Many readers have a love/hate relationship with the Tower tarot card. Besides the Devil and Death cards, it is one of the most feared cards in the tarot deck, especially when it falls in the future position.
However, like all 78 cards, the Tower has positive and negative aspects.
You might wonder if a loss is around the corner if you’ve pulled the Tower card during a reading. As one of its meanings is release and tragedy, it very well could be, but the possibility of a fresh start is just as likely.
Keep reading for more info on this Major Arcana card and what its appearance might mean for you.
Table of Contents
THE TOWER TAROT CARD KEYWORDS
Before diving deeper into the upright- and reversed Tower tarot card meaning and its connection to love, work, and life, below is a quick overview of the most important words connected to this Major Arcana card.
| Upright | Intense and sudden change, release, painful loss, tragedy, revelation |
| Reversed | Resisting change, avoiding tragedy, a narrow escape, delaying what is inevitable |
| Yes or No | No |
THE TOWER TAROT CARD DESCRIPTION
With a black background and an unnerving overall feel, the face of the Tower tarot card contains just that: a burning tower of terror.
Sitting atop a jagged mountain, the fiery spire is several stories tall. The head of the steeple is missing, replaced by a lightning bolt and flames — smoke barrels out of the top and the sides.
Flames are also fanning out of the three windows, and specks of fire fill the sky. Although the Tower tarot card can represent many different situations, the crown at the top of the card symbolizes the material world and ambition.
What is most disturbing is the desperate people who have jumped from the Tower and are now dying. It is clear that total destruction is imminent, and there is no turning back.
UPRIGHT TOWER TAROT CARD MEANINGS
If we had to redesign the upright Tower to a more modern-day representation, a crashing airplane would be an accurate alternative image.
The Tower card depicts total destruction. If you’ve received the Upright Tower tarot card, prepare for things to be leveled and dismantled. You will experience a sudden change.
However, as with all loss, this will probably be a painful process. It can also lead to a fresh start. Before you can make these positive changes, you’ll have first to face the truth about a situation.
Are you prepared to take your blinders off and take this personal crisis head-on? Seeing through illusions and letting go of what you wish things to be is the very first step.
Money and Career Meaning
The Tower upright equals insecurity in every area, especially regarding career and finances.
Some of the situations that usually follow the fall of the Tower include the loss of a job, a long period of unemployment, or a very stressful work environment. Regarding business, the Tower can predict failure out of nowhere.
The same can be true of finances, as the Tower often symbolizes financial ruin, legal trouble, or bankruptcy. Unless the card has fallen into the past position, this isn’t the time for frivolous spending or big purchases.
Buckle down and embrace a conservative attitude until this period has passed. Thankfully, even the powerful changes the Tower brings won’t last forever.
Love and Relationships Meaning
With relationships, the Tower usually predicts the ending of a friendship, a breakup, or a divorce. If the Tower tarot card is one of the Major Arcana cards pulled in a love reading, the probability of success isn’t good.
The ending is often connected to a deception of some kind and the eventual uncovering of the truth. Angry outbursts and emotional meltdowns may occur. This definitely won’t be the kind of amicable ending that most people hope for when closing a chapter.
Losing the one you love or hoped to build a future with can be a painfully humbling experience. But this transition will be necessary if things aren’t meant to be.
Sometimes, the hardest part is the initial change. Remember, it is much better to accept the truth and move on than to live a lie.
Health and Spirituality Meaning
You were correct if you guessed that the Tower tarot card embodies bad health. The Tower often appears in a reading before or after a sudden illness, the loss of a pregnancy, or a deep bout of depression.
Feelings of grief, sadness, and discouragement are often connected to card number 16. Do you feel like you are a prisoner in your mind or body, unable to change the things you want so desperately to be different?
You might not be able to stop the toppling down that the Tower represents, but you can come to accept where you are right now in this moment. Instead of focusing on what can’t be changed, think about what you can do to make things different.
If you’ve pulled this card in connection with a spiritual or psychic development question, the answer is a little more positive. Although you may have to let go of old beliefs, now is the time to embrace your authentic self.
The Tower Reversed
Are you clinging to people, places, and things that are not good for you because of fear? This is a common scenario personified by the Tower reversed.
We often know it is time to let go, but instead, we hold on tighter. Things come tumbling down eventually, and we shake our heads as we look back at all the time we wasted. That’s what the Tower Reversed suggests.
