The Tower is the Lord of the Hosts of the Mighty and is ruled by Mars. It represents sudden change, destruction of old forms and destructive ambition.
The Tower is one of those cards we don't usually seek in the Tarot - the imagery does not seem pleasant nor promise an easy time of things.
There is fire & flame, destruction & ruin, and let's be honest - who wants that?
And yet The Tower is a card that describes a necessary process of decay and atrophy that must occur before the fresh new world can be born.
When The Tower appears in a reading you can be certain that there will be destruction of old forms, structures, beliefs and plans.
Sometimes this will be welcome - more often the changes brought on by The Tower bring feelings of fear, uncertainty, resistance and even grief for what must leave to make way for the new.
There is a reluctance to let go of what must be released, those things that no longer serve, but which hold us back from the growth that we need to move on to a higher stage of consciousness.
And if we are completely honest with ourselves, then we can see what needs to go - we have seen the writing on the wall. And if they have been destroyed, the old things that no longer serve us, then you need to find some meaning in their passing so that the loss doesn't destroy you too.
We tend to love to cling to our certainty, the known is often preferable to the unknown and untried, no matter how painful resisting change can be. It's a case of the Devil you know is better than the Devil you don't. But if you can look forward, and beyond the ashes of the collapsed tower, take that step towards your future, however uncertain it appears now, then you will see new possibilities and future happiness are waiting for you.
Image "The Tower" © Linda Ravenscroft