The Tower is card XVI of the Major Arcana in the Thoth Tarot. In a reading it speaks of destruction, awakening, liberation and crisis. In the Golden Dawn system it corresponds to the Hebrew letter Pe, path 27 of the Tree of Life between Netzach and Hod, the element Spirit and Mars in astrology.
destruction · awakening · liberation · crisis · purification
What does The Tower mean?
Something false is collapsing: do not hold it up. The crisis makes room for truth and a healthier rebuilding.
Everyday meaning
The sudden collapse of structures, conflicts, crisis. It points to events that tear down illusions and force change.
Psychological meaning
The moment when the ego is shaken by an unavoidable truth; the giving way of defences that precedes liberation.
Initiatic meaning
Path 27 from Netzach to Hod, the letter Pe (the mouth, 80) and Mars: the lowest horizontal path, where fire destroys in order to purify. What is built on illusion cannot withstand the gaze that awakens.
The shadow side
Ill-dignified, it signals chaos, rage, violence, destruction for its own sake.
The Tower reversed
The Thoth Tarot is traditionally read without reversed cards: the reader judges from the cards around it whether a card is well or ill dignified. This is its ill-dignified or blocked reading:
A crisis postponed or lived internally; tensions accumulate, so it is better to face them before they explode.
The Tower in love, work and spirit
In love
Ruptures or crises that reveal hidden truths; the end of an illusion.
At work and career
Sudden changes, organisational collapses; a chance to rebuild on new foundations.
In spiritual practice
The awakening that demolishes the illusion of a separate, fortified self.
Kabbalah, astrology and the Hebrew letter of The Tower
Pe פ (80) · path 27: Netzach – Hod · Spirit · Mars
Crowley on The Tower
In the Thoth Tower the Eye of Horus strikes the building with lightning while the jaws of Dis belch flames; the dove and the lion-headed serpent show that destruction carries peace and renewed desire with it.
Frequently asked questions
What does The Tower mean in the Thoth Tarot?
Something false is collapsing: do not hold it up. The crisis makes room for truth and a healthier rebuilding.
What does The Tower mean in love?
Ruptures or crises that reveal hidden truths; the end of an illusion.
What does The Tower mean for work and career?
Sudden changes, organisational collapses; a chance to rebuild on new foundations.
What does The Tower mean reversed?
The Thoth Tarot is traditionally read without reversed cards: the reader judges from the cards around it whether a card is well or ill dignified. This is its ill-dignified or blocked reading: A crisis postponed or lived internally; tensions accumulate, so it is better to face them before they explode.
What are the Kabbalah and astrology correspondences of The Tower?
In the Golden Dawn system The Tower corresponds to the Hebrew letter Pe, path 27 of the Tree of Life between Netzach and Hod, the element Spirit and Mars in astrology.
