Steampunk tarot (Moore) - XVI - The Tower

shadowdancer

Sometimes I like to start by citing a quote from the accompanying book.
From Barbar Moore: "Structures are meant to enhance our lives, to give us just enough security so that we can soar. When that structure overtakes our spirit, that structure is no longer serving a beneficial purpose. The thing we created to enhance our life is now destroying it. The natural reaction of the universe then, is to destroy that structure in order to save our life"

We have had shedloads of earthquakes in Christchurch where I live, and the Tower has toppled for many. For many others it is still teetering about to come down as they await decisions on whether their homes can be repaired or not. For some, they have been in this situation for 19 months. You can see this card has been pertinent to me for some time.

Onto the card itself :) We see a huge tree as the main focus of the card. The trunk is wide and solid. This tree is old and well rooted. It would not come down easily, and certainly could withstand nmost of what is thrown at it. Off the trunk off this tree we see shoots which are actually other smaller trees, so we are certainly given a clue as to the fact this tree is HUGE! :)
Built around the top of the tree we see turrets and other pasts of a steampunk castle. Linking the buildings is a winding set of stairs. The lightening is hitting the building and causing damage. We see an explosion of flame on the right hand side. The tower part of the card is in darkness.
The root part of the tree appears to be more daylight, but it still appears slightly blurred.

Maybe we can see why the builder decided to build the 'tower' on this tree. He/she thought it would be the best foundation possible. Yep, they were right. But that applies to the lower part. They set their sights high, and are paying the price. We know how trees react in storms and can transfer the energy from lightening. Yet they are not safe places to be in a thunder storm, so surely with hindsight he/she would realise this was bit of a daft place to build. Maybe this could relate the coming down of ego or arrogance.
If so, the card forewarns of a humbling experience.

I also am drawn to the ornateness of the tower. Having been through the earthquakes I have re-evalued what is important, and what is necessary to provide in life. We surround ourseslves with trimmings, and then we get upset if one of those trimmings is damaged or lost. Lose your home, and you then realise those trimmings mean nothing. So this card may at the time be devestating, but out of all the cards in the deck, this one I believe can lead to the biggest lesson being learned, or the largest shift in perspective.

I also believe the tree here is telling us something. Plan for the future and long term, and get it right first time. And also, keep it simple. Less chance of you feeling attachment to something that is not needed in the first place. Oh - and if you do want to create something special around you (and who doesn't, after all we are human) just look at how you go about it. Showing off to the world could cause it to come crashing down at some stage, and the fall from that distance will lead to a bigger bump on the rear end when you do land.

I have to say, at first glance this card could look a little simple. But the tree and where the tower is built on that tree potentially can say heaps to us :)
 

sladie

The Tower

I've been waiting until I finish the deck before I started posting my studies, since they're not in order, and I've only done 31 cards so far. I do about 6 - 12 cards a day, and been working on this for only 3 days. This card had a lot of meaning to me and I thought I'd share it anyways.

I should note: I've had this deck since Dec 2012, but the book was lost shortly afterwards due to very sudden changes and quick decisions. This deck, and another are the only surviving tools next to my sword that managed to come with me. I've never used this deck really at all, and just beginning - and without a solid foundation, they're very personalized.

The Tower

Colours: bright flashes of white and fire, dark gloomy sky, bleak

Symbols: Lightening, explosions, fire, burning towers, strong tree, destruction

First Impressions: I don't like this card. It's devastating endings. It's heartbreak. It's the inability to control a situation and watching it come apart. It's starting from scratch and rebuilding, hopefully better.

Number: 16 - great potential for spiritual growth (Numerology.com) <-- Numerology is next on my list to learn

Clothes, Gender, Facial Expression - not applicable

Time of day - Sunset, a time of endings

What do you think this card is trying to tell you?: This card is one of the most negative cards in a Tarot deck. Even reversed, I have mixed feelings. There are many times already in the past year and a half this card could be related to. From my leaving my ex of 8 years, the sudden leaving of my home town with nothing but a backpack and a carry on bag (that happened to have my Tarot in them), and all my moves from one place to another looking for a foundation I could settle. In April 2014, a special program I'm part of was destroyed by a flash flood; which happened just shortly when we moved into a new building, only to lose everything and start from the very beginning. The nature of the program made that very difficult for many of us who needed that stability. This card is a painful reminder there is so much we can't control that is brutal when we lose it, and it can be caused either by explosive and abusive emotions, natural disasters, or just the unpredictability of people, situations and circumstances.

It's a sign of starting again at the beginning and learning from your mistakes. What went wrong? What can you do differently? How can you rebuild? Was there anything that you could have done to have prevented it? Was it completely out of your control, or did you decide to just let it happen? (Prime example, do you jump off a spooked horse and risk injury, or do you wait until it throws you and potentially hurts both of you? I jumped, broke both my wrists - but it's better than being thrown on a barbed wire fence which she wanted to do) Where can you start again? Who and what survived? So many questions that you need to ask yourself, and so many things to remind you all is not lost. Look, the foundation is still standing, there is still hope. There are always survivors.

In a reading: This can be an early warning system. Do you know the situation? Can anything be done now to prevent it? Is this a situation where you go now while you can?
This could be a result of a certain action. Beware and think hard
This could be where you are right now. Where do you go from here?

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I'm really sorry if this isn't how you do these, like I said, I've had this deck for awhile, but I've never got into Tarot. This deck was a surprise on Yule, and there has to be a reason why it's still with me. This deck has spoken to me on a level that I had no idea existed, and I'll admit I've cried at some of the cards, like this one - Knight of Swords as well. So yeah, hopefully this made sense?