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"The Tower"
— by Connie Habash
This article
was originally written in response to the events of 9/11. But the archetypal
energies of the Tower can apply at any time we have a tremendous shake-up
of our foundations.
By now, there's already been much said about
the events that took place on September 11th. We've all felt the impact,
to one degree or another, of the pain, grief, and the effect this will
have on our lives for a long time. I don't think that I could add much
to what's already been said about how sad, tragic, and potentially pivotal,
for good or not so good, that this could be for our world. But I did want
to offer some thoughts about the symbolism of what has happened. For this
event has an impact on an entire other level, the archetypal level, that
is well worth looking at in our individual lives.
Let's consider what a Tower represents.
It's no coincidence that this symbol was chosen for this malicious event.
Towers are meant to see from above all else. Think about the stories and
sayings we have about towers. They "towered over you". Building
your "Ivory Tower". Rapunzel trapped up in the tower. Kings
and Queens live in castles with towers. So there's something powerful,
elitist, intimidating, and unreal about a tower. Yes, a tower can see
over everything, but it has an inherent weakness: it can be knocked down.
How often have we put someone or something up on a pedestal, only for
it to be knocked down? So towers have the illusion of power, yet are rather
vulnerable.
Imagine being trapped at the top of a tower
when there's a problem. We've seen too many of those images already on
the television. Sometimes we create our own towers. They're built on judgments
and self-deprecation. If we judge ourselves to be better than others,
to be superior, we're putting ourselves up in a tower. Which means that
at some point, we'll be knocked down - potentially by our own shame or
humiliation. Humiliation is only the other side of the coin from feeling
superior - if we're putting someone up on a tower over us in our minds,
whom do we then feel we tower over to compensate? So, although we may
feel somewhat powerful in our towers, it's an illusion - that power is
based on insecurity rather than the ability to stand our own ground and
know who we are.
So, we've seen these two towers crumble.
There is an archetypal symbol of the tower in the Tarot deck, amazingly
similar to the reality that we saw in New York City. It's an image of
a tall tower, struck by lightning, flames coming out of it, and people
jumping out in terror. What does this mean? It signals that old structures
are no longer serving us. In fact, they've become the source of our fear
and suffering. The old structures need to be taken down, and it's time
to find the common ground again. Eileen Connolly, a known authority on
the Tarot, describes it as the need to "release the old way of life"
and to accept "new and wonderful opportunities" that wouldn't
have been able to manifest with the old ways of being.
Mary K. Greer, author of "Tarot for
Yourself", describes this change that the Tower represents as "the
break-up of towering defenses, habits, structures; freedom from ignorance."
When we're high in our towers, we've become defended. And when we're defended,
we can't be free, nor can we see the world as it really is. How have we
become defended? Are we living from a place of fear rather than from trust?
When everyone lives in a tower, can there be true connection and relationship,
or is it always based on self-protection, and who can have the greater
advantage? If we continue to live this way, can we really be at peace
and experience happiness? The Tower shows us that these ways need to change
if we want to live in peace and acceptance of one other and come from
love and not fear.
The Tower is the universal "principle
of restoration, renovation, and de-structuring old forms" according
to anthropologist Angeles Arrien. It's time to do a little renovation
on ourselves. "This Old House" could use a serious makeover,
and fast! For the old house is crumbling, and if we're to rise from the
rubble, we must take care in what we will build in its place.
When an event of such magnitude takes place,
we can ask ourselves: what have I, personally, to learn from this terrible
experience? I don't know if one person can change the world, but if each
of us took the time and energy to consider what structures are ready to
change within ourselves, we can make a positive impact on others in our
lives. We can choose to take down towers of self-defense, or towers of
belief that we're better or worse than others.
We can see this event as providing insight
into how we can all learn to live together in peace. The answer isn't
in making ourselves higher than anyone else. It is in finding the common
ground that we all share, which I believe is our humanity, and our spiritual
essence. Rather than looking down in fear or righteousness from our heights,
we can look around and see the beauty of everyone and everything around
us. Up in the tower, we can't really see anyone. But down on the earth,
face to face, when we look in each other's eyes, we can see that we're
all in the same family... the human family.
Let's renovate and restore ourselves with
care.
— ©2001, 2004 by Connie Habash