The Hanged Man - Patience is a Virtue

 I remember the first time I saw this card. A friend of mine who was a Tarot reader did a reading for me, and was my first exposure to Tarot cards. I was left with the impression that things did not look good when The Hanged Man appeared in the spread. It retrospect it was very accurate and relevant to what I was experiencing then, which was a lot of emotional turmoil leaving me confused, and anxious about the future. I was hoping to find some sort of control over my situation, and this card didn't give me a lot of reassurance upon first seeing it.

The Hanged Man represents taking a break, waiting things out, distancing and withdrawal from all the turmoil in order to find a semblance of normalcy and balance again.

When we take this time, it's an opportunity to regroup, but mostly I think it's a lesson in patience, and that can feel like a sacrifice.  I've never been the most patient person and it's something I've had to mindfully work at. Being an artist I suppose has helped me, because the creative process is a discipline which requires some patience and constant reassessment. Creating art is something I do as a creative person and it's what I love, so I don't think it is that difficult. I do have to step back to reassess and try to find a way to get an different perspective by distancing myself. Looking at my art work in a mirror helps me to see things in a way I wouldn't normally see.

However it's a different scenario when I've found myself in situations that I don't like or even hate, and are very challenging for one reason or another. This is the time my patience is really tested. I can choose to either persevere and work through it or throw up my arms in defeat and just give up. Fortunately I'm stubborn and I don't give up too easily. Eventually have to come to a level of comfort and calm with my situation, which is a big part of practicing patience, trusting in the unseen workings of my psyche, waiting, often with fear and anxiety, but with much hope.

The Greek Myth about Prometheus embodied in the Major Arcana card The Hanged Man, is pretty gruesome involving chains, an eagle and poor Prometheus's liver, but in spite of all this there is a good and merciful outcome!

As my grade nine Geography once said under her breath to her group of teen aged out of control class. patience is a virtue.

The Hanged Man - Foresight

I vividly remember seeing this card after having my first reading, given to me by a good friend.  My impression of this image of a man hanging upside down was very disconcerting. He looked like he was suffering. I was certain this couldn't be good at all, but I was very wrong in spite of my visceral reaction.

Being a Major Arcana card the Hanged Man has a positive spiritual message and urges us to take a time out, and symbolizes sacrifice for a greater good, acceptance and trust.

I was hangin' with the Hummingbirds this morning sitting outside on my front porch. As I watched them buzzing, darting around, they reminded me of that hyper state we can all find ourselves in when we are waiting in the fear and anxiety, that often is a result of not putting our trust in the unseen workings of the unconscious, while waiting in hope of a new and better life.  

We are spinning our wheels or like the Hummingbirds are rapidly flapping our wings, or hanging in mid-air, and seemingly not going anywhere. Some times we have to just have to stop and have a rest.

The Hanged Man is the natural outgrowth from the Wheel of Fortune. Here's Prometheus, who's name means 'foresight'. He was a Titan, who had the gift of prophecy and he had great sympathy for mankind and made a voluntarily sacrifice for a greater good. He doesn't look disturbed, worried or even uncomfortable in spite of his very precarious position.

We too can find ourselves in the same situation where we must have a real faith, which can only be gained through risking ourselves in life and we must be willing to trust in that Other, which knows better than our ego, what is right, and necessary for our development and growth.

We decide whether we move forward or back or just stay still. We are never completely standing still  in life. We are either going ahead  or backwards. It's up to us to decide. Taking time to withdraw, rest and reassess is an excellent way to find discernment.

The Hanged Man - What's the Slow Sacrifice? Hurry Up and Wait!

Hurry up and wait, is the common saying you'll hear, usually when we're in a hurry, trying to meet a deadline,but have to wait in a line-up some where. This saying describes the frustration and impatience we can feel when we're caught up in some kind of bureaucratic red tape, or stuck in a traffic jam. We do everything needed to meet our end, but other circumstances dictate the outcome and there isn't much we can do about it..

Hurry up and wait is a contradiction of terms for sure, and The Hanged Man can also seem the same, if we don't see the deeper relevance in our lives. On one hand, it looks to be a card of shear agonizing suffering, though the look on Prometheus' face is serene and peaceful. He is not fighting his situation and has surrendered to the circumstance he's in. He's hanging upside down in the blistering sun, not to mention an eagle is about to eat his liver! Ack!

Prometheus, according to Greek myth, made all the earth out of his own tears, having a deep sympathy for all humankind and has to accept that he must wait in darkness. His sacrifice is for the greater good, trusting in the unseen mystery, in hope of a new and better life for everyone.

At some point in we all make sacrifices, whether we want to or not. Some are self-imposed, others voluntary, and some are born out of circumstances beyond our control. We are often abruptly stopped in our tracks, are forced to slow down, and are perhaps we're not aware until later, that we have been given the gift and opportunity to take stock of our lives and to take inventory of ourselves.  

We now have an opportunity to slow down and really smell the roses, notice little things we never took notice or have taken for granted. We can now see the beauty or even accept the ugly things we can't change.

The Hanged Man - Is Patience A Virtue?

