Tower Moments: The Tarot’s Sixteenth Major Arcana Card

(Based on the representations found on the Rider-Waite-Smith deck.)

In Hellenistic astrology, the square is a disharmonious aspect between two planets. Like all classical Ptolemaic aspects, the square is ascribed to the nature of one of the planets, namely Mars. Conflict, frustration, friction, hardness, war, destruction— these are some of hallmarks of the Lesser Malefic.

In a square, the astrological signs share modalities, rather than elements in common. These are not harmonious trines between all air, earth, water, or fire signs. Rather, by 90-degree aspect, we have clashes around the zodiac.

Squares cause tension by modality. We need only look to the current retrograde Saturn in fixed-air Aquarius squaring Uranus in fixed-earth Taurus. These two planets could not be more diametrically opposed archetypally, but the clashing energy — both in fixed signs — means that these two planets are also in different elements, and tensions naturally occur. With Saturn squaring Uranus, we have the impulse for freedom clashing with the impulse to preserve the status quo; only when they move to the next Ptolemaic aspect — the trine — do we feel the easing of this energy.

Numerologically, one plus six yields the spiritually significant number seven. Seven is the number of the Chariot, the card we had previously explored within the context of the fixed stars of Sirius, Castor and Pollux. These fixed stars variously blend the complicated archetypal energies…