The Hanged Man Tarot Card Meanings

The Hanged Man Upright Meaning

The Hanged Man usually indicates a lack of ability to help oneself through independent action. The energy is arrested and awaiting judgment. With this card, there is no avenue for the will to regain control until the situation has passed.

This represents a good time to be philosophical, to study and meditate upon the position you find yourself in, and to form resolutions for the moment you become free again. Only those who possess wisdom, patience, and optimism will be able to see through limitations, including possible humiliation, to grasp the inspiring lesson one can gain from such an experience.

The Hanged Man Reversed Meaning

The Hanged Man reversed suggests that the seemingly noble deed of offering yourself as the sacrificial lamb is, at least for the time being, a useless gesture. There will be no benefit to the greater good; you will experience no expansion of consciousness.

It would be an empty move, so don't put yourself in that position. Ask yourself on what basis you allowed yourself to hope that your sacrifice would make a difference in this situation. Who knows? Perhaps this is meant to be an opportunity to learn something about self-denying tendencies.

The Hanged Man Advice Position

The Hanged Man advises you to surrender illusions of control. Accept that you have been overcome and deceived by your own devices. Having made your bed, you now need to lie in it. This is not a negative judgment. It's just that sometimes there are consequences for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bad things can happen to good people. These consequences are not fatal, even if they are inconvenient -- or perhaps even embarrassing.

Stop resisting your circumstances and let some time go by. Eventually, you will be released a little wiser and not much the worse for wear. You will come to realize in time how you collaborated with the problem. However, the issues you were stuck on when you were first hung up have subsided and no longer concern you. You are free to take up new endeavors. You will ultimately feel refreshed and grateful that you were derailed from your former track.

The Hanged Man Love Position

The Hanged Man represents the taking of a loss. He's the sacrificial lamb, whether it's accepted with grace or only because it's been forced upon him. In either case, his ordeal serves to clear the air of general tension, denial and game playing. The Hanged Man's predicament brings issues to a head, making it possible to clear the slate and allow everyone to start over.

Whether it's purely symbolic or has to do with real events between you and a potential partner, it clears the collective conscience and helps to break old patterns. It's a good thing that you are the one playing this vulnerable role, and not someone else who might be broken by the experience. You are resilient and regenerative, someone who can view this experience as educational and not be totally victimized by it. This is the enlightened attitude. Your sacrifice will make a difference in the larger flow of events, even if it's not fair and you don't deserve it.

The Hanged Man Career Position

The Hanged Man in this position indicates that a scapegoat may be needed. The situation will feel tense, difficult and blocked until someone steps forward and holds him or herself accountable. This process doesn't require truth or justice. Rather, it is the result of the collective projection of guilt. Some situations are wired to such a degree that heads must roll. Those who work in this kind of atmosphere know the odds and must learn to undergo their fate like a warrior with composure and dignity. Show compassion for this person.

If it is not you, then the one who was accused is your proxy. Do not get too comfortable because one day your turn may come. Remember that there is no moral stain on those who find themselves in this position. There is one, however, on those who judge themselves to be superior and think they are immune to this fate! The ordeal will have been worth it if it brings the participants, including you, to a new point of view and release from the past.

The Hanged Man in a Yes or No Card Reading

The Hanged Man is a card of seeing matters in a whole new way. If you're looking for simple Yes or No guidance and receive The Hanged Man, the answer is NO. Sit still and observe.