The Tower and The Devil Are… Good?

[BradGad]

So, I’ve always believed that any card can be read positively or negatively. For the past two days I’ve been getting The Tower (big changes?) and The Devil (something about bondage?)

 

I’ve always believed that in theory at least. But, as we all know, in theory, there is no difference between theory and practice… but in practice, there is.

 

A bit scary.

 

Today I opened a letter from the Department of Education: I have — a couple years earlier than expected — satisfied the conditions of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program: they have forgiven over $138,000 in student loan debt. And, I got checks for over $4,600 as some kind of refund.

 

A very big change in my life, and I no longer feel in bondage to that mountain of debt I have been carrying around for decades.

 

It was a surprise though. A year or so ago, I filled out a form so that payments on my loans made between when I started my public-service job and when I started the PSLF program could potentially be retroactively applied. But then I kind of forgot about that. And, I had been reading so much about how during the Trump and DeVos years, they were doing everything they could to kill the program, and even when they couldn’t get around to killing it, about 98% of the people who completed the program had their loan foregiveness denied for various technicalities. So, I was hoping that this day would come, but not counting on it.

 

But it came!

 

Sure makes me look at The Tower and The Devil in a new light!

 

Just imagine how many decks I can buy now! And bags for those decks! (I’m looking at you, @FindYourSovereignty.)

 

[Strength8]

@BradGad That is Amazing! Congratulations 😄 

I love hearing actual "application" of reading and how it panned out in real life so Thank you for Sharing!

 

You said this pair has been showing up for past two days, I am curious about your posed question - if you don't mind sharing that.

and was it part of a spread or just two card reading? and do you do reversals?

Thanks in advance!

 

Edited February 28, 2023 by Strength8

[BradGad]

They were just general “What’s up with my life? What should I pay attention to or look out for?” questions. I didn’t take the time to do a full reading… but I did record the spreads in my journal, and did notice those two repeated majors and go “Hmm! Yikes?”

 

Yesterday’s was a straight three-card spread, triage en ligne. Three cards in a row, but not with position meanings like past-present-future, more the open reading approach. The sequence was Tower : Devil : Hermit. All majors. 

 

Saturday’s was a triage en croix: three cards in a row (which can be read independently), with the first card pointing to positive influences (The Moon (my favorite card)), the card on the right to negative influences (3 of Swords). The card in the middle is the theme of the reading: The Star. The card above is the current situation (The Tower), and the card below a likely outcome (The Devil). Four majors, with the one minor in the negative influence position. 

 

I don’t do reversals. Instead I try to keep in mind that each card could potentially be reversed, could potentially be read positively or negatively. When I am trying a reading with a spread (which I didn’t actually do here), I study it all upright. If I’m not getting anything, I try mentally flippping a card into reverse and seeing if that makes the reading snap into focus. 

 

Maybe that’s cheating. Basically I keep going until I get something, often just stopping with the first three cards. Then above and below cards if needed. Then positing reversals if needed. 

 

Edited February 28, 2023 by BradGad

[Raggydoll]

To play the devils advocate 😊 Maybe the cards are saying that this tower moment will enable an addictive behavior regarding consumerism and deck collecting. The hermit could indicate that you’ll go all in with this journey and that this might be the start of a solitary process. Just a thought 😁

[Chariot]

5 hours ago, BradGad said:

 

So, I’ve always believed that any card can be read positively or negatively. For the past two days I’ve been getting The Tower (big changes?) and The Devil (something about bondage?)

 

I’ve always believed that in theory at least. But, as we all know, in theory, there is no difference between theory and practice… but in practice, there is.

 

A bit scary.

 

Today I opened a letter from the Department of Education: I have — a couple years earlier than expected — satisfied the conditions of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program: they have forgiven over $138,000 in student loan debt. And, I got checks for over $4,600 as some kind of refund.

 

A very big change in my life, and I no longer feel in bondage to that mountain of debt I have been carrying around for decades.

 

It was a surprise though. A year or so ago, I filled out a form so that payments on my loans made between when I started my public-service job and when I started the PSLF program could potentially be retroactively applied. But then I kind of forgot about that. And, I had been reading so much about how during the Trump and DeVos years, they were doing everything they could to kill the program, and even when they couldn’t get around to killing it, about 98% of the people who completed the program had their loan foregiveness denied for various technicalities. So, I was hoping that this day would come, but not counting on it.

 

But it came!

 

Sure makes me look at The Tower and The Devil in a new light!

 

Just imagine how many decks I can buy now! And bags for those decks! (I’m looking at you, @FindYourSovereignty.)

 

What an absolutely life-changing fabulous thing to happen!

That is certainly an interesting reading ...although I would think 'scary' myself.  And maybe @Raggydoll has an outlook you might want to consider.  Will this unexpectedly huge windfall start you on the path to overspending, etc?  (Although a small splurge on a couple of decks of cards would be appropriate, in my opinion. 🙂 )  But all the same.

It's interesting to me that you are getting mostly major arcana cards in these readings you're doing.  That does indicate life-changing things are happening or about to happen.   And while the  Star card seems really positive, all the others seem a bit dubious in terms of joyful endings.  I'd say you still have a few things to be cautious about.

