Tarot Thoughts: The Hanged Man
Recently I was asked to give a short talk about The Hanged Man at a local event. After doing so I decided it was time to start sharing my thoughts about Tarot cards and the archetypes here on my fledgling blog space. This is not meant to be a comprehensive overview of every single detail or iteration of the card, but my view and interpretation of the big themes of the archetype.
The Hanged Man is the 12th card in the Major Arcana. Different decks will show various depictions but in traditional decks it shows a man hanging upside down from from a tree branch, with arms bent behind the back and one leg diagonally crossing the other, making a figure 4 shape. The shape symbolizes that the person in the card is there by their own volition, and it is not torture nor a punishment. Life may put us in a situation that calls for The Hanged Man, but it is still up to us to take the opportunity and be a willing participant.
When distilled down this card/archetype is all about pausing, and waiting. There is time for action and doing, and there is time to be still--to exist in the space between. It is here that The Hanged Man asks us to be. Periods of transition, when we aren't sure of our next step or what the right move or decision is, or even what we want, is often when The Hanged Man shows up and is of benefit. The scale of such a pause can vary; it may be for a matter of days, weeks, months or even whole years can be there. There are seasons of life when we are going through big changes and healing, and moments when small decisions and pivots are happening. The Hanged Man is there to offer us the remembrance of the wisdom of the pause and perspective change through it all.
It is all about befriending the liminal, and finding comfort in that space. Liminal is defined as occupying a position at, or on both sides of a boundary or threshold. When we are inhabiting the in-between space, we touch and are still connected to the edge of what was, and even if we can fully see it--the edge of what is to come.
It may not be comfortable, but when we accept The Hanged Man position we can find the beauty in the not knowing. In our hustle and bustle society and culture, we are expected to know what we want, who we want to be, what we should do, and there isn't much space for the unknowing. There is so much pressure “to know” that we can collapse the space within ourselves and move forward before we are ready or is necessary. It also can lead to immobilization out of mental paralysis and/or overwhelm. There is value to not knowing, and spending time in the space of not knowing. In fact, I think it is vital.
For example, when we are starting to date a new person, there is a good bit of time where we don't know how it's going to work out, if you are fully compatible, etc. But you continue on the journey of finding out, and it's imperative for both people to be able to exist in the not knowing while finding out. In that situation, like many in life, the end destination does not need to be clear. That time comes later. The not knowing is key to the freedom to discover what is there and what comes next.. This is the wisdom of The Hanged Man.
The other big aspect of this card is that the person is hanging upside down! This reversal of the usual bodily orientation symbolizes that changing one's perspective leads to a new view. When we look at a situation or aspect of our life or self from a different angle or position we can reframe our perceptions. In the pause one is able to take that fresh perspective allow it to slowly percolate, with no rush to jump to a conclusion or decision. New information or realizations have the time to seep in to our consciousness, and we can see things anew.
This is also a prime opportunity to attune to and listen to the messages and knowing; both deep within the self and also from without, from spirit. In this upside down orientation the brain and the heart are reversed, with the heart above and the brain below. This is a powerful reminder that the heart is a brain as well, and much information is to be found from what it has to say. The body is also above the mind in this arrangement, and there is much to be found in it's messages as well.
In this inverted position I see the heart taking the lead role in the head-heart balance, where the feeling of what the heart has to say in the matter is paramount. It often takes stillness in order to listen in to what the heart and body have to say, and The Hanged Man affords us this time and encourages us to take it. It is as if the truth and wisdom of what the heart drips down through the soma, taking the various pathways to integrate on its way to the brain to interpret and engage with this vital sustenance of ourselves.
The entire arrangement we enter into in The Hanged Man is not dissimilar to the process the caterpillar makes in its metamorphosis to winged beauty. The caterpillar makes a grand and beautiful transition to butterfly, and it does so by stopping, hanging upside-down in a chrysalis in which they disintegrate and turn to goo. It goes into profound pause. All that is left are what are called imaginal disks which contain the information to regrow into all the parts of a butterfly, and use the goo as fuel to grow, and reintegrate. When the transformation is complete, the winged being emerges from its temporary home and flies off.
The Hanged Man signals to us an opportunity to slow down and engage in self transformation and integration. Even if it is just a transition of outlook or perspective, it is a transformation nonetheless. These periods of time are indefinite but not endless. Like the butterfly, we must also know when it is time to get down from the tree and leave the pause to take flight and move into action, as we continue to integrate and shed the old and engage in the new. Staying too long in the hanged position and its waiting and contemplation can lead to stagnancy, the feeling of being in a rut, and even depression.
So befriend the pause, find new perspective, and allow the answers to come to you. When it is time to get down from the tree and move forward, go for it!