Close your eyes and ask yourself this question, “What can I let go of?” If there are things or relationships you would be better off without, it’s time to release and accept. Doing so is difficult, but it will free you to participate in the positive parts of your life that bring you true joy.
You cannot move forward and experience spiritual awakening if you keep holding on to your old life – old thinking and old habits. Learn to let go and refocus your perspective to embrace a new chapter in your life. You will be surprised that the hardship and heartache that come with it will be worth it.
The Tower: Yes or No
The answer is no if you’re wondering if things will go right. The Tower tarot card in a Yes or No reading tells you that this isn’t the time to start a new business, branch out at work, or take your relationship to a new level.
You’ll need to ride out the tsunami wave that the Tower is about to bring before you can consider making positive moves.
No worries, though. What goes up must go down. Tough times definitely won’t last forever. Once this storm passes, you will rebuild your life into something greater.
Important Card Combinations
Although the Tower clearly isn’t a card you hope for in a reading, it also has positive aspects. Especially when combined with other cards, like the Chariot or Temperance. Below you can find the most important Tower tarot card combinations.
The Tower and the Chariot
Things may be difficult right now, but when the Chariot joins the Tower, there is a shift in power. Even if it doesn’t look like it, you are in control.
What things can you change, and what should you let go of? What will it take to secure a victory or have what you desire? Be confident and do just that.
The Tower and Temperance
It’s time to find a middle ground. The Tower alone usually brings forth swift ends to connections of all kinds. But when the Tower is paired with Temperance, a ‘Hail Mary’ may save the day.
Instead of giving up, look for common ground and a way to stay together. All isn’t lost in this case. You will need to do some negotiating, though.
The Tower and Death
The changes that the Tower is bringing will have lasting effects. Powerful forces will be at play here if the card is combined with the Death card.
The key is to avoid worrying or freaking out. Instead, look at the other cards in the reading. Doing so will allow you to pinpoint exactly how/where the issue will present. Having as much info as possible will allow you to remain calm and in control.
The Tower and the High Priestess
It’s time to stop avoiding the inevitable. The constant chaos in your life is of your own doing, even if others are involved. When the Tower and the High Priestess are matched, personal responsibility is key.
We can’t control other people, but we have power over who we let in our lives, what we accept, and who we allow to stay. We also control our reactions and how we move forward after a loss.
The Tower Tarot Art
Although I write all the descriptions based on the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, it doesn’t mean I use other decks too. And there are so many beautiful decks out there! I can lose myself browsing and searching the web for beautiful tarot cards.
Below you can find a small selection of beautiful Tower tarot cards. If you created a Tower tarot card yourself and want to share this, I would love to hear from you!
THE TOWER TAROT CARD IN A READING
That’s all for the Tower tarot meaning! Hopefully, you’re not shaken up by the pulling of the Tower and realize that life’s challenges are just as important as the ‘ups.’
It is a contrast that helps us appreciate the good times. What things do you have to be thankful for? Journaling these bits of gratitude daily can make a huge difference in perspective and happiness.
Are you a Tarot beginner? Learn how to read Tarot in this Tarot beginner’s Guide.
Dena says
So I got the tower here in a reading and I pulled my own card with the same question here at home…I got the 6 of swords. Thoughts of these together?
Wille says
You are definitely going through a transition right now, as both cards suggest this. You are leaving the pain of something behind you.
Wille xxx
Poornima says
Tower upright, Devil upright and justice reversed. What does this combination mean?
Wille says
It really depends on what you asked the Tarot. I cannot say for sure what these cards mean for you!
Wille xxxx
Johana says
I got both the tower in reverse and temperance in reverse. What does that mean for me?
Wille says
Hi Johana, thanks for your question. The Temperance card and the Tower card together probably indicate that you are resisting necessary change, which brings imbalance or even some kind of distraction into your life. These cards want to tell you that you should let go of the things you are holding on to. Otherwise, you will not be able to develop and grow. I hope this helps!
Love,
Wille ✨
Monique says
I woke up in the middle of the night with this card, upright. After that I heard ‘TwinTower’ and saw the Colosses of Memnon in Egypt in a flash…
I can’t find any info about this, can you enlighten me?
Thank you!
Wille says
Hello Monique, thank you for your question! The Tower Card means intense and sudden transformation. If you saw this card in your dream, followed by those images, it might mean that soon you will experience a significant change in your life.
Hope this helped.
Love,
Wille ✨