DRAWING FROM THE DAY
  • ...a blog on art, creativity, and mindfulness

THE TAROT RUG PROJECT:  THE TOWER (XVI)

1/10/2016

 
This is the nineteenth post in a series on the Tarot Rug Project (also known as "Exploring the Tarot:  23 Artists Hook the Major Arcana").  To view each post on all the rugs in the series, go HERE (that post will be kept up to date as new photos are published and the show travels).

THE TOWER:  Here is the "classic" Rider-Waite-Smith image:
Picture
Under the Universal Waite card: Universal Waite Tarot images used with permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902. © 1990 by U.S. Games Systems. All rights reserved.

For many people, this is one scary-looking card.  

For people who aren't familiar with tarot, the three most unsettling cards in the deck are Death, The Devil, and The Tower.  Having already discussed the first two, I hope I have been encouraging all of us to think more deeply about this trio without making assumptions about their "obvious," most extreme meanings (which rarely apply).  For any of them to actually mean what they may first suggest, you would need to have a context of certain specific other cards around them--and that's actually quite rare.  It's far more likely that these cards refer to our ATTITUDES rather than to any dire events, and that is just as true for this card as it is for the other two we've already covered. 

Let's look at a quote by Dawna Markova which captures part of this card's meaning.  As you read it, bear in mind the image above.
"I will not die an unlived life.

"I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.

"I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.

"I choose to risk my significance;
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit,"

Dawna Markova
What comes to mind when we think about the symbol of a tower?   Some examples include:  The Tower of Babel.  An "Ivory Tower" (an institution of higher learning).  A castle tower.  The towers of skyscrapers (like the former Twin Towers of New York, or the Trump Tower).  The Eiffel Tower.  Cell phone towers.  Church towers. 

What do all these have in common?

They are all related to long-established, often-codified ideas and organizations:  religion, education, business/enterprise, communication.  Towers are built to represent and serve the ideas, purposes, defenses, and ambitions of the organizations to which they are dedicated.

Because of their tremendous height, towers are particularly strongly built and strongly buttressed.  And so is the thinking  or belief system found within some of the organizations mentioned above.  Our own thoughts can be very "strongly built" (and become rigid) and  heavily defended.  Thus, The Tower symbol can represent our limited or rigid thinking, or our absolute belief or trust in some structure we have built up within our own lives. 

Just as the interior of a tower is narrow; so may our own thinking may have grown narrow. 

"Towering ambition" is another phrase that comes to mind here.

Lightning, one of nature's most destructive but illuminating forces, is attracted to tall structures like towers.  In the classic image of this card, lightning has knocked the top off of the tower, and two people are falling from it.  This Tower represents some kind of built-up thought/structure that is not true or correct--lighting (illumination) has come along and destroyed the very top, tossing out its residents and burning out all falsehood or error from the inside.

There are many other rich layers of meaning in each symbol in the classic card, and we cannot delve into all of them here.  We have enough to get us started, though, so...
Here is Michelle Micarelli's interpretation in her tarot rug.
Picture
Photo credit: Anne-Marie W. Littenberg. The rug is © 2015 to Michele Micarelli, all rights reserved. Please do not copy, post, or pin without permission.
 Michelle Micarelli is one of the co-creators and organizers of this entire exhibit, along with Loretta Scena.  Michele is an internationally renowned textile artist, master colorist, and longtime teacher.  She also works in other media.  It's her mission in life to excite creativity in all her students. 

To watch Michele in the dye kitchen is to watch the master at work.  She can take any piece of multi-colored wool and produce a flawless "twin" in minutes with no recipe, simply working by eye.  I remember reading somewhere that Michele learned about rug hooking from her father--rather unusual--who took it up when he was recovering from surgery.

View her complete profile on her website HERE; be sure to ogle all the rugs and other creations in the gallery on the site. 

If you compare her interpretation with the original card, you will see that the detail Michele has achieved on her tarot rug is truly impressive.  On her website, she mentions that she often works in 4 & 5 cuts to achieve this level of detail.  She has altered her Tower enough so that it appears to resemble a conch shell, set on fire by the same lightning we see in the original card.  The roaring fire within the Tower/shell is scouring out any incorrect beliefs or false ambitions.

The falling human figures are not there--but isn't there a suggestion of people hanging out the windows?  And look at that roiling sky, echoed below by the roiling sea!  The movement, colors, and design of this piece make it especially compelling and attractive.  The combination keeps your eye moving around the rug, noticing new things every time it lands.

I remember Michele saying in a video interview that the ocean is very close to her heart and that she is very concerned about environmental damage to it.  You can see her love of the ocean in this rug (and you will see that theme in many of her other rugs as well). 

SO WHAT DOES THE CARD MEAN?
In the Wheel of Fortune card (Card Ten), we looked at change/transformation that occurs in cyclical fashion, moving up, then down, as the Wheel turns.  In The Tower card, we now look at change/transformation that is dramatic, sudden, and shocking.  Think of the times in your own life when you have realized in a blinding flash (the lightning strike) that something you wholeheartedly believed was not true.  Or when a structure in which you've placed your faith has collapsed without warning.

