In the last few days prior to my wire reentering the hospital, I drew the Tower twice in 3 card spreads. At the time I was dealing with the fact that my pay was messed up. I had lost a checkbook, and had to close the account my direct deposit is paid into every two weeks. So I had to cancel that arrangement. I did, and was promised everything would go smoothly on payday, which it did not. In my next spread, I drew the Hermit, 3 of Pen, and the Tower. I saw the hermit as meaning I had to fix this problem, I had to rely on myself. The 3 of Pen meaning I had the means to succeed. and the Tower as the problem itself. ...
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except that I didn't. In the back of my mind, I knew The Tower meant something else, but for the life of me, I could not see what else it could mean. My wife was actually already sick, but she kept insisting it was just a flu and she would be up and around in a day or two.

Its a significant syncronicity I think that the card that foretold trouble on the horizon, was the Tower. Like Melanie, I see the XV of Trumps as the Deciever. It carries the energy of all the lies, great and small we tell ourselves. All the little acts of denial that populate peoples lives. Such as, My wife not accepting something more than a flu could be wrong with her, although she was much sicker with her flu than me or my daughter had been. My not trusting my gut, and insisting we get her to the doc or hospital sooner. The Truth was there to see if we had opened our eyes. The XV of trumps is very like that too. It is about seeing the Deciever for what he is, and the truth behind our illusions as well. When that happens, the structures we have built on the sand of our illusions can no longer stand. The tide rolls in and washes away our towers.

So in its most energetic aspect the Tower represents to my mind an existential crisis. The end of a relationship that has been "ending forever", its been ending so long who would have thought it really would. My mom used to love a song called "By the Time I get to Phonix" that told such a story. I can still almost hear it, I remember most of the words. Thats another face of the Tower, the admonision to be careful what you wish for, you might get it.

To me I think thats a significant aspect of the tower. While I see the TR XIII (Death) as representing the natural cycles of life. Cycles over which we ultimately have little or no control. I see The Tower as the return of energy we ourselves have put out in the world. So in this way, I think the tower has gotten something of a bad rap.

Although the Tower will most likely represent an uncomfortable change, I think it tends to represent breaking through illusions that limit us. At the same time, it may represent the return of the positive energy we have put out into the world. I am reminded of an interview I recently listened to with Ray Grasse, an Astrologer and Author. Ray was commenting on how Saturn energy is very like this, it represents the righting of the scales Karmicly. A person "Getting what they've got coming to 'em." It says something that all of our expressions that convey this basic Idea. Ones "Chickens coming home to roost" and all, assume that what one has coming to them is nasty. Yet a good person, who is ultimately a plus in the world may have much in the way of blessing coming to them.

Honestly, one thing I dont get about The Tarot, is that The Tower is tied to Mars traditionaly, but mars is all about ego. While the tower, in its most perfected expression has to be about shattering that most precious of all illusions. The Ego, the notion that I am individual, Special, Unique, and Seperate, and not just one facet of a much greater whole. One of many crossinging in the web of creation.

Blessed Be All, BB

Divination:Cosmic Direction, Karmic Balance, That which is grounded in illustion is sweept away. Rapid change.

Reversed: Stagnation, Failure to see through ones illustions, Feeling trapped by circumstance. Time to reassess you life, and beliefs.