
The Tower is a very powerful and well-known Tarot card. It’s often depicted as a lightning-struck tower with two people falling from the top.
Major and unexpected developments, upheavals, and unrest are frequently associated with the Tower Tarot Card. ın this article we will look at the Tower Tarot card’s history, meanings, and role in a Tarot reading.
History of The Tower Tarot Card
The Tower Tarot card is based on an Italian card game from the Middle Ages. The card was frequently associated with the Tower of Babel. In Babel, people were punished for being too confident.
The card images changed over time, and each new deck design shows the tower in a different way. In some decks, the tower on the card is depicted as a tree or a rock; in others, it is depicted as a castle or a fort. Despite its many changes over the years, the tower tarot card has always served as a powerful symbol of change, destruction, and upheaval.
As the tarot’s popularity increased, more people interpreted it, and the tower card’s meaning evolved accordingly. The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck depicted the tower tarot card as a tall stone tower struck by lightning. The image was intended to demonstrate how harmful heavenly influence can be. The design still remains as one of the tarot’s most powerful and stunning images.
The Tower’s Relationships to Other Historical and Mythological Archetypes
In addition to the the tower of Babel, the tower tarot card resembles the Greek mythological hero; Icarus.
In the story of Icarus, Icarus gets too close to the sun, causing his wings to melt, falling from to sky to his death. Both Babel and Icarus’s stories show the dangers of arrogance and what happens when you try to change the way things are supposed to be.
Symbology on the tower tarot card can also be viewed as a modern interpretation of the Tower of Destruction. Tower of Destruction card is one of the major arcana cards in the Kabbalistic Tarot.
The Tower is also similar to the Prometheus story. Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. Because Prometheus was too arrogant, Zeus chained him to a rock. Zeus sent an eagle to eat Prometheus’s liver every day.
The Symbolism of the Tower Tarot Card

From the lightning bolt that strikes the tower to the flames and debris that fall from the top The Tower Tarot card is full of symbols. Some of the most important signs on the card are as follows:
Lightning is a sign of God’s help or a sudden, massive shift.
The tower symbolizes the ego or the structures we build to protect ourselves.
Damage, chaos, and change are represented by flames and broken objects.
Figures falling from the tower show how our illusions and false beliefs crumble.
Crown depicts the fall of the powerful or the destruction of power structures.
When all of these symbols are combined, they paint a clear picture of a world in turmoil, where the things we rely on to keep us stable are crumbling.
Tower Tarot Card Images and Symbolism by Rider-Waite-Smith

In the Rider-Waite-Smith Tower card, a tall stone tower is struck by lightning. Flames and skyscraper fragments are falling from the sky. Two people are falling from the tower in the foreground, while a third person looks on in terror.
The images on the card are intended to be powerful and terrifying. The lightning represents a sudden, powerful transformation that shatters our false beliefs and illusions, while the tower represents our ego. People falling from the tower represent the breakdown of our own inner structures and beliefs, while the flames and falling debris represent the destruction and chaos that follows.
The two people falling from the tower are frequently thought to be Adam and Eve. They were kicked out of the Garden of Eden for refusing to obey the rules of God. From this perspective, the tower tarot card represents the consequences of our actions and the punishments we may face if we do not follow the divine will.
The Tower Card’s upright and reversed meanings
Although the Tower Tarot card is often associated with destruction and change, its meaning can vary depending on whether it is facing up or down in reading.
When the Tower appears upright in a Tarot reading, it foretells a major, sudden shift. This transition may be difficult or inconvenient, but it is essential for long-term growth and transformation. The tower can also be a warning that the things we thought were stable can crumble at any time and we must brace ourselves for the chaos and uncertainty of the unknown.
When the tower appears reversed in a tarot spread, it represents our resistance to change and our unhealthy attachment to things that no longer serve us today.
It could also mean that we are unwilling to see the truth about our situation and refuse to accept that we need to change. It can indicate some problems are on their way.
The Tower’s position in a Tarot deck and how it affects the overall reading
The tower tarot card can also set the overall tone of the reading. It indicates the end of one cycle and the start of another.
When the tower is in the past position, it indicates that previous events have caused confusion and unrest in the present.
If it is in the present position, the tower card represents a warning that a crisis is approaching and we must act to avoid disaster.
When the tower card is in the future position, it indicates that major changes are on the way and we must be prepared to deal with the changes.
The Tower Tarot card represents both internal and external rapid change and chaos. Its motifs and symbols have been interpreted in various ways throughout history, but one thing has remained consistent: the Tower represents the need to destroy the old in order to make room for the new.
The meaning of the Tower, like that of all Tarot cards, is entirely up to the reader. In different contexts and different spreads, it can also refer to other things. Understanding the Tower Tarot card’s origins, symbolism, and relationships, on the other hand, will help you figure out what it might mean and how to interpret it. The Tower is a powerful and significant Tarot card, whether we interpret it as a warning or an opportunity to grow.