It's hard for me to work on this as I DO use reversals, and if I'd received these cards in a reading, and, say, the Tower had been upright but the Devil had been reversed, I'd have read it as something major, life-changing and unexpected will occur, which will enable me to throw off a burden.  And if the Moon had been reversed, I'd have read it as 'what has been hidden has now/will be been revealed.'  I always read the upright Moon as something is unclear, hidden, you're not aware of something yet, things looking odd in moonlight, and your imagination may be working overtime, etc.  I usually read the reversed Moon as the opposite.  The DEGREE to which these things are important, or leading to madness, depends on the other cards.

I would have expected more in the way of Pentacles for this issue, and am surprised they are totally absent.  The subject is, after all, about financial well-being. But of course cards provide a language to communicate with us, and each of us will see cards differently.

[BradGad]

Believe me, thoughts about consumerism and addictive overspending are much on my mind. 

[MuninnMissinHuginn]

WOW! Bradgad.  Congratulations on getting the forgiveness.  

[FindYourSovereignty]

What a day you had, @BradGad! Congratulations!

 

I don’t see what deck you used to see how the images may reflect the reading, however, I don’t sense you were posting for reading insight as much as overall thoughts on the Tower and the Devil. 

 

I personally feel all of the cards are neutral and we give them value. I choose to look at everything having a positive outcome even if there are challenging times being experienced - how we perceive things, and all that - yes, I am one of those people who sees everything in a positive light. 😊

All that to say, yes, I think both the Tower and the Devil are good cards. Not sure about all the different combinations on how the Tower and the Devil have shown up for you, but maybe the bondage or addiction or temptation to overcome was the weight of this debt you have had and the feelings/stories related to that. I know people that spend a lot on their education that go into the public sector are challenged to receive enough income to be able to afford it and yet, the educational choices may have been made at the time for the private sector where rates may allow for the expensive education - I don’t know your circumstances in anyway and am only able to relate this to my dil who went to three different schools which ultimately cost her a lot of money and now that she is working for the state, paying her school loans has proved interesting. Maybe the Devil is in the details as they say. 

 

Thank you for the tag. 😊

 

Edit to clarify: I need to be clear my PollyAnna viewpoint doesn’t mean that I don’t believe the Tower and the Devil aren’t forewarning or presenting one with knowledge of difficulty, struggles, or challenges. I simply mean that I believe these difficulties, struggles or challenges ultimately lead to a better, positive place if we choose to recognize that.

 

 

Edited February 28, 2023 by FindYourSovereignty

[Mister]

Hey @BradGad

 

For myself, I'd be on the lookout for real.

However, I utilise quiet a harsh set of meanings, with a clear definition of what is positive and negative to boot.

That is not everyones cup of tea, which is an understatement - I do understand that most readers tend to feel uncomfortable therewith.

 

When it comes to the Devil, its most neutral utilisation in my arsenal is "the pursuit of things material over the pursuit of things immaterial".

As in "to purchase packs of cards instead of deepening ones understanding thereof".

Personally, I would feel uneasy with such an application.

 

If I had drawn The Tower, Devil and Hermit, in a straight line no less, I would assume that there is someone out to get me good in an area where I have built up a standing of my own, no less - given that the intent of the question was towards external matters. Expulsion from work, for example.

Also, I'd be careful with traveling, even on the road to work. To not drive when in a heated mood, for a second example.

Internal, it would be a bit different.

 

I did experiment with applications such as the Tower - a sudden flash of inspiration, the Devil - a (more than) sensual encounter, the Moon - romance at night.

It did mess up my reads badly, hence, it is not for me.

 

On the other hand, others seem to do well with them, so: I guess it is time to set out to find that what is yours to stick to.

Edited February 28, 2023 by Mister

[MustaKissa]

@BradGad, thanks for sharing your experience! It's very interesting

 

I guess in your case the Tower that collapsed was the tower of the debts that got cancelled. It's such a beautiful example of the Tower having a positive meaning! Totally would worth a mention in a book about Tarot 😃   

 

And I wanted to add something about the Devil. It is sometimes interpreted in connection with money too. If it appears, then it's about big sums. (Which actually makes sense, because big money can corrupt a person potentially, etc). And in the case of the story you told - it fits! 

[Chariot]

Just had an insight into The Tower ...a card I really don't like getting.  However, I might work with this specific meaning.  I have been reading about Christmas customs and myths around the world, and encountered St Barbara's Day (now the 4th of December.) Without going into the Christmas myth, one aspect of her story was intriguing.  She was the daughter of a King who wanted to keep her from developing as a person in her own right, so he shut her up in an ivory tower.  One day, 'god' sent a lightning bolt to split the tower and Barbara escaped!

The usual depictions of The Tower on tarot cards shows people falling from the tower, implying the destruction of their world ...which can be scary and even catastrophic, if you are presently happy in your world.  But what if you're NOT happy?  The Tower can also indicate something unexpected that allows you to escape confinement.

If you see your Tower as a prison rather than a happy 'home,' its destruction will be beneficial.  The only thing in common between the beneficial and malefic meaning of The Tower is the sudden nature of the destroying force—and the fact that the destruction is outwith your personal control. 

Edited October 2 by Chariot