16 - The Tower Tarot Card
The Tower is tarot card number 16, although it is the 17th card of the Major Arcana because the 1st of the 22 Major Arcana cards is number 0 (The Fool).
The Tower tarot card is often thought to be one of the most negative, and most justifiably feared cards in the Tarot Deck. This is in contrast to other cards such as Death, The Devil, and The Hanged Man, which some people fear because of their misunderstanding of them.
The reason for such strong attitudes to this card is that The Tower tarot card can indicate a dramatic 'wake-up call', 'bolt from the blue', or need for concious self-improvement. Sometimes, it can indicate circumstances that may be difficult to cope with initially.
However, no card is completely negative.The Tower tarot card can help the querent to recognize and overcome attitudes that he or she may hold and which are keeping him or her stuck or isolated in some way.
Many tarot decks include an image of a tall tower from which people (typically a male and a female figure) are falling. The most traditional images of The Tower tarot card also include lightening striking the top of the tower, fire at the top of the tower, and a raging sea at the bottom of the tower. This is a lot of dramatic, energetic imagery packed onto one tarot card.
Some words and phrases associated with The Tower tarot card include:
- Abandonment of old limitations
- Awakening
- Disruption, often on a grand scale!
- Dramatic change
- Rapid unexpected descent
- Fortress-like personality traits and 'defensive personalities'
- End of an 'old order'
- End of isolation
- New ways of thinking may become necessary or imposed on the querent or situation
More about the Major Arcana
Click here for more Major Arcana cards
