Mystical Cats Tarot - The Tower XVI

Onaorkal

We can see 3 cats falling from a very high and fancy cat tree.
The 3 are falling from different heights and have their bodies in different positions.
The highest one, a white and orange tabby cat, is on their back with a look of uncertainty on their face.
The one in the middle, an orange spotted tabby cat with dark points, is on their side with their back facing us.
The lowest one, a grey classic (blotched) tabby cat, has their paws facing down and is looking towards the ground, seemingly ready to land.
When looking at them one after the other, you can see the progression in their body positions.

The cat tree is made of a yellow marble pillar-like structure that has delicate green, red and golden foliage drawings around it. It also has stairs made of the same material spiraling around it, along with a few red and gold platforms. There are multiple built-in purple stones on the sides of the platforms. On top of the cat tree, there is a golden sphere with patterns on it, with a hanging golden ball with tiny beads/stones of different colors and a red tassel at the end.

The background of the card shows a thunderstorm. About 2/3 of the card is covered with dark grey clouds, with a single white cloud being in the middle at the top completely. Further, we can see lightning striking on the horizon.
The lower part of the card is covered with shades of green, most likely representing a forest.


Colors : The threatening grey of the clouds catch the attention, even if there is a good portion of green.


Like many cards, this one urges us to adapt to a situation, but in this case, we are talking about a totally unexpected turn of events and the need to adapt as quickly as possible. The following sentence from the Cat's Advice in the book summarizes it well ''As soon as you feel your foundations start to shake, if you anticipate your fall and let your natural instinct for survival kick in, you will have time to turn in the air and land on your feet.'' When people have to deal with the Tower card, they usually focus on the sometimes undesirable event to come, while here, the author tells us to concentrate on ourselves to make sure we safely get back on our feet.


Symbols :

3 cats : Number symbolizing creative growth and power.

Different positions : Show the steps in the process of reacting to an unexpected fall/event. In the book, the author explains how cats do it. First, you need time to realize what is happening. Then, like a cat looking for the horizon, you need to find a way to ground yourself back to reality. Finally, you should be able to get back on your feet without too much harm and go on with your life.

Pillar-like cat tree : Pillars are typically used as supportive structures and symbolize stability. In this case, since it's falling, we are talking about the potential unstability of usually trustworthy structures.

Red and gold platforms : As we already saw in a couple of other cards, red and gold materials used to represent wealthiness.

Ametrine stones : The built-in purple stones are really similar to the ones found in the necklace of the Emperor. Since many other elements are present in both cards (marble pillar, a lot of red and gold, roman/byzantine inspiration), I thought it might be reasonable to assume the stones are also the same. Ametrine is mainly used for mental clarity and to help disperse negative energy.

Golden sphere : Common symbol for the Sun. It's at the center of our world. Here we can see it falling with the tower, showing us how a single event may make us feel like our whole world is collapsing.

Dark grey clouds : They warn us that a storm is coming. They symbolize a potential threat and confusing thoughts and emotions.

White cloud : Alone amidst so many dark clouds, it stands out. It's also located exactly in the middle, right above the falling tower. It's a symbol of clear thought. In this particular case, it would represent the hope in the darkness, the positive intuition you must follow to get out of this bad situation.

Lightning : The Tower is the only tarot card showing a lightning strike (in traditional versions like RW or Marseilles). It used to represent the divine intervention, which we could simply describe as an event with an external origin, one we did not have control upon. Depending on the cultures, lightning hold varied symbolism, but most meanings are related to sacredness and important changes.

Forest : The landscape is hard to judge correctly from this height, but to me it seems there is a forest. It's a symbol of life, but also mystery. Because of an unpredictable event, those cats are falling from their comfortable cat tree into the unknown.

Green color : When the unknown lies ahead, it might feel somewhat scary, but green is also a color of positive energy, growth, hope, life and rebirth.


I'm really interested in all the Roman/Greek/Byzantine inspiration found in some cards, but I have a hard time finding answers to my questions. I looked up a potential symbolism for the custom of wrapping garlands around columns and tried to find which plant is depicted in this garland, but didn't find anything satisfactory. I am also wondering about the little golden ball with the tassel.
Well, it's not gonna be too late to add up later if I come across new relevant information!