What is the meaning of symbols in The Tower Tarot Card?

On the card, we see a tall tower with a crown instead of a dome. The clouds surround it, lightning strikes its top, so that the tower cracks. The crown tilts and is ready to fall. Flames burst from the windows. The card depicts human figures: they fly down, an abyss opens up under them.
The image on the card represents the principle of destruction that allows new creation. The Tower resembles the Phoenix, who is born again and again from his own ashes. The damaging of the Phoenix can be applied to the Tower Tarot experience. Acceptance of change and personal destruction in order to be reborn and renewed. Knowing that change is inevitable, it is much better to go with the flow and accept the need for transformation.
This card symbolizes a complete collapse, the disintegration of everything that until now has formed the basis of existence, a reversal of ideas about the world, powerlessness in front of the formidable will of heaven. But it is also catharsis, the cleansing of the soul from aggravated sins and sufferings.
The Tower itself represents ambition built on the wrong foundation. Lightning breaks existing patterns to create opportunities for new things. The Arcana represents a vague and temporary idea of ​​truth, a sudden sense of inspiration that shatters ignorance and erroneous arguments.
Lightning appears from left to right (from the point of view of the card), from heaven to earth, from the spiritual to the material world. Human characters represent prisoners, the captives of the Devil’s card.

Archetype: destruction of matter.

Symbolism of The Tower

Falling figures
They represent a rash leap away from the past and a decisive step without asking for help in the sea of ​​events that lie ahead.
It is possible that two figures on this card are not just falling, but flying or planning downward. After all, skydiving (including from skyscrapers) is one of the most popular entertainments!
This is the Emperor and the Priest, an allusion to those in power and to the heights from which we break down because of our pride and attachment to material things.

Tower
Represents our ego, our material structure, our defense mechanisms and an arrogant attitude towards life.
It is a symbol of human pride. This is protection: a watchtower, from the top of which you can see a good view and which in itself personifies strength and security. At the same time, a brick tower means arrogance and isolation, alienation, life in confinement. It also symbolizes outdated beliefs and beliefs, sometimes false premises.
The tower represents the attempt of people to climb to heaven. However, as in the case of the Tower of Babel, attempts were unsuccessful.

The roof has separated from the main structure
Means a complete break with the past.

Explosion
It may seem that the tower is collapsing from a lightning strike. However, the tower, engulfed in flames, is also a symbol of orgasm, the most powerful surge of energy that a person is capable of.

Crown on the Tower
It symbolizes the non-recognition of anyone’s power over oneself.
In both a positive and a negative sense: loss of control, openness, refusal of any preliminary checks and competition. Negative meaning: insecurity, weak personality. Positive meaning: getting rid of self-worth.
Its fall symbolizes the loss of pride and the triumph of humility, which is the main lesson of this Arcana.

Lightning
The “finger of God,” external circumstances that destroy what we have created. A symbol of a strong dominant phenomenon.
The zigzag of lightning resembles the letter W. Just as the wand of a magician can symbolize “I”, so the letter W can mean “we”. The most powerful manifestations of vitality are reflected in one way or another on other people.

Lightning strike
Divine destruction of stable life, the wrath of the gods caused by human desires to be equal to them.

Flame
Flame of passion. Negative meaning: destruction, unpredictability, uncontrollable aggression. Positive meaning: flame of enthusiasm, willingness to help other people, Divine fire in a person.

Golden Drops
22 drops in the form of the Hebrew letters “Yod” – the symbol of fire. They remind about the feast of Pentecost (the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues of flame). Golden drops of grace or a destructive firestorm are the two extremes of the manifestation of energy.

Between heaven and earth
We did not see exactly how the figuress of this card fell or jumped from the tower, and we will not see how and where they will land. The basis of the energy of this card is the state of flight / fall, being between the sky and the earth.

Black sky
The negative value: disorientation in space, insufficient visibility. Positive meaning: light in darkness, strength for new beginnings, willingness to enter the unknown. The path to the star. Means evil, destruction and retribution
A sign that this Arcana is usually considered as negative.

Number: 16.
This is four, the number of stability multiplied by itself – hardening, rigidity.
The general meaning of the number 16, associated with the idea of ​​struggle, overcoming and submission, is due to the fact that its mystical root, which comes as a result of the theosophical addition of numbers 1 and 6, is the number seven, which symbolizes victory and domination.

The tower reflects our need to live in peace with ourselves.
The tower indicates that the principles on which we have built our lives must be destroyed, because they no longer correspond to our true appearance.
This can cause us a feeling of anxiety, since we are always reluctant to part with the things we are used to, even fully realizing the precariousness of our position.
The tower proclaims a period of catharsis, when everything that has become obsolete must be eradicated from our lives.
We get a chance to demolish the dilapidated building of a past life and erect a new temple of our faith and spiritual values.
In other words, a person builds something new, perhaps on the rubble of the old, but a moment comes when the ultimate goal of human efforts not only attracts him to himself, but also sends painful blows. At such a time it may seem that everything has perished. But later comes the knowledge: if a blow followed, it means that one more step of the ascent is over.

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