The Tower: Tarot Card Meaning

Meaning of the The Tower card upright

Lightning strikes a tall tower, its crown flies off and people fall from the windows. The Tower is a sudden break of what was built on a false foundation. It is painful, but it frees you from an illusion and clears the ground for something honest.

The Tower reversed

• a postponed crisis
• fear of destruction
• a partial collapse

Reversed, the Tower shows a crisis that is postponed, a fear of necessary change or a collapse that comes slowly. You may be avoiding the truth. It is better to dismantle the weak parts yourself than to wait for lightning.

The Tower in love and relationships

In love it means a sudden revelation, a quarrel that clears the air or the end of a relationship built on a lie. After the shock comes honesty. Reversed, a long tension that no one dares to discuss.

The Tower in work and finances

At work this is a dismissal, a failed project, a reorganisation or the collapse of a plan. The structure was not solid. Reversed, you can still prevent a crisis if you act early.

Symbolism of the The Tower card

The lightning is a flash of truth that cannot be ignored. The falling crown is the pride of the mind. The twenty-two flames are the letters of the path of Major Arcana, and the figures that fall represent the loss of old positions.

The Tower in a yes or no reading

In yes or no spreads, The Tower upright reads as “no” and reversed as “no”. The answer comes from the general meaning of the card (a sudden collapse, revelation), so always take the wording of the question and the neighbouring cards into account. Try a yes or no reading.