The Hanged Man
☽ ☾
The Hanged Man ☽ ☾
The Hanged Man
Key Meanings
Upright: perspective shift, non-conformist, non-traditional, eccentric, open-minded, patient, self-sacrificial, surrender
Reversed: stuck, delay, indecision, delusion, close minded, self-righteousness, stubbornness, martyr
The Hanged Man:
Archetypes
The Seeker, The Philosopher, The Eccentric Genius, The Martyr, The Humorous Sage
Examples: Rafiki (The Lion King), Jesus Christ, Dumbledore (Harry Potter Series), Socrates
The Hanged Man:
Description
A man hangs upside down from a cross-like tree covered in foliage, alive because it represents an opportunity for growth. The man appears to be at peace, accepting his current state, with a halo symbolizing the wisdom of surrender. Together, these elements create a sense of absurdity that hints at a deeper message through their non-traditional pairing of imagery and emotion.
The Hanged Man:
Upright Meaning
Think of the Hanged Man as the odd, but profoundly wise eccentric. Embrace non-traditional ways of viewing the world and your circumstances. Open your mind to avenues you may have otherwise never explored out of a fear to conform to standards that are all just fabrications anyhow. Religious figures like Jesus Christ were known not for pleasing the rich and popular, but for mingling with the outcasts. Turn the world on its head and find humor in the absurdity.
The message here is to let go. Surrender all that preoccupies your mind, especially if you are caught up in trying to do things the “right way”. The Hanged Man is tied up and cannot go anywhere, but he finds wisdom in his circumstances and releases any attempt to escape, instead finding wisdom in his circumstances. Even if you feel stuck, you may be right where you need to be, and your best course of action is to stay put, go with the flow, and wait before making your next move.
The Hanged Man:
Reversed Meaning
The Hanged Man is all about perspective, so when reversed, it can mean you are looking at your situation the wrong way. Instead of surrendering to this moment of forced stillness and shifting thought patterns, you are working from a place of fear. Fear leads to close-mindedness and an inability to see reality. This is the real trap, self-made. You are stuck because of how you have been thinking about your circumstances.
Here’s your reminder that giving up out of hopelessness and exasperation is not the same as surrendering from a place of heart-centered trust. Your challenge now is to be ok with not knowing. Do not turn yourself into a martyr simply because you cannot see another way of making a point or getting what you want.