The Tower is the catharsis of deeper intent moving through the surface ego. The picture on the card depicts a tower whose pinnacle is being blasted by catastrophe. It follows naturally after the Devil card. The Devil is like a mountain, a giant structure of earth. The gravity of this mountain creates intense pressure within the Earth. In the Tower card, this pressure ignites into hot rising magma, turning the mountain into a volcano.
In Vedic astrology, the Tower card is the planet Mars. Mars is the warrior planet, signifying power, conflict, and war. Mars represents the release of explosive masculine energy. The sexual symbol for this element of masculine energy is the ejaculating penis. Mars can be a fiery and destructive planet. It also holds the power required for acting with intent. Mars is the will chakra and the will that is the expression of our deeper intent. The Tower shows dynamic and explosive power that can help us to move through obstacles and make lasting change.
In Toltec shamanism, this is the second card in the mastery of intent. The Tower is the power of intent renewing itself in the moment. The Tower pushes through the old pattern of the Devil card. The Tower is the ability to break the chains shown in the Devil card. It is a powerful energy of initiation and catharsis. The Tower does not negate or withhold energy. The Tower allows intent to move through it, whatever that may look like. You do not need to judge what happens to the intent, because everything is intent. You can accept your apparent limitations and continue to move the energy of intent through your life.
The way the Tower breaks free from the Devil card is not by resisting it, but by completely embracing the power of the Devil. Imagine that the old pattern represented by the Devil is a balloon holding energy within its thin skin. The Tower card is the act of blowing more and more air into the balloon until it pops, releasing the energy. With the Tower card, you actually give more and more energy to your old patterns, until the patterns can no longer hold all of that energy. The energy spills over, breaks free, and explodes outward like the image of the exploding tower.
The Tower card can be about conflict, or it can be about embracing the intensity of your cathartic experiences, and allowing a deeper intent to move through you. Either way, the Tower is messy. The more you can let go of what things look like, letting the sparks fly and the pieces fall where they may, the more you will benefit from the Tower energy. Find the Tower card in the deck of your choice. Meditate on the Tower image and invite the deep energy of intent to blast through the petty concerns of your ego self.
Next: The Star
(c) 2004 by David Ray
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