The Hanged Man

Key Words for the Hanged Man Tarot Card Meanings

• Yield
• Suspend
• Surrender
• Sacrifice
• Non-Action
• Submission
• In-Between
• Introduction to the Hanged Man Tarot Card Meanings:

  Just the term "Hanged Man" can be offsetting, and has a tendency to put us ill at ease. However, take a moment to look at our hanged fellow - he shows no sign of struggle on his face. In fact, the whole scene of the card is rather serene with hues of blue covering the card. The Hanged Man's expression is one of complete calmand assurance - not what one would expect at the gallows.

  This is precisely the point. There is no expectation with this card. All expectations, along with all actions have been suspended. The Hanged Man is in a state ofpurposeful, complete surrender, yielding his mind and body to the Universal flow.

  When we pull the Hanged Man card it is an indication that we may be "hung up" in our own distracting thoughts, we're complicating things, or we need to step away from something. This card delivers a message that now is the time to ease off from "doing" and simply be for awhile. When we withhold action for awhile, and just take in the events as they happen we allow things to flow more simply. If, on the other hand, we struggle, fight, and insist on control - we are met with restriction and road-blocks every step of the way.

  You might've noticed that keyword up there: "sacrifice." This strikes some fear into many hearts, but there is no reason for fear. The sacrifice the Hanged Man asks us to make is in the form of giving up things in our lives that do not serve us. By suspending ourselves (thoughts, actions, emotions) we can gain perspective in order to identify the habits we cling to that hinder our progress. Sometimes in a reading the Hanged Man can be a message that we should set aside our own needs for the needs of others around us too.