"Patience is a virtue", is what I heard, from my grade nine geography teacher. She said it very quietly,  under her breath, but loudly enough for me to hear her. I wonder if she was saying this for her benefit or mine. It was probably for both, now that I think about it.

She was a good woman, kind, but rather at a loss as to how to manage a group of pubescent, out of control, angst ridden teenagers. I felt sorry for her. I never gave her any grief, and I think she appreciated that, but I always remembered what she said about patience.

Little did I know how true this is, and how very relevant and important it would be in my own life, as I'm certain it was in hers.

People are always waiting. We wait in lines, wait on hold, for phone calls, for kids, for parents and for patience itself.
It's something I had to practice very intently, because I was impatient. I wanted everything to happen yesterday. Particularly in relation to my recovery as an alcoholic. This was my biggest trial. I was waiting for  especially waiting for happiness, which seemed to be elusive to me.

I've learned to rest in situations, when I could potentially be very impatient. It still can be difficult for me, especially when I get frustrated. Being patient, just because, allows me to find out who I am.

The Hanged Man is about waiting and resting. Taking a step back. Chillaxing when you are mostly feeling that you live in a world that wants you to hurry up and wait. The world can also feel like it is moving to slow. Simultaneously it moves too fast, and time is passing in the blink of an eye. You can't slow down and you are never moving fast enough. This is the dichotomy of the world and of life.

The Hanged Man urges us to be patient, to rest, to take a time out to renew, restore ourselves before we move ahead, and so we can respond with clarity and discernment.

Christmas is a good time to rest, to take stock and enjoy yourself, take pleasure were you can, in spite of feeling like your life is hanging upside down.

The Hanged Man - The Dark Night of The Soul

The Hanged Man always brings me back to the fist time I had a reading. My friend who was a very good reader, had used the Celtic Cross spread for my reading. I don't remember the placement of The Hanged Man, but I sure do remember my reaction to seeing this card. I was in a precarious relationship that would change my life, and was not going to end well, though I couldn't see it then. I had been and was going to continue to experience this kind of "dark night of the soul", that this card represents.

At this time, I knew nothing about Tarot, or the cards and their meanings. I couldn't begin to imagine what this one meant, but I was pretty convinced it couldn't be good, seeing this poor shackled soul, hanging from a rocky cliff, upside down, having next to no clothes on, with an Eagle seemingly in attack mode.

 The Greek myth is pretty gruesome about Prometheus. He defied the law of Zeus by stealing the fire of the gods to give to man. Prometheus means "foresight", and this Titan had the gift of prophecy. He had a profound sympathy and compassion for the plight of humankind.

The Hanged Man is a deeply relevant card for me. It is very much representative of what St John of the Cross talks about in his poem , The Dark Night of The Soul, and going into the unconsciousness of the psyche, experiencing great suffering and then coming out the other side transformed. Out of the darkness of the night, comes the light.

This poem illuminates the deepest kind of self-sacrificing love between the Lover and the Beloved, between humankind and God. I love this poem and Loreena McKennitt's interpretation is so touching and beautiful.

Loreena McKennitt - The dark night of the soul

Upon a darkened night
the flame of love was burning in my breast
And by a lantern bright
I fled my house while all in quiet rest
Shrouded by the night
and by the secret stair I quickly fled
The veil concealed my eyes
while all within lay quiet as the dead

Chorus
Oh night thou was my guide
oh night more loving than the rising sun
Oh night that joined the lover
to the beloved one
transforming each of them into the other

Upon that misty night
in secrecy, beyond such mortal sight
Without a guide or light
than that which burned so deeply in my heart

That fire t'was led me on
and shone more bright than of the midday sun
To where he waited still
it was a place where no one else could come

Chorus

Within my pounding heart
which kept itself entirely for him
He fell into his sleep
beneath the cedars all my love I gave
And by the fortress walls
the wind would brush his hair against his brow
And with its smoothest hand
caressed my every sense it would allow

Chorus

I lost myself to him
and laid my face upon my lovers breast
And care and grief grew dim
as in the mornings mist became the light
There they dimmed amongst the lilies fair
There they dimmed amongst the lilies fair
There they dimmed amongst the lilies fair

The Hanged Man - A Broken Spirit and Contrite Heart

Any of us who have an interest or a passion for Tarot, remembers our first reading. It seems to leave an indelible impression on us either positive or negative or both.  This certainly was very true for me,

When I was first introduced to Tarot, many years ago, the reasons I had for wanting to a reading were pretty serious in retrospect. I was keeping a secret from people and somehow knew in the very marrow of my bones, this situation I found myself in was not going to end well. I was in denial, refused to trust my intuition, and pushed through to it's conclusion , which shook the very foundations of my confidence in the belief my ability to make good choices and right decisions. I no longer believed in myself and felt happiness was forever going to elude me.

My reading did not indicate specifically the answers I was looking for, but not being completely open, and honest with my question, I now see  this was the reason I did not get a lot of specifics.

