Major Arcana Tarot Cards – The Hanged Man
The Hanged Man; even its title is unappealing. Say that name and you instantly think of execution, struggle and unfortunate ends. But take a closer look at the card and you’ll see that all is not as it first seemed: rather than dangling by his neck, the Hanged Man is suspended upside-down and rather than an expression of fear or dread, the figure looks calm, serene – even at peace. Perhaps this is a card not to be feared, after all...
A State of Inertia
The Hanged Man doesn’t signify anything to do with death, at least not in the literal sense. The man is hanging, but appears not to be worried by his predicament. This is because that card represents a state of inertia; this is the time to reflect on certain situations, to suspend all our desires and worries and simply be. This card is usually drawn by someone who is feeling ‘hung up’ about something, perhaps a situation that is apparently beyond his or her control. The Hanged Man reminds us that, sometimes, the best course of action can be to do nothing; it is perfectly legitimate to take the time to stop everything and think about what needs to be done.
Sacrifice
The only association with death comes in the form of sacrifice but, once again, this is not literal. In order to remove obstacles from our path, we must accept that we have either put them there ourselves or allowed someone else to do so. Understanding this allows us to ‘sacrifice’ certain trains of thought or patterns of behavior that have caused us to deviate from spiritual fulfilment.
Interestingly, even in reversal, the Hanged Man has the same meaning. We are being warned that struggling at this time is not appropriate. It can often be better to simply accept what is going on around us, remain still and work out how we will change things for the better. Ill-considered acts often give rise to disastrous consequences, so following the example of the Hanged Man can be the best course of non-action to take.