; either way, a child who harbours an understanding of what life is all about, knows that we cannot live it without experiencing the effects of The Tower from time to time.
The Tower
Traditional Keywords associated with The Tower:
- Change
- Upheaval
- Destruction
- Sudden shift
- Revelation
- Release
The words describing my visual interpretation of the card:
I am the Tower – I represent tumult, upheaval and sudden change, reminding you that some shifts in life need to be cataclysmic for a new path and direction to eventuate. The destruction of fire brings new growth; allow me to guide you out of your comfort zone as you shed your illusions through a phase of change.
More about The Tower
A long time ago; actually the first time I ever came in contact with the Tarot; I selected 2 cards in a group reading. The cards I turned over were: The Tower, followed by The Hermit… One week later, I packed my things in a suitcase and a black garbage bag, moving on to an unknown future. The cards didn’t make it happen, but looking back, they did help me see that a big change was necessary. Sometimes change is gradual, it sort of happens without us really knowing – other times though, change is disruptive to everything we know at that point in time – it is this kind of change which is depicted in The Tower.
When this card turns up in a reading it might be talking about big physical changes in your life (moving house, big changes in your relationship(s)…), though it may also represent big internal changes at a time when you are redefining your direction in life. I don’t see this as a bad card, quite the opposite really; it simply refers to a time of change (on some level), and whenever you see this card in your own reading, you and you alone will truly know what it means :). It may also help to remember that some changes have to be a little dramatic in order to pursue your dreams…
To sum up the Tower, you could as my daughter just did, see it like a Phoenix: where from the ashes comes new life :)
