Uprightsudden change, upheaval, revelation, collapse of false structures
Reversedaverting disaster, fear of change, delayed upheaval
Upright meaning
The Tower represents sudden change and upheaval. Structures built on false foundations collapse, often unexpectedly. Though disruptive, the card also brings revelation and clears the way for something more honest and stable.
Reversed meaning
Reversed, the Tower can show a crisis narrowly avoided, fear of necessary change or an upheaval that has been postponed rather than resolved.
What the card shows
Lightning strikes a tall tower on a rocky peak and knocks off its crown. Flames burst from the windows, and two figures fall headlong through the air.
As your card of the day
An unexpected shake-up can clear away what was never stable. Let the truth come out, even if it's uncomfortable. You can rebuild on firmer ground.
“I trust that change clears the way for something better.”
Face one truth you have been avoiding.
Questions
What does The Tower mean in tarot?
The Tower represents sudden change and upheaval. Structures built on false foundations collapse, often unexpectedly. Though disruptive, the card also brings revelation and clears the way for something more honest and stable.
What does The Tower reversed mean?
Reversed, the Tower can show a crisis narrowly avoided, fear of necessary change or an upheaval that has been postponed rather than resolved.
Is The Tower a yes or no card?
No. Not now; expect a sudden change of plans.
Card pictures: the 1909 deck by Pamela Colman Smith (public domain). Meanings based on A. E. Waite's The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910), rewritten in modern language. For inspiration and reflection only.