Tarot has a few cards that are disturbing. Death is one, obviously. The Three of Swords are piercing a heart. There are Ten Swords stuck in the back of someone lying face down. On Monday, I drew the Tower of Destruction. This can trigger all kinds of PTSD experiences. The best readings of a Tarot card, however, happen in context; what I see always has two sides.
The ViceVersa Tarot is a fascinating deck; there’s an image on both sides. On one side of the ViceVersa Tower card, there is a familiar picture we would expect. In this image, we see a Lighthouse, above which is the Eye. The Eye is supposed to the be protector. Instead, it simply watches and does nothing while lightning strikes the Tower. Two people, who are ablaze, are plummeting toward the ocean.
On the other side of the card, the lightning strikes the Tower. But the face at the top absorbs the blow and no damage is done. The Tower and everyone in it, is safe. No one is on fire and no one is falling to their doom.
On Thursday, lightning struck the Tower. And millions of people are now facing a drastic increase in their health insurance. Many of these people, without any insurance or inadequate coverage, will fall into an ocean of debt. The government, like the Eye, who is supposed to be the protector of the Tower, did nothing. The Eye just watched.
The story, however, is not over. The lightning struck the Tower and now it’s on fire. Indeed, the Tower might burn to the ground. But Tarot’s 700-year history has proven that the Justice card will arrive and the Eye will suffer the consequences for its failure to protect its people.
Gil Stafford is the author of five books, a spiritual guide, life coach, alchemist of the soul, and practitioner of Tarot. In his former lives, he played professional baseball, was a college baseball coach, a university president, and an Episcopal priest. Life is a pilgrimage and Gil has taken many, including walking Ireland coast-to-coast.
