In this chapter of the tarot course we will see The Hanged Man, or hanged man, and its meanings. The hidden details for its interpretation in the tarot, its correspondence with numerology, the elements and kabbalistics.
What does The Hanged Man mean in the Tarot? What does the card of The Hanged Man mean in love, work, money or health? What is its spiritual meaning and what does it reveal to us? What does the card of The Hanged Man upside down or inverted mean?
The Hanged Man in the Tarot
The Hanged Man is a suspended man who carries the number 12 in the deck. The Hanged Man is a man who is suspended from a tree, upside down. He is called the hanged man but this is not accurate, as the hanging is on his foot and not on his neck.
The Hanged Man being suspended does not set up an execution, something terrible or deadly, it is just being suspended observing, and its meaning varies greatly if the card comes out in one position or another.
Correspondences of the card
- Kabbalistics associates this card with the planet Neptune, with the letter Lameth and the number 30.
- Esoterically it is associated with the sign of Libra, the element Air and the season of winter.
- In numerology it represents the number 12 or 3 (12 =, a 1, + 2 ,= 3).
12 is the highest octave of 3, representing careful planning and orderly growth leading to spiritual development. 1 (beginning) + 2 (the power of reasoning) = 3 (the product of regeneration).
Graphic description of the card
- The card shows a man suspended, upside down, hanging upside down from the tree of the living world, rooted in the earthly world and supported by the heavens. Given the serene expression on his face, it is believed that he is hanging on the tree of his own free will.
- His right foot is bound to the tree, but his left foot is free, bent behind the knee and hidden behind his right leg.
- His arms are bent, with his hands clasped behind his back, forming an inverted triangle.
- The man wears red pants representing human passion and the physical body, a blue coat for knowledge, and yellow shoes representing his high ideals.
- Around the head of the hanging man, there is a bright yellow halo showing spiritual achievement, with a gray background of invisibility suggesting a reminder not to flaunt his spirituality.
- The reading of this letter is the final surrender, for having been suspended in time and of the martyrdom and sacrifice the man makes for the common good.
- This is an archetype of meditating voluntarily lending oneself to break old patterns of behavior and bad habits that have restricted him until now.
What does The Hanged Man mean in the Tarot?
The Hanged Man in an upright position, General Meaning: This card represents Being in suspense, it is the suspension or postponement of plans and goals, restraint, letting go, sacrificing for something or others.
It can symbolize altruism, selflessness, a certain disinterest in worldly things. It is the passivity and the moment to leave things still, in a parenthesis.
The Hanged Man is a card especially related to sacrifice, where you may be sacrificing yourself for the common good, letting go of something to achieve a greater good, or perhaps in an excessive sacrifice that borders on martyrdom.
Ask yourself if the sacrifice and the attitude you have taken is worth it or if you are not realizing that you are immolating yourself for something that will not make sense.
Although its image seems to convey something negative, it does not have to do with any hanging, on the contrary, this card if it comes out expecting a final result is very good, it tells us that there will be success, especially if what is being sought is related to an intellectual or emotional issue.
The man is hanging by his own decision and will, this is evident in the serenity that his face transmits. He is not forced to be this way but does it in order to have a new point of view.
To represent a person, The Hanged Man will say that she is now without free will, without the power of decision, nothing she can do now to move or modify things since it does not depend on her.
However, the character of sacrifice and common good that the Hanged Man possesses, indicates faithful friendships, willing to give help and advice.
If we try to describe a particular situation, the card of The Hanged Man tells us that it is at a standstill, in a deadlock, on standby, nothing can be done but to be a motionless witness of what is happening.
Circumstances dominate us and our hands are too tied to act. It is time to wait.
What does the Hanged Man Card mean in love?
In love, it indicates that the relationship is on a dead end, everything is still in a deep impasse. It may be an ambiguous relationship with back and forth where one or both of you don’t quite know where you stand or if the relationship is sailing towards a particular port.
It may indicate to you that it may be time to “let go” of things, because no matter how hard you have tried to look at things from every possible plane, it doesn’t seem to be working. Perhaps one of you is too idealistic and is never satisfied with what you have and get.
It also means that one or both of you make inordinate sacrifices to fit in, giving up your own will to be and choose. A little sacrifice and giving things up is necessary in every relationship, but self-denial and martyrdom, giving up yourself, leads to no good.
What does The Hanged Man Card mean at work?
As for work, The Hanged Man also indicates that you should raise your self-esteem and self-worth. The sacrifices you make for your work, for the company, may not be paying off as you wish.
It is a time of stagnation where you should consider that maybe you should change jobs, since you are in a dead end and it is not up to you to change or reverse it.
If you are willing to be patient and let things work themselves out, then continue with what you are doing, beyond apathy, lack of enthusiasm and poor communication with co-workers, partners, bosses or dependent employees.
The situation will change, but it doesn’t depend on your actions and you don’t know when it will. If there is another good opportunity, you could change course, but remember that the main sense is to do nothing at the moment.
What does the Card of The Hanged Man mean in money and finances?
