The Hanged Man in some decks is Odin, who hung on the world tree for 9 days & received the runes. The tree is Yggdrasil, the living World Tree (notice the living branches), rooted in the underworld & supporting the heavens.
The number 12 is a higher octave of the number 3, careful planning & orderly growth leading to spiritual development. 1 (beginning) + 2 (the reasoning force)= 3 (the product of rebirth).
The ruling planet is Neptune, the planet of self-sacrifice & idealism. He is hanging on the tree of his own will. Notice the serene expression on his face. His legs are bent to form a cross, while his arms form an inverted triangle.This is an alchemical symbol meaning overcoming the personality & transmutating the lower passions into pure spiritual gold.
Red pants represent human passion & the physical body. Blue coat for knowledge. Yellow (gold) shoes to represent his high ideals. The halo showing spiritual attainment, with the grey background suggesting invisibility (a good reminder to not flaunt your spirituality).
This is the archetype to meditate on to help break old patterns of behavior & bad habits that restrict you.
ASSIGNMENT:
Take the Hanged Man out of your deck. (Tell us what deck you are using.) Ask the Hanged Man waht you need to sacrifice, or give up in your life to be the truly happy person you were meant to be.
Now, shuffle the deck in your usual way and draw 3 cards. Look at these cards and read them like a story. Use your inuition to make the story.
From Lynell:
Well, I came up with a story here, but it's kind of an odd tale
Light and Shadow Tarot:
The Hanged Man: a man hangs upside down from a tree, his hair becoming its roots
8 of Cups: a figure begins to climb a mountain path while a balloon floats overhead
8 of Wands: a lattice work of wands with a diamond at the top, a rainbow behind Emperor: A kindly king with outstretched arms and tired, compassionate eyes
The L & S Hanged Man has chosen his own fate. He seeks to find truth by denouncing the world and becoming one with earth's energies. And so he is reborn.
The Story
8 of Cups
The journey was not easy for Saul. He had traversed the desert with little to nourish him or quench his thirst. From well to well he traveled, only to find them dry or bitter. If he could only make it to the mountain - at least in the mountain streams, he could find refreshment. Above him, the sun beat down its rays, while a balloon sailed silently by. Somewhere ahead he would find peace, a place to rest. Would he meet up with the balloonist then? How lucky was he to travel through the air, while he, poor Saul, walked alone with only a cane to balance him.
8 of Wands
The rain had continued for hours, filling the river banks to overflowing. Saul had never imagined such a flood could come so quickly. He had sought the safety of overhanging rocks and had soon forsaken his goal to reach the mountain crest. He remained still while the winds whipped past the opening of his cave. Suddenly, a loud blast echoed through the crags. Saul peered out into the rain. The balloon he had seen earlier had come crashing down into the rocky slope, its basket in shambles. Saul struggled out of the cave and ran through the winds towards the cliff where the balloon lay. As he ran, the winds slowly began to quiet, and arriving upon the scene, a stillness settled upon the slope. A rainbow rose silently above the wreck. And the glint of sun-ray found treasure in the ruins to shine upon: a brilliant diamond crown sat atop the grounded balloon.
Emperor
Saul approached the balloon quietly, his eyes fixed upon the shining reflection in the crown. Whose could it be? He began to search the wreck for signs of life, but there was none. Whoever had been in the balloon was now lost, fallen in the winds. The thought chilled him, and he hugged himself, arms wrapped around his damp clothing. He made his way through the broken wood and finally freed the crown from its latticed entrapment. With shaking hands, he picked it up. Such splendor in such an impoverished place.
He sat down, and with the crown on his lap, he began to imagine what this jeweled adornment once meant. In his mind's eye, he saw a great king, a leader, a wise ruler of a kingdom now gone. He saw his arms outstretched, offering hope to his people in time of war. His kindly, but sad eyes, moved over the crowd of people in front of him. All hopes were pinned on him. Saul sensed the king's sorrow, the poignant knowledge of what must be. But in compassion, he smiled. What would it matter to the people if he promised them release? Let them have solace at least. ... And now this great king's crown sat in the lap of a lowly traveler, someone escaping the demands of community, someone searching for new life. Something surged in Saul.
