The Hanged Man is the Spirit of the Mighty Waters and is ruled by the Element of Water. It represents letting go, new perspectives and breaking through old patterns.
When The Hanged Man appears in a reading, he signifies the time has come to finally release old petrified ideas and beliefs that no longer serve you.
A sacrifice is required, and it must be a willing sacrifice. The Hanged Man does not suffer for his sacrifice, he willingly hangs by his foot in order to reach a higher understanding and a better life. He mirrors the old god Odin who also sacrificed himself on the Tree of Knowledge for nine days and nights in order to earn a greater understanding and consciousness.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that this card portends suffering and doom - quite the opposite. The secret of this card is the willingness to embrace surrender. It is through the ability to give up old attitudes and frozen thought patterns that one is rewarded by transformation of experience.
Where you have been previously struggling with making progress, bound to suffer by fact of the resistances you indulge in when you know really what must be done to break out of a deadlock - once you act on the realisation that only by your sacrificing old habits that no longer serve you except to give you the illusion of comfort and safety - then will you really be free.
Often the thing that you must give up - a job, a relationship, a habit or addiction or belief - represents somewhere in your life where you feel trapped, and unable to make a change. This is where you need to look.
This card can appear when life seems to be in a period of suspended animation - on the surface nothing is going on and there is a feeling of boredom or ennui. In such cases, the dream life is often extremely active and this is telling you that you are reshuffling and reorganising on a subconscious level and you will soon know what that is about, what will be changing or coming into your life.
It is a good time to shine some light on those areas in your life where you feel helpless or unable to make forward motion.
Image Voyager Tarot @thetarotclub.com
