16 – The Tower
Traditional depictions of the Tower show a building struck by lightning, flaming and crumbling. People fall from its heights or run from the catastrophe. After the tragedy of September 11, there is no conceivable way for the card to maintain this imagery without trivializing the unfathomable loss that occurred that day. The Tower in this card has moved from metaphor to memory. We must find new ways of expressing the forces it represents.
The twin towers of the World Trade Center were a defining feature of the New York skyline, a familiar landmark and point of orientation. We register their loss when we search the skyline for that familiar guidepost. Their absence speaks louder than their presence did, forcing remembrance and reconciliation where we seek comfort and assurance.
The Tower is not a card of punishment or impending doom. It is a record of loss and destruction that has already occurred and cannot be reversed.
It compels us to face reality. The systems and structures we counted on were neither permanent nor stable. Our sense of security was built on a fragile foundation.
In the memorial pool, water cascades into a well of darkness, a scar that will never heal. Beside it, a new tower rises from the ashes, breaking through the dark clouds. Loss coexists with renewal. Illusion is replaced by clarity. Despair gives way to hope.
This is the message of the Tower.
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