What does the Hanged Man mean in a tarot reading?
The Hanged man represents Surrender…..
The Hanged Man looks almost relaxed as he surrenders to circumstance
If you take a moment to look at the man hanging upside down on the card, he looks strangely relaxed for someone hanging upside down, as if he’s just hanging out enjoying a new view of the world. The presence of a halo shimmering around his head suggests some kind of enlightenment, awakening or realisation.
He has clearly let go of any struggle against being hung upside down, and there’s is a sense of peaceful surrender.
This is at the heart of the teaching of the Hanged Man. Sometimes circumstances outside of our control mean that we have to surrender something (we don’t want to let go – hence the word sacrifice)
What are the key attributes given to the Hanged Man?
1. Being ‘in limbo’.
Often this card describes moments in life when we are in limbo, when we are in between situations, in flux, when we are ‘forced’ (after all I don’t suppose he hung himself up there?) to surrender our hold on something. When we are ‘in limbo’ we have the time to consider things from a different point of view (upside down).
2. Sacrifice. Surrender. A Price to pay…for the greater good.
This card describes situations when we know there’s a price to pay or a sacrifice we need to make. Deep down we know our ‘sacrifice’ is for the best in the end, for our greater good, or the good of others. A typical example would be when we know we have to give up a love that hasn’t worked out. Equally the Hanged man can describe a working mother who is the bread winner, but who surrenders her needs to willingly work all the hours she has in the day for her family.
I picked it today as my daily reflection card and was initially nonplussed. How did the Hanged Man apply? And as ever with a daily reflection card, it gives you food for thought, it makes you ponder. Personally I find the daily practice of pulling a Tarot card essential for my mental health. Today writing this blog made me come to the realisation I am ‘in limbo’, for various reasons outside my control, which has been making me (or forcing me?) to consider a slight pivot of focus. I use the word pivot as my new favourite word that young clients use when describing a change of direction. The Hanged Man speaks to this…..a. having to look at things from a different point of view and b. considering how I feel about having to give up/let go/ sacrifice/surrender something I equally enjoy to follow this new ‘pivot’.
What a perfect card to describe my situation. How insightful. How delightful.
Do come and have a tarot reading with me. I don’t promise a reading that will tell you your future but I do promise a reading that will leave with a fresh perspective and new insights that will inspire you forward day by day to fulfil your heart’s desires.