Burning Down The House

Witnessing the Tower

Rider Waite Smith

The other day I was discussing The Tower with my friend Erin. She pulled the card for me and we both said at the same time “There are no bad tarot cards.” This is true. I believe that each card has a message for us, however The Tower doesn’t predict disaster because tarot is not about divination. Tarot is about the stories we tell ourselves and other people, the awareness we can bring to them, and our intuitive ability to frame and reframe situations to better serve us.

Wild Unknown, Kim Krans

I’m witness to a few proverbial burning buildings right now, but I’m not in the buildings, and I cannot be, by design. Two very close friends who are facing serious medical issues. I’ve realized I can help my friends who are in and around their towers, but I don’t have control over the outcomes, and these are ultimately their fires not mine. Recognizing this is a really big deal for me. I like to act—it is my go to. I help. I fix. I plan and execute. These are situations where I must not jump in the fire. I can’t. I can witness and wait and support and love. Those must be my lessons in these situations.

Pamela Coleman Smith’s depiction of The Tower shows lightning hitting a tower, two people jumping, falling from the flaming tower with an oversized crown atop it, teetering, about to fall. The small flames are in the shape of the tenth Hebrew letter, yod, from which all the other Hebrew letters derive. This is the sixteenth card in the Major Arcana, and it comes after The Devil, another card which some people find disturbing. The Tower following The Devil is important because The Devil shows us where we are allowing ourselves to be bound, addicted, shackled by materialism in its various forms, whether it’s fame, “helping,” or a bottle. The Tower gives us a way out. The building needs to burn in order for new life to be created.

Babel

The story of The Tower of Babel is more than just a motif here. The Babylonians wanted to erect a tower which would reach to the heavens to bring them closer to God, however they did it for fame and fortune, not to actually have God in their hearts. This is where the previous Devil card is reflected. These actions we take to make ourselves grander, more visible, more important than other people. God put a stop to this by making the builders speak different languages so they could not understand each other and had to stop building. These languages are the symbols of yod, flames falling from the tower.

I wrote about The Tower a few months ago, To Burst Asunder I wrote about a time I truly was in The Tower, dealing with circumstances beyond my control which changed me in my core. I truly wasn’t my best self during that period, but have learned some self-compassion, and when I am experiencing others in similar Tower situations (like right now), I now have the ability to do better. It’s like replaying the story but with different healthier reactions.

Photo by Paxson Woelber on Unsplash

New Moon in Aries

We began the astrological year with the new moon in Aries yesterday. This is a time to experience a clean slate, also supported by the Vernal Equinox the day before. Aries is fiery action and now is a time to move on our ideas, a time to DO. Here in Seattle, the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom, today is sunny and warm, and I am very hopeful, hopeful all will go well with my friends in the tower, well with my friends who need a boost, and well with all of you.

Photo by Mark Tegethoff on Unsplash