XII- The Hanged Man

  The Hanged Man is a unique card, its design is one that has you wondering which way up the card should really be.
   This Major Arcana has a very unusual message, one of voluntary surrender to the greater cosmic forces. The figure on the card is serenely suspended on a tree, bound and tied. It is reminiscent of the story of Odin, who in order to gain wisdom hung himself from Yggdrasil the world tree for 9 days. During this time he took no food or mead and was suffering from a spear wound. At the end of his time he was given the wisdom of the runes.
    In some decks, there are coins falling from the pockets of the man, but in all he hangs from one leg, the other bent in a shape that resembles the number 4. This creates the effect of looking like a bizarre form of meditation, similar to the Tree Pose in Yoga.
    The fact that he has a luminous halo suggests that this is not some form of punishment, or shameful experience. But instead is a necessary experience on the path of the initiate, one that is partaken of voluntarily.
     Lots of analogies can be drawn to crucifixion, wherein some form of sacrifice is necessary in order to gain wisdom. Although what is really being sacrificed is our world view.
    Some resources draw the assumption that this card means a releasing of the physical in order to promote the spiritual, that one should enter into a period of suspension by fasting, meditating or mindfulness apart from material concerns.
    Like the figure on the card, one must turn their views upside down and look at things from an entirely different perspective. This is why I do not advocate the idea that it suggests a fast or meditation retreat, unless this is something that would be totally outside the realm of your normal consciousness. The very idea of turning your world view upside down is extremely personal to each individual. For a materialist, it would indeed mean a consideration of the inner world or of ideas that are outside the norm. For someone deeply involved in spirituality, it would mean the opposite.
     On the journey of the Fool through the Major Arcana, The Hanged Man represents a turning point for his perspective. By inverting himself he is able to look at the world anew, much as a child does. This suspension between the old and new creates a timeless space.
     The card also brings up the thorny issue of surrender. For many surrender is seen as a weakness, of giving up and of defeat, destruction and a prelude to annihilation. This annihilation is linked to the power we give our ego and the fear of surrender that comes from our attachment to its continuation. The figure in the card places himself in a position of vulnerability in order to find wisdom.
     The problem I feel is that when one adopts a certain mindset, such as "surrender is bad", then it precludes you from being able to make use of it when it is actually the wisest choice. Surrender to our inner experiences is a great power, many times more valuable than stubbornly resisting what will continue to remain otherwise. Surrender is not giving up. Surrender is wisdom when correctly applied. Surrender allows us to continue on wiser and to be able to face the situations again with greater knowledge, rather than stubbornly facing defeat time and time again.
    Giving up is a choice that can occur either through surrender or through continuing to face what will defeat you. Perseverance is the choice to persist, either through surrender or continuing to face your issue. There is no set way for any of us, we simply have to remain aware in the moment and make the best choice we can.
     For me the card has meant a suspension of my normal activities to consider this card. I spent some time upside down to feel how this would actually affect my consciousness and it reminded me of a game my sister and I would play as children. We would each find a mirror and place it under our chins, facing upwards. This created the effect of walking on the ceiling whenever we looked down into the glass. We would walk around the house, stepping over door tops and avoiding light fixtures which appeared to grow out of the floor.
   As I lay considering my altered perspective something occurred to me. In my own world view, which has been heavily influenced by the energy work and chakras I work with, there is a definite progression from low to high. If for me this was inverted, then all the material needs would rise to the top of the hierarchy and spiritual thoughts to the bottom. All the buried material regarding finances would actually be suspended over my head and it would take on a totally different timbre for me.
   For me to imagine the material world as a sacred space in the same way I have envisioned the spiritual is a total reversal. This actually feeds into a few items I have been considering involving a greater participation in the world. My practice has always been top heavy in incorporating the spiritual over the material.
   Most recently I have been only able to work through several issues which have had a very dense physical component. Taking part in soccer, going to the gym and having Zoe help massage out deep tensions have led to lots of releasing.  The idea of adding a physical component to my services has floated in and out over the years, but I have always rejected it almost out of hand as being to physical and not spiritual enough to fit within my repertoire. Recently though, especially with the 3 of Pentacles suggesting adding a new skill set to my work and then this card turning my views upside down has led to some serious consideration.
     The other part of this card has to do with being suspended, which is also a feeling I have been having recently. The old way of living is ending and a new way is beginning, but I am still in the process of transforming, which often tends to happen at its own pace.
     The card can seem like a punishment to those unwilling to surrender to it voluntarily, for whom control is an absolute necessity. It is always good to remember when you get this card, or its energy comes into your life, to surrender, turn your perspective upside down and let the universe do what it needs to...you can just hang out in the meanwhile.