LEARN TO DO YOUR OWN TAROT READINGSThe Hanged Man - Card 12 in The Major Arcana
A man dressed in scarlet tights, yellow shoes and a green tunic hangs upside down from a stylised tree. He is suspended by a rope around his ankle. The other leg is crossed behind the tied leg. His arms are behind his back (possibly tied) and he appears to have a halo.
The symbol of a hanging man possibly has resonance with the Crucifixion in Christianity. The hanging of sacrificial victims from a tree is common in other faiths. The Norse god Odin hanged himself from a tree and the Sumerian god Artis's effigy was hung on a pine tree each year.
The tree is symbolic of the nurturing maternal force. Those who die on the tree are reunited with this life force and can thus be reborn. The Hanged Man is regarded as having sacrificed himself. His sacrifice will allow him rebirth into immortality.
One historical interpretation of the Hanged Man is that he represents a traitor (the card is called "Il Traditone" in a 17th century Italian Tarot pack). This has led to an association with Judas Iscariot. The Rosenwald deck shows the figure holding two money bags (possibly) which could be symbolic of the 30 pieces of silver that Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for.
This card in a reading:
Upright: There are times when taking no action can deliver the required result. If you are caught up in a bad situation it is sometimes better just to do nothing rather than struggle and make the muddle worse.
Reversed: Selfishness, the crowd, the body politic.
Summary: Go with the flow.
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