NMR ISSUE 44

Astrological Forecast 44
Celtic Perspective on Samhain
Editorial 44
Empowering Your Imagination
Esoteric Symbology of the Tarot
How to Vote for Your Kids
Jaguar
Letters 44
Murry Hope
Namaste, Part II
Other Editorial 44
Pagan Safety
Ritual for Samhain
Spirit's dance
The Angel's Kiss
The Corn Wolf
Things That Go Bump in the Night
Wasp, Bobwhite & Barracuda

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The Esoteric Symbology of the Tarot

Tower

By Gary Shook

From the depths of the soul that was last visited in the Devil card we now begin our ascension up the final third of the Tarot. The seeker passed his greatest challenge when forced to peer deeply into the black mirror of the abyss, but now faces one final act of divine purgation in the Tower.

The historical background of this card is still unclear. It has often been called the Tower of Babel, the House of God, the Fire of Heaven, and the Hospital, all of which have Biblical origins. (Hospital in medieval times was another term for a House of God.) This, and that the two figures falling from the tower have often been described as Adam and Eve being cast from the Garden of Eden, show a strong Judeo/Christian influence in the content of the card.

Very few would contest the idea the main theme is one of divine power bringing about a powerful act of destruction. But the key to the card is to understand just what is being destroyed. The obvious, that the last remnant of the material self is being burned away, is only the surface answer. To have passed the trial of the Devil, the seeker must have already attained the realization that the material is only the shadow, and that the true importance lies in the light of the spirit. With that knowledge he must have gone beyond the material self, leaving behind any ties to mere possessions. So the obvious answer proves too shallow.

What then is the answer? What remains of the physical, yet is not material? The divine light has been cast to destroy the strongest tie of man, his pride and ego. The destruction of the Tower is the destruction of man's strongest, most entrenched defenses. That which allowed him to rule as the Emperor, or to control his destiny in the Chariot has been burned clean. No longer is he the center of his universe, the master of all that he is. He must now give himself to that which is greater than the white light of spirit and in the end become that light himself once again.

The Tower is also the first of the cards of increasing light. As the Fool now progresses towards the end of the Tarot, the cards symbolize stronger sources light. Star, Moon, Sun, and (if taken in a Christian context) the brilliance of the Divine Judgment. The Tower still resides in darkness, and the flash of fire from the heavens is only the briefest of illuminations. But the lightning is enough to show the true path the seeker now sets upon, and each card that follows will become brighter and brighter with the light of spirit.

Symbology

Black Background: the void, the abyss, that place in which the material self is resigned to live when apart from the spirit. The Fool comes from the Light, and shall return to the Light, but in this flesh he remains in darkness.

The Tower: the self, the self-image, also a symbol of the material plane itself.

Crown: ego, vanity, pride. It is being torn from the rest of the tower, a process of making a clean break from all that the seeker thought he was, and allowing him to be all he truly can be. [Damn! Sounds like an Army commercial]

The three windows and the falling bodies: The windows represent three, the number of creation. From the male and the female comes the child; from the two aspects of one's duality comes divine creation. The Yin and Yang of what the seeker was is being cast upon the rocks of destruction to bring forth the divine child of light within.

This is part of a series on the esoteric symbology of the Rider-Waite tarot deck. Dr. Waite spoke to us not in words, but in hidden symbols. Symbols are truly the universal language expressing ideas in a way that, with study and contemplation, all can understand. But this understanding may not be the same for everyone who seeks it. While symbols do speak to all that will listen, they may say different things to different people. To truly understand the archetypal symbology of the Tarot, you must listen to a chorus of voices, not just one. Read as many different explanations as you can on the Tarot, and then the true meanings of the symbols will naturally come to you from within.