Intense. Terrifying. And yet, serenely calming, the tower is one of the most paradoxical cards in the tarot.
It signifies destruction, upheavals, and revelations. It is no minor arcana. This card involves life-altering changes. And while it can involve something obvious, to me, it has always involved life’s subtleties.
It is a gentle undercurrent. A sudden, internal click. It is the moment when the sky falls and the world flips upside down – but it happens all while you sleep. Just as you can never feel the earth turning, you can never seem to see the tower coming.
To me, the tower is a chain of small events. It’s a build-up of little things. Sentences spoken that stand out among the chatter, one misturn that leads you down a different road – and then suddenly, the world shifts.
One final moment, just as small, triggers something within. A revelation appears as bright as the sun, and feels just as intense, but requires no physical movement. It’s a single thought at dinner. A breath exhaled standing in front of something.
And in that moment, the way you decide to live your life changes forever.
The world doesn’t have to be burning for it to be a tower moment. You don’t have to lose everything. It doesn’t have to be moving across the country or a breakup. It can, but to me, it’s something more important to yourself than anything external.
Keep this in mind next time the tower flips.
It is not something to be feared. It is nothing to anxiously await day-by-day. It is more gentle than you think.
Like the tower pictured? Check out the deck here.
What are your personal interpretations of the tower? Comment down below.