The Hanged Man

pause · surrender · a new view · waiting

Card art: Pamela Colman Smith, 1909, for A. E. Waite. Public domain.

Trump 12

In a few words

pause
surrender
a new view
waiting

Hanging still, and seeing the world the other way up. A pause that changes how you see.

Upright

Everything: Hanging still, and seeing the world the other way up. A pause that changes how you see.
Love: Waiting, letting go of control. Sometimes love needs you to stop pulling.
Work: Things on hold. Use the pause to look at the problem from the other side.
Money: Do not act now. A sacrifice or a delay that turns out to be the right call.
Myself: Surrender is not defeat. Let go of the outcome and the knot loosens.

Wisdom, circumspection, discernment, trials, sacrifice, intuition, divination, prophecy.The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), p. 284

Reversed

Everything: Stalling for no gain, or a sacrifice nobody asked for. Come down from the tree.
Love: Stuck in a pattern that does not move. Waiting has become avoiding.
Work: Delay with no new insight. Decide, even imperfectly.
Money: Giving up something for nothing. Check what the sacrifice actually buys.
Myself: Martyrdom as a habit. You have looked long enough; now walk.

Selfishness, the crowd, body politic.The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), p. 284

The card, as Waite described it

The gallows from which he is suspended forms a Tau cross, while the figure—from the position of the legs—forms a fylfot cross. There is a nimbus about the head of the seeming martyr. It should be noted (1) that the tree of sacrifice is living wood, with leaves thereon; (2) that the face expresses deep entrancement, not suffering; (3) that the figure, as a whole, suggests life in suspension, but life and not death. It is a card of profound significance, but all the significance is veiled. One of his editors suggests that Éliphas Lévi did not know the meaning, which is unquestionable—nor did the editor himself. It has been called falsely a card of martyrdom, a card of prudence, a card of the Great Work, a card of duty; but we may exhaust all published interpretations and find only vanity. I will say very simply on my own part that it expresses the relation, in one of its aspects, between the Divine and the Universe. He who can understand that the story of his higher nature is imbedded in this symbolism will receive intimations concerning a great awakening that is possible, and will know that after the sacred Mystery of Death there is a glorious Mystery of Resurrection.The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), p. 113

The plain-word meanings on this page were written for ShreeJyoti and are still under review.

Draw this deck ← Justice Death →Other cards

Upright

Everything

Hanging still, and seeing the world the other way up. A pause that changes how you see.

Love

Waiting, letting go of control. Sometimes love needs you to stop pulling.

Work

Things on hold. Use the pause to look at the problem from the other side.

Money

Do not act now. A sacrifice or a delay that turns out to be the right call.

Myself

Surrender is not defeat. Let go of the outcome and the knot loosens.

Wisdom, circumspection, discernment, trials, sacrifice, intuition, divination, prophecy.The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), p. 284

Reversed

Everything

Stalling for no gain, or a sacrifice nobody asked for. Come down from the tree.

Love

Stuck in a pattern that does not move. Waiting has become avoiding.

Work

Delay with no new insight. Decide, even imperfectly.

Money

Giving up something for nothing. Check what the sacrifice actually buys.

Myself

Martyrdom as a habit. You have looked long enough; now walk.

Selfishness, the crowd, body politic.The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), p. 284

The card, as Waite described it

The gallows from which he is suspended forms a Tau cross, while the figure—from the position of the legs—forms a fylfot cross. There is a nimbus about the head of the seeming martyr. It should be noted (1) that the tree of sacrifice is living wood, with leaves thereon; (2) that the face expresses deep entrancement, not suffering; (3) that the figure, as a whole, suggests life in suspension, but life and not death. It is a card of profound significance, but all the significance is veiled. One of his editors suggests that Éliphas Lévi did not know the meaning, which is unquestionable—nor did the editor himself. It has been called falsely a card of martyrdom, a card of prudence, a card of the Great Work, a card of duty; but we may exhaust all published interpretations and find only vanity. I will say very simply on my own part that it expresses the relation, in one of its aspects, between the Divine and the Universe. He who can understand that the story of his higher nature is imbedded in this symbolism will receive intimations concerning a great awakening that is possible, and will know that after the sacred Mystery of Death there is a glorious Mystery of Resurrection.The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), p. 113

The plain-word meanings on this page were written for ShreeJyoti and are still under review.