Aspect of Consciousness:    Awakening
The destruction of error.  The lightning flash of inspiration from above which gives one a momentary glimpse of the Truth (however uncomfortable that may be).  This is also the second stage of spiritual unfoldment, where the individual experiences a Spiritual Awakening.  It has been described as a "series of sudden, fitful inspirations [leading] to the perception that the structure of knowledge built on [...] the fallacy of personal separateness is a tower [of falsehood].  At this stage, the advancing seeker of wisdom suffers the destruction of his whole former philosophy.  The whole structure of the tower is an elaboration of superficial observation, traditional race thought, false reasoning, and an erroneous theory of will."¹  

Hebrew Name:    Peh (mouth)
"Peh" means "the mouth as the organ of speech."  It therefore symbolizes the projective power of words.  Words (both internal and external speech) can be used to maintain a false structure of separatist thinking, or they can be used as a weapon to destroy structures of thinking and feeling. 

As a double letter, Peh is attributed to Grace & Sin, "because the issues of life, directed by human speech, result in one or the other.  Sin, or 'missing the mark,' results in maladjustment and ugliness. Hitting the mark in right action results in the manifestation of beauty."² 

Qabalistic Intelligence:     The Exciting Intelligence
Peh "stirs up activity, sets things going, produces changes, effects transformations."³  "The process of destroying our old, false concepts regarding personal will and separation excites us into more positive activities, and for this reason, [Peh] is assigned to the Path of Return known as the Exciting Intelligence."⁴ 

Astrological Correspondence:    Mars
"According to astrologers, the Mars vibration is scientific, and is active in sight. It is the force which finds expression in reproduction, and it gives tonicity to the muscles, being thus the basis of all human activity. In its psychological manifestations it is the destructive, iconoclastic force which tears down the structures of ancient custom and tradition"⁵ 

Mars also "relates to those actions we take to express our desires, or drives. Without reliance on the Divine Will, we feel the burden of accomplishment lies solely upon the personality, and anxiety, fears and worries will sweep in regarding our tomorrows. These insecurities awaken our sense of isolation, [causing] us to dwell in bondage. [Thus,] our deluded actions create storm after storm until the lightning flash finally shatters these false securities. Once Mars has destroyed the false, it is free to express and put into action the plans of the One Will. When we strive to become harmonious with the Larger Will, our activities reflect and express the force of the Divine Plan.  Harmony with the One Will enables us to accomplish whatever needs to be done with a minimum of "storm-like" activity, and with a maximum of assurance in the desired outcome."⁶ 

Mars rules Aries (Key 4, The Emperor) - He who puts in order does so by seeing and destroying that which is in error.  Mars also rules Scorpio (Key 13, Death) - Sex and Death are ruled by the phallic procreative force of Mars.  Mars is exalted in Capricorn (Key 15, The Devil) - The fiery Mars energy finds its highest expression in the destruction of error and bondage.

Number: 16
The power of 6 acting through the agency of 1.  Discrimination acting through self-consciousness.  Seeing clearly and truly discerning the reality which is present, is destructive to error, egotism and all thinking based upon the falsehood of separation.  Discriminating action is the lightning bolt which destroys, in order to set aright.

Color / Note:    Red / C

Tarot Key:  The Tower

Symbolism:  
(Summarized from "The Tarot", by P. F. Case)⁷ 

The Scene:    A tower on a lonely peak is struck by lightning, knocking off it's crown, setting it ablaze, and causing the fall of a clothed man and woman.

The Tower:    The tower is a structure of human speech.  "It is reared on a lonely peak, and suggests the fallacy of personal isolation which is the basis of all false philosophy."⁸   It is also a phallic symbol of (false) personal will and false pride.  "The tower has the same basic meaning as the garden of the Magician, the throne of the Emperor, the turning Wheel, the field in Key 13. It is subconsciousness, considered as the root-substance which takes form, first as mental images, and ultimately as physical things. From moment to moment, throughout all time, it is being transformed. It is the Prakriti of the Hindus."⁹  The tower also represents how we use words (& thoughts) to try and protect ourselves from hurt by building walls which separate ourselves from others.  The three widows in the tower are symbolic of sight (K4-Emperor) and represent the means by which light can enter (and energize the tower) and the means by which those in the tower see outward.  Being three in number, they likely represent the three aspects of the individuality as a vehicle for experience and expression (Tiphareth-Netzach-Hod).  Placed in the lonely tower, they represent the restricted view and limited vitality of the personality which is steeped in the falsehood of isolation and personal will.

The Crown:    "The materialistic notion that matter and form are the ruling principles of existence"¹⁰ , and also to the "false interpretation of will which makes it something personal, something which may be set against the impulse originating in the cosmic purpose."¹¹ 

Thunderbolt:    Drawn in the shape of the Qabalistic diagram, The Tree of Life, "the lightning flash symbolizes a sudden, momentary glimpse of truth, a flash of inspiration which breaks down structures of ignorance and false reasoning [...] The lightning-flash is the power drawn from above by the Magician.  It is the sword of the Charioteer, the scepter of the Emperor, the force which turns the Wheel of Fortune, the scythe of Death, and the light streaming from the Hermit's lantern.  It breaks down existing forms in order to make room for new ones."¹² 

Storm Clouds:    Symbolic of Jupiter, god of thunder, lightning, clouds & rain.  The lightning bolt which strikes down our error is a natural consequence of the law of cause and effect (K10-Jupiter).  Our separatist thinking builds a tower of false knowledge which acts as a lightning rod for God's correcting grace.

Man & Woman:    The falling figures correspond to self-consciousness (male) and subconsciousness (female) and are the same figures as the chained man and woman of Key 15 (The Devil).  They are clothed, because in false, separatist thinking, they are neither aware of each other, nor are they in harmony with each other.  "They fall headfirst, because the sudden influx of spiritual consciousness represented by the lightning flash completely upsets all our old notions about the relations between subconsciousness and self-consciousness. [The woman is crowned, because] in false knowledge, subconscious motives are permitted to dominate the personality. Thus people excuse themselves for unintelligent action by saying "I can't help it; that's the way I feel."¹³   The narrow minded, rigid (materialistic, separatist) ways of thinking symbolized here are caused by either "too much ego and intellect (the falling male), or an unmanageable amount of emotion and desire (the falling female)."¹⁴ 

The Yods:    Twenty two flaming yods, corresponding to the twenty two letters of the Hebrew alphabet representing the forces of the elements, planets, and the Zodiac. "They hang in the air to suggest that the forces they symbolize rest on no 'physical' foundation."¹⁵  They suggest that the physical, material world depends upon the spiritual (the yods), and not the other way around.

In "Living the Tarot", Amber Jayanti provides some suggestions for integration and application of The Tower:

Illustrations from the Universal Waite Tarot Deck reproduced by permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902 USA. Copyright ©1990 by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Further reproduction prohibited.