The Tower and The Star
General Meaning
In the Major Arcana sequence, The Star directly follows The Tower — and this combination embodies that narrative arc. Something has collapsed, and in the aftermath, the first light of hope appears. This is one of the most reassuring combinations in the tarot, not because it denies the pain of The Tower, but because it promises that the pain is not the end of the story. The worst is over. Healing has begun.
In Love and Relationships
A relationship crisis — a betrayal, a breakup, a revelation that shattered trust — is being followed by the first tentative steps toward healing. Whether this means reconciliation or recovery after separation depends on the situation, but The Star says: you will love again, and you will trust again.
In Career and Finance
After a professional catastrophe — job loss, business failure, public humiliation — the first signs of recovery appear. An opportunity, an idea, a contact. It may seem small after the scale of what was lost, but it is the seed of what comes next. Nurture it.
In Spiritual Growth
The classic dark-night-of-the-soul-to-awakening arc. The Tower destroyed your illusions; The Star shows you what was real all along. This combination is the reason spiritual teachers say the breakdown precedes the breakthrough.
Advice
The worst is over. You survived. Now let the light in.