Our first reaction to events like these is to be totally stunned, then perhaps horrified (or, depending on circumstances, delighted).  A quote from Frederick Barthelme illustrates another common reaction:  "There is a feeling of disbelief that comes over you, that takes over, and you kind of go through the motions. You do what you're supposed to do, but in fact you're not there at all.”  This is a frequent response to shock.

Eventually, reality sets in and we need to deal with the new normal.  We may feel liberated, or we may feel like you've lost everything.  The truth is that we are now seeing something clearly--as it is--and we now need to adjust to it--as it is--perhaps for the first time. 

When this card comes up for you, ask yourself:
  • What structure within myself is breaking down, or do I need to break down?  What did I believe that I now see (or suspect) is not correct? 
  • What information may I have been ignoring or denying?  What thoughts have I not been able to consider until now?  What might a blinding flash reveal?
  • What makes it so shocking?  (It could be an internal or an external event)
  • A "Tower experience" may be quite a challenge (though by no means always negative).  It's essentially a rude awakening.  Nevertheless, it is always a gift to be free of a delusion or a way of thinking that you may suddenly realize is not true.  What is the gift here?  Even if it feels like a curse at the moment--if you were to predict what the gift will be, once you can begin to see it, what would you predict?
  • Notice that in the original image, the foundation of the tower is very strong.  No matter how powerful the lightning jolt, you do still have a solid foundation, whether or not you can see it now.  How would you describe that foundation, and how will you use it to rebuild, using what you have learned from this experience? 
  • Re-read the Dawna Markova quote and ask yourself how it may speak to you.
"It is in the midst of disasters that bold men grow bolder."
Henry IV

“There is only one kind of shock worse than the totally unexpected: the expected for which one has refused to prepare.”
― Mary Renault

"Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often."
Mae West

Remember that you can catch up on all the other rugs in the exhibit at the link at the very top of this post.  If you are curious about what's behind the exhibit, there is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section here (scroll down to the bottom of that post to get to the FAQ).

Thanks for reading.  Your comments are always welcome.
Dana Psoinas
1/14/2016 07:05:30 pm

This is a very powerful piece! The Lightning, sky and sea are in such turmoil. The tower, flames and implied people falling remind me if 9/11.
Your explanation of the cards meaning is wonderful Devin. You are a fountain of knowledge. I've enjoyed every blog post. I would comment on every one of them but don't want to appear to be a stalker :)

Devin
1/14/2016 07:56:13 pm

Ha ha, Dana! You could come across as a stalker! Comment away, please, whenever you like. I can't believe anyone is actually reading the entire post! Much appreciated. xo

Devin
1/14/2016 07:57:47 pm

oops--that was supposed to read, "You could NEVER come across as a stalker." Sorry about that typo!

Download Happy chick apk link
12/16/2018 10:53:58 am

Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.

Devin
12/16/2018 03:37:27 pm

Hello happy chick apk, what a lovely comment. Thanks very much!


Comments are closed.

    ABOUT ME

     I'm a textile artist (traditional rug hooking, punch needle rug hooking, and other textile arts), a long-time meditator, a certified meditation teacher and coach, and focused on learning about the interplay of art, creativity, and mindfulness every day. 

    I am also a Certified Zentangle® Teacher (CZT 11) and a student of drawing and of the tarot.

      If you enjoy reading this blog, input your email address here to get an every-other-month notice about checking for new posts.

    Subscribe to Newsletter
    Picture
    Certified, 2021
    Picture
    Certified Zentangle® Teacher, 2013
    Picture
    Certified by AmyOxford.com at The Oxford Rug Hooking School, 2016
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Black Tiles
    Bookbinding
    Broken Wrist Tangles
    Clocks
    Colored Pencil
    Creative Inspiration
    Death
    Diva Challenge
    Drawing
    Dyeing Wool Or Yarn
    Fans
    Frederick Franck
    Gellyrolls
    Gesso
    Gratitangles2018
    Gratitangles2020
    Gray Tiles
    Ims
    Inktober
    Inktober 2018
    Inktober 2019
    Inktober2020
    Iphone App On Tangles
    Joey Challenge
    Knitted Knockers
    Knitting
    Knots
    Mandalas
    Map Tangling
    Marathon
    Meditation
    Neurographica
    No Fail No Learn
    Other People's Work
    Poetry
    Portrait
    Punch Hooking
    Punch Needle Embroidery
    Quilts And Other Art
    Rainbow Lead Pencil
    Renaissance Tiles
    Rug Hooking
    Scratch Art
    Sketchbook-skool
    String Thing Challenge
    #summertangles2018
    Tangles
    Tarot
    Tarot Rug Project
    Truly Miscellaneous
    Watercolor
    Weather
    Zenagain2018
    Zendala-dare
    Zenuari2019

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    SITES TO WATCH:

    Insight Meditation Society

    Oxford Rug Hooking School


    Zentangle:  The Official Site

    Green Mountain Rug Hooking

    Massachusetts Tarot Society


    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • ...a blog on art, creativity, and mindfulness