(Tarot Prompts for Writers)
Here’s a compilation of my notes on reading The Hanged Man as a card of the day or in a spread.
If you’re just learning tarot, use the deck that most appeals to you, and spend some time looking at your card. What does it say to you? (See my description of the Hanged Man as I see it.)
Tarot is personal and open-ended. There are traditional meanings — and yes, you should know them if you want to read tarot cards — but it really only “works” if you follow what the cards mean to you personally. Your hanged man and my hanged man may not mean quite the same thing.
Number
The number 12 is considered sublime and contemplative by some. Twelve is a strangely common number in myth and religion. The months in a year, hours on a clock, jurors in court, apostles, eggs. A dozen is a good solid number. An auspicious number.
Name
The Hanged Man is not hanging by the neck but by a foot or leg. There’s no clear indication as to who tied him here, himself or others, but he looks agile enough to get away, yet he holds himself as if he means to stay a while. There is no suggestion that this is a punishment. He’s here on purpose, seeking enlightenment.
Placement
The card is midway through the Tarot journey; both the seeker and the path deepen at this point. To continue, you need what the Hanged Man has: faith, patience, sacrifice, and quiet strength and courage. Things may change from here onward, and you need to be thoughtful and flexible and open-minded to succeed.
Traditional interpretations
The Hanged Man signifies wisdom and guidance from the unconscious; intuition, divination, prophecy; caution and discernment.
The card asks for introspection. Embrace a new perspective; take the time to access the internal wisdom that you may not even know you possess. Be willing to submit to the dictates of your inner self, and to ignore practical considerations.
The card may indicate trials and sacrifices that require flexibility of mind and adaptation to change. Your journey may be put on pause — voluntarily or involuntarily — so that you can assess your situation. But your journey doesn’t stop here — you’re going to have to put up with tired details, persist through boredom, and delay gratification to get where you’re ultimately going. Surrender to what must be.
Less auspiciously, the card can signify a life in suspension, an idealist in dreamland – it’s hard to tell if you’re insanely pursuing a dream or persisting admirably on a tough plan. In this sense, the card can be a warning.
Most often the card is positive and says: have faith in your higher self. It tells of wisdom gained through an ordeal, a sacrifice necessary to reach the next level.
Reverse interpretations
The card reversed has several meanings:
First, selfishness and materialism; superficial living. You pretend to a spirituality you lack; it’s meaningless unless you practice it. Beware of pointless time-wasters and meaningless sacrifices; don’t confuse your selfish sacrifices with martyrdom and don’t waste your life with busywork that has no meaning. Stop being self-righteous. The card warns of laziness and stagnation through your unwillingness to face the necessary work. It’s time to stop dreaming and live your best life.
Alternatively, the card can warn of over-reliance on logic and worldliness or crowd-thinking. It can warn of an impending psychic disorder, an inability to accept reality. An inner struggle will end in defeat. You must find new ways of dealing. Perhaps you need a sounding board; you may be too alone, to your own psychological detriment, and you have no context to test the sanity of your ideas. You need to open your heart, your mind, and your life to the world.
Thematic readings
- In love, you might sacrifice too much. Don’t be such a dreamer. Give and receive both. And remember that there is always the possibility that you are completely wrong.
- In work, you may be blamed for something you didn’t do. Be forthright and forgiving. Show grace to those who doubt you. But don’t proceed randomly. Think hard before you go on.
- In general life, you may need to let go of something for the short term to gain long-term benefits. Yield to the greater good. Sacrifice yourself for others. The card advises delayed gratification and purposeful sacrifice. View life from a fresh angle. You’re not wasting your time hanging around here.
Specific positions
- Current situation: You are at a crossroads requiring patience and sacrifice. Submit gracefully and all will be well. When in doubt, just hang there. The card shows a need for faith in your spirit and a need to sacrifice some worldly comfort. You need faith and humility to progress.
- Past influence: The card can indicate persecution. People may not approve of your beliefs. You may feel alone. Trust yourself. Continuing on a meaningful path requires insight, trust, and looking within to confirm your direction. Make a life that gives you meaning, not what others think you should do.
- Outcome: Hang in there. You’ll be rewarded. You’ll get back on your feet with fresh insights.
- Blocked: Life may appear stalled, but you have the opportunity for fresh perspectives that will lead to solutions through better understanding. Don’t be sad. Your reluctance to see alternative points of view is holding you back. Open your mind.
Questions for the Querent
- Do you have any reaction at first sight of this card? What do you focus on?
- Do you see this card as you? As someone in particular?
- Is he waiting on something? Are you?
- Is he wasting his time here?
- Do you tend to plan or just dive in? Do you envy those who do otherwise?
- Is your life stalled? Are you stuck in your ways? Do you have strategies to keep fresh perspectives?
- Is there some aspect of your life you need to probe? Can you take the time to look deeper?
- Are you a dreamer or a realist?
- Have you ever stuck with a dream that seemed impossible?
Keywords to aid Memory
- Sacrifice
- Intuition; Faith
- Patience, Submission; Suspension
Images on this page are by the following artists: Banner, left to right: Marseilles deck engraved by Nicolas Conver; Dragon Tarot illustrated by Roger and Linda Garland (also shown in box); Tarot Balbi by Domenico Balbi; Gilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti; Radiant Rider-Waite deck illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith; Druid Craft deck illustrated by Will Worthington.
Catherine Austen 