Pretending
It’s fortunate that I’ve never pulled the Tower for anyone I’ve read for besides myself. Not yet. I will really have to mask my reaction when it does happen, because this is the only card that provokes a strong negative response in me.
When things are out of alignment in one’s life, in a relationship, a job situation, financial or health issue, etc., it is very easy to ignore it and just continue in an undesirable direction. It is human nature to ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ and pretend that everything is okay, because it is easier than doing the work needed to clean up the messes we make, or allow others to make.
Sometimes changes must occur, sometimes the changes are needed. A sudden but relatively quiet upheaval can allow much-needed light and air into one’s life. It may be painful, but one can then breathe a sigh of relief and get on with things. Usually this is what the card Death signifies. But sometimes the circumstances to do not occur quietly. The situation can suddenly adopt the attributes of a raging wildfire, and one can feel things spinning rapidly out of your control. Quite often this is because they have been ignoring the misalignment of energies in their life. This is when the Tower might make an appearance.
Of all the cards that I might pull from a deck when reading for myself, this is the one I really do not ever want to see. I’m a quiet, private sort of person. I’d rather see Death in a reading for myself, because at least I know the pain will be private, and the healing will be personal. The Tower will have none of that, it always demands cannons firing and bombs bursting in the air. It may very well be my own fault that the Tower rises out of the earth at my feet to fix the mess I’ve made by pretending everything is okay. However, that doesn’t make it any less traumatizing.
The Tower only appears when it is needed. Focus on getting through it. Once the storm resulting from the fire and thunder of the Tower passes, the sun does actually emerge and the birds will begin to sing again. This is important to remember if you find yourself in the middle of a Tower storm. Just remember to keep breathing, and continue to trust that things will be okay. In fact, it is likely that your situation will be improved by the energy of the Tower, however difficult that may be to believe while you are while in it’s throes. The earth may shake, but it will stop shaking eventually and you can rebuild whatever was destroyed. And when you rebuild, it will be an improved design, stronger and safer, as long as you take to heart the lessons to be learned from the Tower.
The Tower – Liberation
Yesterday I finally quit my job.
Today I pulled the Tower as my daily card. How appropriate. Giving notice at work has certainly resulted in a release from stress and anguish. Nevertheless I still feel out of sorts. The decision to quit came rather suddenly, however timely it may be.
It was cathartic to stand up to my abusive boss. It was also cathartic to type up my letter of resignation. I felt renewed, cleansed and energized afterward. I feel that I am ready to face new challenges.
Because things have been shifting and changing so rapidly in my life lately, I was curious about how the planets may be affecting me. So I took advantage of the free natal chart and forecast info offered at astro.com.
Saturn conjunction Uranus: Fundamental changes: Beginning of September 2006 until beginning of June 2007: This is an extremely powerful influence, for it represents powerful internal forces for change colliding with powerful resistance from the external world. You are trying to escape the routine, dull and ordinary aspects of your life. You try to find new things that will make your life more exciting and stimulating. But with every effort of this kind, circumstances, duties and obligations seem to hold you back and keep you stuck in an oppressive situation.
You may get to a point where the pressure is unbearable, and then you will make a sudden break for freedom. You may suddenly leave a relationship, an oppressive job or your place of residence, without warning anyone.
No kidding.
The Tower is one of those cards that can be scary. But, in fact, it can be a card of liberation. It can be a sign that freedom is imminent. It can represent risk-taking, powerful drive, and fast and fierce changes in any situation. The Tower is a Major Arcana card associated with Mars. Mars is the planet of drive and leadership.
Any major change in your life can be scary. But it can also be exactly what you need to free you from whatever has been keeping you from growth. Sometimes the Tower can be exactly what you need.
This Tower card is from the Universal Waite Tarot Deck
