Main image courtesy of Keen.
Have you ever wished that you could predict the future and better prepare yourself for what’s in store for you? While it’s impossible to be able to do that on your own, there are many other spiritual ways that you can get a better understanding of your future and get a grapple on it–and tarot card readings can be exactly what you’re looking for.
Tarot cards are a deck of 78 cards that feature symbolic imagery to provide a better insight into one’s life and can be used for self-reflection purposes. If you’re currently facing any bigger issues–such as divorce, the loss of a family member or pet, job loss, or experienced a sudden change in your life, the Tower tarot card might be something that you may pull.
The Tower tarot card can be extremely intimidating, but in this article we’ll go over it in more detail to understand its true meaning and power with topics including:
Tarot isn’t about predicting every twist and turn your life will take—it’s about tuning in. When you’re going through something big, or even when life feels off in a way you can’t quite name, tarot can help you pause, reflect, and see things from a new angle. The answers it gives you aren’t always about the future—they’re often reminders of what you already know deep down but haven’t yet put into words.
Tarot cards have been around since the 15th century, starting out as a card game in Europe before becoming a spiritual tool used for insight and self-discovery. A full tarot deck has 78 cards—22 in the Major Arcana (big life lessons and shifts) and 56 in the Minor Arcana (everyday experiences and emotions). The Tower is part of the Major Arcana, and when it shows up, it usually means something is breaking open—but that might not be as scary as it sounds.
The beauty of tarot is that it meets you where you are. Whether you’re pulling a card from your own deck in the quiet of your home or sitting down with a professional reader, the process is less about fortune-telling and more about reflection. Tarot gives shape to your thoughts and space for your intuition to speak.
You can start your tarot journey with an affordable deck and guidebook, or you can find a trusted reader online or at a local metaphysical shop. However you begin, the goal is the same: to slow down, listen closely, and reconnect with your inner truth.
If you’ve ever pulled the Tower card in a tarot reading, you probably felt a wave of dread wash over you—and that’s totally normal. The imagery alone can be unsettling: a tall, stone tower struck by lightning, engulfed in flames, with people falling from its heights into the unknown. It’s one of the most dramatic cards in the entire tarot deck, and its appearance can feel like an omen of disaster. But here’s the truth: the Tower isn’t here to punish you. It’s here to wake you up.
The Tower is the sixteenth card in the Major Arcana, and its message is loud, urgent, and unavoidable. It symbolizes sudden upheaval, dramatic shifts, and the breakdown of what you once thought was stable or permanent. When this card appears in your reading, it’s usually a sign that something in your life—your relationships, job, identity, beliefs, or even your ego—is no longer sustainable. The Tower doesn't gently ask you to evolve. It throws open the door and says, You can’t keep pretending this isn’t falling apart.
As harsh as that may sound, it often brings the clarity we’ve been too afraid to seek. The Tower clears out falsehoods, illusions, and the fragile structures we’ve built around ourselves—whether by choice or necessity. It destroys what isn’t real so that something more authentic can take its place.
The Tower card’s energy doesn’t discriminate—it can appear in virtually any life domain where something unstable needs to be confronted. But certain areas tend to come up more frequently in readings when this card is present:
But not all Tower moments are external. Sometimes, the shift happens entirely within. You may have an emotional breakdown that leads to a breakthrough, or realize you've outgrown an identity you've clung to for far too long. The Tower calls out the lies we tell ourselves to stay comfortable: “I’m fine,” “This is enough,” “I can’t change.”
When this card appears, it's not always predicting chaos—it may be reflecting the chaos you’re already in, or validating what you’ve been too overwhelmed to name. The message isn’t just “Something is ending.” It’s “This had to end, because it was never truly solid in the first place.”
Like all tarot cards, the Tower can be drawn upright or reversed—and while both point to disruption, their nuances are worth exploring.
When the Tower appears upright, its message is usually loud, clear, and non-negotiable. This is the classic “everything is falling apart” moment. Sudden breakups, job loss, dramatic realizations, or emotional breakdowns are common Tower themes in this position. It's a wake-up call you didn’t ask for, but often one you needed. Upright, the Tower doesn’t sugarcoat—it tears things down to the studs. But it does so in service of clarity, freedom, and authenticity.
A reversed Tower, on the other hand, can be subtler—though no less important. Often, it points to resistance. You might be clinging tightly to a situation that’s trying to fall away, ignoring red flags, or delaying a necessary change. You may feel the pressure building but are doing everything you can to keep the façade intact. Reversed, the Tower asks: What are you avoiding? It’s a quieter collapse, but one that still needs your attention.
Sometimes, a reversed Tower can also signify that the worst is already behind you. The shake-up has occurred, and now you're navigating the aftermath—processing the lessons, rebuilding from the ashes, and trying to make sense of what just happened.
Either way, upright or reversed, the Tower isn’t your enemy. It’s a cosmic course-correction. The only difference is how loud the lesson has to get before you listen.
While the Tower card may stir fear, it also delivers truth. And that truth can be freeing—once you’re willing to face it. Here’s how to begin working with the energy of the Tower card rather than against it:
First and foremost, resist the urge to panic. The Tower might point to disruption, but it's also pointing you toward something essential. Take a breath and allow yourself to sit with what’s coming up. This is a card of shock, yes—but also one of radical honesty.
The Tower usually knocks down what was already crumbling. Take time to reflect: What in your life have you been forcing, avoiding, or ignoring? What have you outgrown? The card often shows up when a shaky foundation is finally giving way. You don’t need to rebuild the same thing—this is your chance to start fresh.
Even if you knew it was coming, even if the change is ultimately for the best, loss is still loss. You’re allowed to mourn what was. Journal about what you’re releasing. Honor your old self. Tower moments can feel like identity death—and grief is part of growth.
The Tower doesn’t destroy for no reason. It makes space for something better, deeper, truer. And often, right after the Tower in the tarot sequence is The Star—a card of peace, healing, and hope. If you’re in the storm, trust that the calm is on its way. You just have to get through the fire first.
When your inner world feels unstable, anchor into the physical. Go for a walk. Cook a nourishing meal. Clean your space. Meditate. Talk to someone you trust. Tower moments don’t need to be tackled all at once—start with small actions that remind you you’re still here.
Everyone faces Tower moments. In fact, many of the most transformative, soul-altering stories people carry begin with this very collapse. You’re not weak for falling apart—you’re brave for choosing to look at what needs to be rebuilt.
The Tower doesn’t come into your reading to ruin your life—it comes to free you from something false. As painful and sudden as the moment might be, the clarity it brings often leads to healing you didn’t know you needed. It strips everything down to the bones, not to leave you bare—but to help you build again, this time with truth as your foundation.
Let it fall. Let yourself rise.
The Tower card might shake you to your core—but it does so with purpose. Whether it shows up in the midst of a crisis or quietly warns that change is overdue, this card is never random. It arrives when something unstable needs to come down so that something more aligned can rise in its place.
Yes, Tower moments can be painful. They can leave you disoriented, grieving, or questioning everything you thought you knew. But they also crack you open to truth, clarity, and liberation. In the space where the old has burned away, you’re given the rare opportunity to rebuild—this time, stronger, wiser, and more rooted in who you truly are.
So if you’ve drawn the Tower, don’t fear it. Listen. Breathe. Let go. And trust that what’s crumbling isn’t meant to destroy you—it’s meant to set you free.
Because sometimes, it’s in the falling apart that you finally come home to yourself.