The one card I remember in my reading that really bothered me at the time, was The Hanged Man. I thought it was ominous and full of dread. However the answer I was looking for was to be found within this card, which urged me to take a step back and distance myself from everyday concerns. Little did I realize at the time how much I needed to do this because my vision was completed obstructed in so many ways.

The most significant message I took away from this reading was from The Hanged Man. The long and the short of it was I was so broken from my circumstance, and in the long run it became my most important life lesson. I had sacrificed so much in just about every way and thought I'd gained nothing, however I was very wrong. I learned so much about myself, how to give of myself but not loose parts of my my soul in the process. My spirit was broken and my heart contrite for the things that I had done, or failed to do. My sacrifice became a gift of strength and insight over time, and I am very grateful.

Many of us don't realized the significance of a reading until weeks months or perhaps even years later. There are answers to our questions in our readings but they may not be clearly visible to us at the time due to our present state of mind. We may be myopic, and lacking insight, because we are so wrapped up in our situational events. This is why it is important to take that step back to do an inventory of the ourselves and what is really going on in our lives.

This card does not turn up for me often in my daily draw, or in readings that I do for others, but when it does, I pay close attention to decipher the meaning and message found within the most paradoxical and mysterious of cards.

 

The Hanged Man - Letting Go

When I had very my first reading done for me by my friend many years ago. This card, The Hanged Man came up in my reading, and it totally freaked me out, but I was really wanting to know it's meaning. It looked pretty gruesome and a little disturbing. Oh the other hand the guy looked kind of peaceful just hangin' there! Some particular cards will kind of shock us especially if we aren't familiar with them, or know what they mean. As time passes I learn more about each card on a deeper level. I don't believe there are any "bad" cards.

Today this card kept coming to me in my mind's eye. Then I did a one card reading for myself and guess which card came up when I asked my question? The Hanged Man. Oooo well now, that did kind of freak me out a little. But when I thought about my question in relation to this card, it made sense to me ,even though I wasn't too sure if I liked the answer!

The following overview I found at http://www.learntarot.com/maj12.htm
The Hanged Man is one of the most mysterious cards in the tarot deck. It is simple, but complex. It attracts, but also disturbs. It contradicts itself in countless ways. The Hanged Man is unsettling because it symbolizes the action of paradox in our lives. A paradox is something that appears contradictory, and yet is true. The Hanged Man presents to us certain truths, but they are hidden in their opposites.
The main lesson of the Hanged Man is that we "control" by letting go - we "win" by surrendering. The figure on Card 12 has made the ultimate surrender - to die on the cross of his own travails - yet he shines with the glory of divine understanding. He has sacrificed himself, but he emerges the victor. The Hanged Man also tells us that we can "move forward" by standing still. By suspending time, we can have all the time in the world.
In readings, the Hanged Man reminds us that the best approach to a problem is not always the most obvious. When we most want to force our will on someone, that is when we should release. When we most want to have our own way, that is when we should sacrifice. When we most want to act, that is when we should wait. The irony is that by making these contradictory moves, we find what we are looking for.

 The card of the Hanged Man in the Mythic Tarot deck portrays Prometheus as a mature man with brown hair, and a beard. He is shackled in an upside down position to the bare face of a cliff. His upside down posture implies that his head - the rational mind - no longer controls him. Like the setting sun on the card, this image symbolizes the descent of the spirit into the darkness of the unconscious. Behind him there are the craggy rocks, and the large wings of an eagle as it approaches.

Many people are familiar with the story of Prometheus. He was the Titan who defied Zeus, the father of the gods, and stole the fire from the gods to give to man, knowing that he would be punished for his deed. The name Prometheus means 'foresight', and he also possessed the gift of prophecy. He had a deep sympathy for humankind, and wanted them to have some of the holy fire so that they could discover progress and illumination, but this didn't go over well with Zeus. Zeus seized Prometheus, and had him chained to a high cliff in the mountains. An eagle flew down each day to devour Prometheus's liver; and each night, his liver was renewed, and the torture continued. After 3o years of this torture, Zeus relented, and allowed him to be rescued by Heracles thus making Prometheus immortal.

On an inner level, the Hanged Man, is an image of a voluntary sacrifice for a greater good. The sacrifice can be of a material object, or an inner attitude, but it is made with willingness, and an acceptance of the suffering that might be required. The image of Prometheus is a symbol of the part of us which has the foresight to understand that such changes might be needed for the unfoldment of an inner plan which is not yet clear. He implies an acceptance of waiting in the darkness which many mystics have called the 'Dark Night of the Soul' where one can only wait without a vision of how everything will turn out. The card of the Hanged Man is the natural next step after the turning of the Wheel of Fortune, for it implies a willingness to trust in the Self which knows better than the ego what might be right and necessary for one's personal development.

In a reading, the Hanged Man can signify the need for a voluntary sacrifice for the purpose of acquiring something of greater value. It may be an external object, or a cherished attitude which needs to be released. In any case, it often involves a time of waiting where we are not able to see clearly in the darkness, and must wait for a time of clarity.

By Donna M. Fisher-Jackson, MA © 2010

Thanks to Juliet Sharman-Burke, and Liz Greene, the creators of the Mythic Tarot for their insightful comments.