
12. THE HANGED MAN
THE HANGED MAN TAROT CARD MEANING

TAROT KEY MEANINGS
Light Seer (Upright): surrendering to the will of the cosmos, an intentional pause, reflection, letting go, embracing the new, re-aligning with your heart and purpose, new wisdom, spiritual teachings, enlightenment, acceptance
Shadow Seer (Reversed): stagnation, self-sabotage, holding onto something that isn’t meant for you, stubbornness, a tendency to be a martyr
THE HANGED MAN OVERVIEW
The Hanged Man archetype is sometimes attributed to Odin as he swings on the Tree of Yggdrasill. In the Odin myth, he hung for 9 days and nights, surrendering to death in order to glean wisdom from the runes. By letting go – in sacrificing himself for himself – he was gifted access to the mysteries of language and symbols, and life. Our hanged man has come to a place in her journey where a total surrender is required of her. She is intentional in this surrender. Strapping into an aerial yoga sling to prepare, she pushes beyond her current boundaries and releases it all. And from this flipped vantage point, she reaches toward the magic that awaits.
By fully surrendering and accepting what is,
the epiphany of the present brings inner-peace.


MESSAGE FROM THE HANGED MAN
Flow with it. You are being asked to let go of something that is no longer necessary in your life. Just let it go. The Hanged Man is offering you the chance to look at something from a totally different perspective and to relinquish the need to control the forces around you. This will likely mean an intentional letting go of that thing (that idea, perspective, relationship or career issue) that’s got you rigidly stationary. You may even need to take a few steps back to course correct as you make space for new perspectives and new insights. It may feel like you are sacrificing one thing to gain another, yet from this new place of seeing you’ll be able to break free from old mental models or programming and tap into a whole new framework from which to interpret the world. Divine wisdom spills forth in moments of deep flow, so lay back, sway rhythmically and meet your inner-patterning. Know that your plan (and indeed the whole dream you are dreaming!) may look unfamiliar to you after you shed your need to direct the outcomes. In surrendering to the will of the cosmos, you will realign your life with sacred arrangements that already know which life-altering lesson is the key to your happiness. In shadow, a resistance to change may have you stuck in a place that isn’t for you. Your Higher Self has so much wisdom for you when you
allow it to work through you! Wait for your advancement by actively pausing in introspection, and be careful to not fall into learned helplessness or to step into the role of the martyr at this time. It’s okay to do this deep dive, for you. Process, meditate, and bring your unconscious knowledge to the forefront of your conscious mind.
QUESTIONS FOR THE SEER
• What is it that you are grasping too tightly for? Is it a thing? An idea? Or a belief?
• Do you surrender to the ‘reality’ that there’s nothing else you can do right now?
• If you let go of your feelings about your situation, what would you learn?
• Is there something in your life that has reached the point that the only way to grow is to continue on without it?
