The Hanged Man card shows a person hanging upside down from a tree.
Given their calm expression, it is believed they are hanging by choice.
The Hanged Man card in tarot
The Hanged Man, being suspended, does not signify an execution, something terrible or fatal; it’s simply about being suspended, observing.
The myth most closely related to this card is that of the Norse god Odin, who, injured in his genitals, hung upside down from the world tree Yggdrasill for nine days and nights to recover the magical runes of power and poetry from Niflheim.
Waite’s card represents the tree as an ash (Yggdrasill) and portrays the person as blonde, just like Odin.
The Hanged Man is also associated with one of the five experiences of the “dark night of the soul” (the others being The Devil, The Tower, Death, and The Moon), after which new perceptions may emerge.
The Hanged Man card asks us to, during this suspension, let go of false perceptions. It’s a card especially tied to sacrifice, as the person is hanging by their own choice.
They are not forced to be in this position but do so in order to gain a new point of view, to see things from another perspective, from a different place.
The Major Arcana of The Hanged Man shows us that the person sacrifices their comfort and passions for a time, like the Norse god Odin, knowing that as a result, better things will come.
The Major Arcana XII
In Jungian understanding of alchemy, the number 12 refers to the relationship between 3 and 4, which is central to the individuation process.
Clearly, this is a card of reprocessing what we’ve learned so we can fully integrate that expanded understanding into our own sense of Self.
It’s an archetype of voluntarily meditating, committing to break old behavioral patterns and bad habits that have restricted them until now.
The Hanged Man card represents a task that will repeat throughout our lives. If we keep growing in self-analysis and spirit, we will never be done with this card.
The Hanged Man card and its general meanings
Key associations and concepts
Upright meanings:
Being in suspense, a delay or postponement of plans and goals, restriction, letting go, sacrificing for something, for others, or for gain, surrender, a crisis, delays, seeing things from another angle, a new perspective, inactivity, giving something up, metamorphosis, spiritual progress, detachment from the material.
Reversed meanings:
A martyr complex, indecision, self-sacrifice, delay, being in limbo, narrow-mindedness, failing to see all sides, a resurgence, getting back into the game, coming back to life, the inability to let go, holding yourself back, fixation on the material.
KABBALISTIC: Associated with the Hebrew letter lamed ( ל )
NUMEROLOGY: Represents the number 12 or 3 (12=1+2=3). Twelve is the higher octave of 3, representing careful planning and an orderly growth that leads to spiritual development. 1 (beginning) + 2 (the power of reasoning) = 3 (the product of regeneration).
ELEMENT: Associated with the element Water (🜄) and the season of winter.
ASTROLOGY: Linked to the planet Neptune ( ♆ ), representing fantasy, transcendence, sensitivity, and humanitarianism. Also associated with the sign Pisces (♓).
The Hanged Man card and its most important symbols
The importance of the imagery is crucial in the Rider tarot
POSITION:
Their body forms the secret sign of alchemical sulfur, which indicates inner activity or transformative work.
We can’t see their hands, suggesting their work is internal.
Waite described the Hanged Man’s crossed legs as a “fylfot,” meaning a left-facing swastika or sauwastika, referencing the four of matter over the divine three formed by the figure’s head and arms.
TREE
It’s believed to be an ash tree (Yggdrasill), aligning with the myth of the Norse god Odin.
This tree of life or “ash of the universe” from Norse mythology is rooted in the earthly world and is supported by the heavens.
Another interpretation suggests it could be a tau cross in the shape of a T, possibly the actual shape of the Holy Cross, reinforcing the concept of sacrifice.
It’s worth noting that the branches have new, fresh shoots, signaling that this time of pause and reflection, of looking again, will bear positive fruits and the situation will bloom.
ROPES:
The ropes that hold them suspended are naturally associated with bindings, confinement, or restriction, but in the case of The Hanged Man, the rope is a tool.
In the Hanged Man card, the ropes serve as a necessity to loosen our internal knots. When we’re tied up, we’re forced into a state of inaction, and this is precisely the answer to our problems.
The more we struggle against the ties that bind us, the tighter they often become. The more we rage against our circumstances, the tighter our knots grow.
We need to suspend action, pause, and rethink everything in order to loosen the knots.
HALO:
A bright yellow halo surrounds the Hanged Man’s head, indicating divine illumination or knowledge.
CLOTHING:
There are two interpretations for the colors of their clothing in the Hanged Man card:
On the one hand, we can associate them with other Major Arcana, as the figure wears the red of The Emperor, The Hierophant, and Justice on their legs, and the blue of The High Priestess in their tunic and feet. The gold slippers represent understanding as their foundation.
If we add the golden halo around their head, we can interpret that this figure comprehends divine law from head to toe.
The other, more basic interpretation, is to give pure significance to the colors: red pants representing human passion and the physical body, a blue coat for knowledge, and yellow shoes representing their high ideals.
BELT:
It symbolizes an instinctive vitality that creates a temporary separation, either to pursue other interests or because it seeks to combine the higher and the lower.
