SUMMARY: I now have over twenty draft essays in my pre-publication queue, and my writing has been so prolific lately that I can’t seem to whittle the population down, so I’m going to lump a few of them together when they share a theme.

In this composite post the common topic is trump-card reversal shown in three examples, although only the Devil and the Tower have a close relationship. But a case could certainly be made for similarities between the Tower and Judgement when it comes to dramatic change that is steered down a different path by reversal.

A Study in Frustration: “Bottled-Up Energy” in the Reversed Devil

AUTHOR’S NOTE: One of the most favorable views of the Devil card comes from Aleister Crowley’s Book of Thoth, in which he characterized it as “creative energy in its most material form” (while also alluding to “procreative” urges under the auspices of an exalted Mars). He talked further about a goat “leaping with lust upon the summits of earth” in reference to its Capricorn correspondence, thereby aspiring to “things the highest and most remote.” (Crowley thought highly of “sexual ecstasy;” his Devil is a reveler and a revealer, not a deceiver.) This feisty Devil is a far cry from the usual interpretations of falsehood and temptation with their religious overtones. Here I’m going to explore what happens to that creative force when the Devil turns up reversed in a reading.

The upright Devil is accustomed to walking an unimpeded path in claiming his due, mainly because he does so under the cover of subterfuge. When the card is reversed, that suborned energy could become bottled up, allowing internal pressure to increase in the form of frustrated ambitions (however perverse), eventually resulting in the cathartic release of the Tower. In a reading, this phenomenon could thwart the querent’s material aspirations due to choked-off channels of development. If the effort involves a business venture of some kind, the project leader may not see eye-to-eye with upper management and wind up being stifled by his superiors.

This card can be hard enough for some readers to cope with when upright, and reversal only complicates the picture. Does it mean we won’t see dishonesty coming our way until its too late to avoid being blindsided by its subversive impact? It might, but I’m more inclined to see it as the quashing of abundant physical energy that could have been put to productive use but is instead at risk of being frittered away due to fear of censure. If we’re afraid to seem rebellious from time-to-time, we may miss out on the opportunity for a vigorous “goosing” of the status quo that is a hallmark of the Tower. The implication of the reversed Devil is “If you don’t do it, it will be done to you.”

Thoughts on the Reversed Tower

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Over the last couple of years I’ve come to see the reversed Tower as portending a “soft landing” for the recipient/victim of its influence.

This assumption is based entirely on the visual presentation of the RWS and TdM versions when upside-down, in which the falling people are apparently going to land on their feet, not their heads, and will be able to walk away after the catastrophe. Rather than waiting for the dust to settle and then rebuilding on the unstable rubble, they can move quickly out of the way and find a virgin plot of land on which to start over. It affords a much tidier opportunity for a “new beginning” that is one meaning of this card.

As I see it, this makes the reversed Tower a symbol of guarded hope more than a reinforcement of grim premonition. While there will still be a chastening and humbling effect, no permanent damage will come of the episode. Recovery is just a matter of standing up, dusting off and getting your bearings. The shock of surprise may be the most dismaying consequence, but its “bark is bigger than its bite.”

All that will be injured is the seeker’s pride, perhaps by the awareness that they would have seen it coming if they had been paying attention. But that’s the demoralizing nature of reversal: it can sneak up on us when we’re looking the other way. If we’re absorbed in the work of erecting “Fawlty Towers,” we probably won’t notice that the foundation has a big crack in it. Reversal won’t heal that crack but it could make it possible to avoid falling headfirst into it when the structure comes tumbling down.

Tarot de Marseille author Alejandro Jodorowsky elected to call this card “The Devil’s House” rather than “God’s House” (Le MaisonDieu) because he sees it as the entrenched domain of the Devil that is being destroyed by the lightning-bolt. Perhaps its reversal will allow the Devil to retain a modicum of dignity after being ousted. I’m thinking of the adage “He who fights and runs away, may live to fight another day.” If we subscribe to Aleister Crowley’s definition of the Devil as “creative energy in its most material form,” landing on his feet after his “house” is destroyed could suggest that the querent will be able to retrieve a little of that Promethean mojo out of the ashes and carry on.

Judgement Reversed: A “State of Spiritual Attainment”

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Conventional wisdom is that, when upright, Judgement signifies regeneration or resurrection, turning a page and opening a new chapter of great importance to the seeker’s spiritual advancement. Once again, I’m indebted to Benebell Wen’s Holistic Tarot for providing fresh insights on what it might mean when reversed.

Wen notes that reversed Judgement shows a spiritual “condition or state of attainment” reflecting the aftermath of our attempts to achieve it. Thus, it is no longer about “striving” for perfection but rather describes the fact of “arriving,” for better or worse, and our spiritual well-being will settle out as well as can be expected under the circumstances. I’ve always been partial to Aleister Crowley’s definition of Judgement as “Final decision in respect of the past, new current in respect of the future; always represents the taking of a definite step.” My own opinion regrading it (or one of them anyway) is that it echoes the promise of Vito Corleone in the first Godfather movie by “making us an offer we can’t refuse.”

However, these are “upright” meanings; reversal could suggest having “one foot in and one foot out,” uncertain whether to accede to the dramatic make-over or try to fend it off. But such deliberation would be no more than an empty gesture. I’m reminded of the intransigence of the Borg in the old Star Trek episodes: “You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile!” I don’t normally read Judgement as a positive card because we may not get what we’re hoping for out of the transformation.

The modern aphorism “It is what it is” comes into its own here, and I notice that neither Wen nor Crowley assumes that “what it is” will be entirely beneficial, just different. The old qualifier that MacGregor Mathers added to many of the definitions in the Golden Dawn’s Liber T also applies in full measure: any such development will be “for good or ill, according to its nature.” The rustic homily (revived to good effect by Sam Elliot in The Big Lewbowski) must always be kept in mind: “Sometimes you eat the b’ar, and sometimes the b’ar, he eats you.”