In the Dante Tarot this card is renamed Virtue and it's meaning is given as "Breakdown of convictions.  Sudden departure.  Family problems."  I guess Dante had a different view or definition of virtue than I do.  Or perhaps it's just that I don't understand some of the subtleties to its definition that are no longer in use.  Something about its imagery brings to mind false virtue or those who pretend to be virtuous to the outside world but inside are corrupt and venial.  The Fenestra Tower card shows a more traditional image of figure falling from a shattered tower that has been struck by lightning.

I have often found in my experience of The Tower that I do often appreciate and value the results but I am unsettled by the flash of lightning and the destruction.  Of course in my life I have also come to realize that unless I am forced to do so, I rarely make those kind of life changes voluntarily.  Do any of us?  I avoid dramatic changes in my life.  I tend to be a fairly fixed person who prefers stability.  I think this is because as a child I went through quite a bit of upheaval and it wasn't fun.

Of course this card is reversed so I'm taking this to mean that the traumatic and dramatic flash of insight is not going to occur today.  Perhaps it is reflecting the inner shift that I've been slowly experiencing which hit full-tilt a few days ago.  Now that I'm not quite so shaky and unsure about things, seeing this card allows me to review the aftermath with a clear heart and mind.  Sometimes even the most positive and ultimately beneficial changes can be frightening and shattering.  When the life-long perceptions we've held about ourselves are swept away, the new ground being revealed may seem bare at first but carries an almost frightening amount of potential for growth.  Once the ground has been clear and the debris removed, now what?  The possibilities may be endless and over-powering.  In some ways it's like having a clean slate - what future do I want to create for myself?  This is not something easily answered without a lot of thought going into it.  At the same time I do not want to get caught up in the planning/over-intellectualizing loop that has characterized these types of situations in the past.  I have to move forward and trust that everything will turn out the way it should and in the way that's best for me.