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Tarot Tower: A
Catapult to Change
Bonnie Moss 2006- 08
The Tower XVI:
The Rider Waite Smith Tower card depicts a
lightning that strikes at a tower blowing out
it’s golden crown as flames burst from it.
Two figures fall down to the ground and 22 yod
surround the Tower.
Think of the Tower of Babel. It has inspired
writers, artists, researchers and historians
through the ages.It was a favored subject in
the 14th century.
Many tarot decks depict a tower, a lightning
striking the tower, destruction and figures
falling down. This card evokes deep emotions
especially fear, destruction, crisis,all
powerful and negative thoughts
The Tower of Babel was built with the intent
to reach out to the heavens- to God. Religion
permeated society then. Despite this, man
was tempted by the glory of his achievement.
The tower was intended to be a place of worship,
to stand for the unity of mind, body and spirit
As the Tower rose from the ground, so did
ambition, perhaps greed and power. Caught up
in the immensity and result of the building,
the original intent was replaced by the
reality that the tower was a shrine to man’s
achievement. They got lost in their glory.
Their tower was their fortress,their strength,
their preservation- all selfish and self-centered,
but re-assuring.
They had forgotten why they built a tower
tall enough to reach out to heaven, a place to
worship God and accept the presence of a
Higher Being.
They had their tower. They had their city.
Cities then, were built to satisfy the
physical/material needs of man and to nourish
his spirit. Cities were centers of culture,
commerce, pleasure and social life. Through art,
music, beauty and the other ingredients
of culture, the needs and the hunger of the
spirit was satisfied.
It is human to gloat at one’s success, or drown
in one’s despair and failure.Often, this leads
to starvation of the spiritual side of life.
Man takes credit for his glory, he forgets that
someone Higher extended a helping hand. In
times of crisis, it is easier to blame an uncaring,
unfair or a foolish God .
Illusion is man’s folly. This leads to falsehood,
weak foundation of the dream he builds and thinks
he lives; insecure relationships, surrounds himself
with shadows and goes on to a path of destruction.
Peace of mind is elusive at this state, instead, a
deep sense of insecurity becomes an unwanted,
cold and dark blanket.
Man gets absorbed in his world of achievement
or failure. Perhaps, a nudge is not enough to
spring him to action, to find another way-
hopefully for the better.
From the fall of the Tower of Babel, from all
the confusion of languages, nations were
born, different languages evolved. There was
a whole world waiting to be discovered and
conquered.
Think of the September 11 destruction of the
twin towers of New York City. These are testaments
of destruction that catapult man to change.
The yods falling in the Rider-Waite Smith deck
is symbolic. Yod is a Hebrew letter. It represents
divine grace, energy, healing, new possibilities
and/ or new intelligence becoming manifest.
Reference:
Tower of Babel and Confusion of Languages by Lambert Dolphin
Nimrod, Son of Cush, Son of Ham by Ray C. Stedman
Pictures from the Heart by Sandra A. Thomson
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