The Hanged Man (reversed)
The Hanged Man resides in the second line of the Major Arcana, the line that moves us from the outer world to the inner world. The Hanged Man is represented by the number 12. The number 12 consists of 1 and 2. The Magician is represented by the number 1 and often symbolizes the anticipation of how the power of the four elements will be used along the journey toward spiritual awakening. The High Priestess represents the number 2 and symbolizes the power of receptivity. Together these cards add to 3 representing the Empress who has tremendous access to the emotional states of life. The Hanged Man (12 OR 1+2=3) “shows an experience of [receptivity]” and feels emotions through inner awareness (Pollack, 2019, p. 100).
There are several images in this card. The tree in which the figure is hanging from is The World Tree which begins in the underworld and reaches to the physical world. The figure’s legs take the shape of the number 4 representing the earth and the four directions. The figures’s head and arms take the shape of a triangle which is often the symbol for water or the unconscious (Pollack, 2019, p. 99). The Hermetic title for The Hanged Man is “The Spirit of the Mighty Waters,” the element for this card is water, and the planetary/astrological correspondence is Neptune (Chang, 2021).
In the upright version of this card, the figure is seeking spiritual awareness, stillness, and quietly suspends action in order to find the voice of the inner self.
Pollack (2019) offers an interpretation of this card reversed as an inability to get free from social pressures or to listen to the voice of our inner self (p. 100).
Quinn (2009) suggest that the reversal of this card means a time to act.
Perhaps on this 2nd day of the year of 2023, this card is inviting me to listen more deeply to my inner voice in an effort to seek independence from the social pressures or traditions that no longer serve me. This deep listening is the first step in accessing an experience of peace about what is, and more importantly an acceptance of reality. Acceptance as an action seems counterintuitive, but perhaps it is problematic to reduce the meaning of action to “something that happens only visibly and in the external world” (Dore, 2021, p. 84). My action or plan for today is to experience receptivity and move toward knowing the callings of my inner self. My action today will take place in my inner world, seeking to bring awareness to what is not yet known while accepting the realities of my external world.
