THE HANGED MAN

The Hanged Man is the twelfth key to the Major Arcana in Tarot.  The Element of the Hanged Man is Water and the Planet associated with the Hanged Man is Neptune.

Qualities of the Hanged Man are Suspension, Sacrifice, and Meditation.  Alternate names for the Hanged Man are The Traitor, The Thief, Tau Cross, and Judas.  Symbols are The Tree, The Halo, The Triangle and The Cross. 

In German the Hanged Man is called Der Erhangte, Der Aufgehangte, and Die Prufung.  In French, Le Pendu.  And in Italian, L'Appeso, Il Traditore, and L'Impiccato.

SYMBOLOGY

A man hangs upside down, his right foot tied to a tree branch serving as the crossbeam of a gallows, constructed of a living tree.  In many decks, his hands are hidden behind his back, or they are clutching two bags of coins.  His left knee is free and bent, his body forming the shapes of both a triangle and a cross.  Around his head is a glowing nimbus or halo.  His blue shirt, in some decks, is emblazoned with crescents, representing calmness.  His red pants signify the passions of the body.  His yellow hair, yellow shoes, and halo, all depict the intellect.  The Hanged One's expression, surprisingly, is most often shown as serene and meditative.  He is not suffering or in pain.  His peaceful composure is a clear sign that his predicament is of his own volition.

ATTRIBUTES

The Hanged One has chosen his current state of his own free will.  He has not been forced; he has deliberately suspended himself in order to discover a new perspective and new way of seeing both the world and himself.  The Hanged One can also indicate total surrender or self-sacrifice for the greater good.  He asks us for readjustment and re-centering.  He advocates for stillness, for a shift in one's vision, in order to gain new understanding.  He simultaneously signifies change, tradition, and also a deep uncertainty.  He asks for meditative consideration, thought before action.  He is suspense, the pause, the brief respite before and after seismic shift.  He is the moment between the transitory void and a decision, the gap between choice and manifestation.