Eternal Tower

Once again, the Tower comes to call!  In the Vampire's Tarot of the Eternal Night (Lo Scarabeo, 2009), the image is fairly traditional at first glance, but with a few interesting twists.

I notice, for example, the juxtaposition of church-like arched windows with this very square tower, that looks a little like stacked boxes.  Also the fact that there are no windows on the side we can see, only on the front.  Thirdly, we cannot see the top - whether it has been struck by lightning or not remains hidden.  Finally, rather than having figures falling from a damaged building, we have two figures who seem to be flying quite happily around this apparently untouched edifice.  Perhaps the flying creatures are the attack on the Tower normally represented by lightning...

All this leads me to a sense of excessive rigidity and dogma.  Perhaps this has developed precisely because of the sense of danger from the flying monsters.  Still, being locked in a rather lifeless Tower, do we really want that?  It makes me think of kids hiding under the covers for fear of the bogeyman.  It's fine for a night, but not as our everyday existence.  This speaks, then, to the fears that block us from taking part in life to the full.  A bolt from the blue can help pull us out of this place, even if kicking and screaming.  Or we can choose to walk out by ourselves.  This takes a lot of courage, but I think it's generally true that when we do, we find the demons aren't as fearsome as we had come to believe them to be.

Are there any fears that have been keeping you locked in place?  How have you defended yourself from those fears?  What would support you in braving the world without all the defences you have surrounded yourself with?  What small step could you take today towards a freer experience of life?