It is a priority to save now, there may be expenses that were not in the plans or a manifest waste that will take things out of balance. Do not make superfluous expenses.
But this card also has another meaning, which is giving and sharing, sacrificing in some way for another or others. If you are in a time of fat cows, share, give, give gifts, toast.
And even if you are not having a good time, share what you have, even if it’s just a piece of bread. Giving leads to receiving, what you give comes back multiplied. That’s a very important lesson from The Hanged Man.
What does the Hanging Card mean in health?
There is a situation of neglect for you and your health, laziness, you do not take care of yourself, it could even indicate a major depression, based mainly on your lack of self-esteem and the little value you give yourself.
If you are looking for improvement, it will come, but very slowly. Follow the indications and do not innovate too much.
What does El colgado mean spiritually?
It is crucial now to let go of any negative beliefs, any self-limitation. Remember the idea of “self-fulfilling prophecy” what you decree, happens, is written as in stone, so be very careful what you allow yourself to say or think about your life.
Make sure that the “prophecies” you are making about your life bear some resemblance to the life you really want to see and have.
What does The Hanged Man card upside down or reversed mean?
The Hanged Man upside down, General Meaning: In Reversed Position represents an attitude of martyrdom, indecision, self-immolation, procrastination.
When The Hanged Man appears, it is possible that a traveling attitude or posture may have to be dropped, and in more serious situations, a friendship, relationship or contact may have to be left behind. This is not only for the personal good but for the common good.
You probably feel now that all your efforts and sacrifices have led to nothing, that they have not been worthwhile. This is so on the surface, but the results will be worth the effort in the long run.
This time that you now see as dead is just a dormant seed period that will inevitably bloom later.You may be tempted to let it all work itself out without taking responsibility or action on your part, but this is not advisable.
Even if you do not see immediate results, you must act and bring about change. This is a moment that you will overcome, and all these feelings and emotions that you have now, in which you feel helpless, without capacity or ability, will be left aside when things improve, and they will, for sure.
On a more negative note, if you are sacrificing yourself for something or someone, this card asks you to consider if this sacrifice is genuine and selfless, if you don’t want to show off or make yourself look somehow with your martyrdom. Think it through.
As a final outcome about something, it tells us to change your approach and certain attitudes, as this will bring about a successful ending.
What does the card of The Hanged Man reversed in love mean?
In love, it indicates that there may be one or more very intense relationships, of those that mark, but of short duration. Live them, if it is the case, without expectations, just enjoying the moment, the present, which will be very rich in experiences and emotions and everything adds up to the end of the road of our emotional well-being.
The Hanged Man is a card that shows a crossroads, you have to make a decision and be firm in it. It may indicate that it is a good time to let go of unhealthy relationships or affections that have hurt us for a long time.
Also, in a more metaphorical sense, it may symbolize that what you should really let go of is a certain vision, a certain idealism, stop dreaming of the perfect man, Prince Charming, and value what your partner has, accepting him as he is, just as he surely accepts you.
If you cling too much to an ideal, you may spend your life from disappointment to disappointment, be flexible.
What does the card of The Hanged Man reversed at work mean?
As far as work is concerned, The Hanged Man warns us that there may be, in the worst case scenario, a layoff. Although it may be you yourself who is rethinking things, you decide that you must take a turn at the helm and go off to try new directions.
You are certainly not happy with your job or your activity now, and you need to rethink things in order to make a change.
You may have a tendency to blame everything and everyone, including yourself, the economy, your boss, colleagues and partners, the state of things … try to reason and analyze coldly where the blames come from.
Sometimes there is no one to blame, things are just the way they are for no obvious reason. You must know that this is not definitive, but temporary, it will change because everything in life does. Neither good nor bad things last forever, and you know it.
What does the card of The Hanged Man mean when invested in money and finances?
The Hanged Man is a rather negative card, as it can herald significant losses of money and in the worst case, ruin.
It will depend on the other binding cards in the spread, by the way, but it warns you to have a tight control over your expenses, the investments you make, beware of scams and deceptions.
As in the right position, this card when inverted does not lose the sense of opening the flow, of sharing and giving. No matter how dark the situation is, you must give and toast, share.
This is the mechanism that regenerates things. Give without expecting anything in return, the law of cause and effect will compensate you. This is the most positive part of The Hanged Man reading in terms of finances that this card has, quite negative, by the way.
What does the card of The Hanged Man reversed mean in health?
You should be very attentive to accidents of all kinds, from a simple domestic accident to more complicated things. It is a time when you do not care about your health or your physical integrity, so be careful, move with caution.
The Hanging that warns of some kind of health problem, minor or major, but very possible. Have a check-up, control your weight, stop habits and vices.
What does the card of The Hanged Man upside down mean spiritually?
When this card appears upside down in relation to spirituality, old messages that you received as a child, may come back to haunt you. Things that have been engraved in your unconscious, manifest themselves to light now, causing profound changes and movements.
It is also time to analyze if the old beliefs you hold and take for granted, resist analysis and the light of day. Perhaps what you fixed as true in your childhood is no longer true today, in the light of lived experiences. If so, change, update, adjust to what you need now.
