A Part of the Herd

From the Tarot de St. Croix, the Tower; from the Archetype Cards, Detective:

We do not receive wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness which no one else can make for us, which no one can spare us, for our wisdom is the point of view from which we come at last to regard the world. ~ Marcel Proust

          The Tower could easily be called the 'walls that ego built.' It is designed to separate us from the herd of humanity, making us think we are above the rest. It can be heard in statements like, "I'll never suffer from depression because I put my faith in Jesus." "I'll never have heart problems or diabetes or cancer because I eat healthy foods and exercise." "I'll never be poor because I invest my money wisely." The list could go on and on. In this card, the Hindu god Shiva ('the destroyer') has blown the top off the tower and evicted its occupant. The nakedness of the woman on the back of the bird indicates how quickly life can take a drastic turn and tear away our illusions. No matter how thick or high the walls we build, we've got no control over conditions and external agents that can radically alter our lives. Our uniqueness gets blown to bits, and we find out we're a part of the herd after all. The Detective card suggests we look at some hard truths before we start building another protective wall. Being vulnerable may feel scary, but it can help us develop compassion for ourselves and others. Acknowledging our common bonds can give us more comfort and strength than concrete.