Whoever had taken possession of this crown, the gift of a long-vanquished king, and sent it across the skies would never know how a wayfarer one day would find it. And how its spirit would shine far greater than its jewels. For Saul found, in his hands, the embodiment of hope and compassion and resolve to reach out to others when no voice but love would ask such a thing. He forgot the mountain peak; he forgot the sojourn. Instead, he felt the stirrings of renewed strength within him. He had finally found his new life ... he raised his eyes to the clearing sky.
Lynell
From Prairie:
Good story. Now, let's treat it like a dream and see if we can interpret it!
Do you feel your life has been a journey through a barren desert? Everywhere you turned for comfort, that comfort has been denied.
You've set your sights on a lofty goal (the mountains) (Hmmmm..... could that be Colorado??), hoping to find comfort there. You feel like you are traversing the terrain alone, with only a cane to help you. Who or what are you using as a crutch?
Saul forsake his goal of reaching the mountain crest. Have you given up on your own personal goals? Do you feel as if the cares of this world are like the howling winds that buffet Saul? Have the physical cares of this world caused you to abandon your spiritual goals? What lofty, unreachable goal does the balloon represent? Are you reaching for that goal, but the cares of this world keep you from reaching it? When the balloon crashed, what does that represent to you? Does it represent your goal crashing down around your head, or does it make the goal more accessible?
The crown is your dream. Your ultimate ideal. In order to attain that crown, you must climb over the obstacles in your path. You have the strength to do this. Saul does reach the crown, only to discover that it carries responsibilities. Are you going to shoulder those responsibilities, or give up and go back to the barren desert?
In your own words, you tell what it would mean to pick up that crown and wear it: "And how its spirit would shine far greater than its jewels. For Saul found, in his hands, the embodiment of hope and compassion and resolve to reach out to others when no voice but love would ask such a thing. He forgot the mountain peak; he forgot the sojourn. Instead, he felt the stirrings of renewed strength within him. He had finally found his new life ... he raised his eyes to the clearing sky."
Saul found the courage to go after his goal and to shoulder the responsibility it entails. Can you do the same?
From Lynell:
PrairieMoon, thanks for "walking" me through this story. It helped me focus my sense about it. I've written a few thoughts to your questions and comments below.
Peace,
~* Lynell *~
Do you feel your life has been a journey through a barren desert? Everywhere you turned for comfort, that comfort has been denied.
***I think I made a conscious decision, not too long ago, that I needed to break away from the roles I felt were imposed on me. I needed time to reconnect with who I really was and what I wanted in life. Actually, this has been a long process; it seems each year I detach more from outer roles - and yet connect more to my inner world. Sometimes that has felt lonely, and I have sought comfort again with others. Gradually, these ties to people are becoming healthier. My individuality has strengthened; I can be involved with people without losing my identity. But sometimes I do feel like I journey alone.***
You've set your sights on a lofty goal (the mountains) (Hmmmm..... could that be Colorado??), hoping to find comfort there.
***That lofty goal, I guess, would be the self-confidence and sovereignty I seek - to live an authentic life within a community. Colorado could embody that, I guess. Do I really have to live in Alaska in order to be an individual? Will family demand so much of me that I fall into old patterns - or can I enjoy being close again to others while retaining my own sense of self?***
You feel like you are traversing the terrain alone, with only a cane to help you. Who or what are you using as a crutch?
***I think the cane or crutch is the body of knowledge I have gained about self-determination and reliance - the things my father has taught me and things I've learned through life. These are the lessons that keep me from falling, that hold me up and make it easier for me to make my journey.***
Saul forsake his goal of reaching the mountain crest. Have you given up on your own personal goals? Do you feel as if the cares of this world are like the howling winds that buffet Saul? Have the physical cares of this world caused you to abandon your spiritual goals?
***The journey cycles; I reach points where, not only do I feel loneliness, but I also feel that I cannot claim integrity without interacting with others. You can be yourself when you're alone more easily than when you are with others. Maybe the winds are really the Universe saying, "You can't go any further until you integrate what you've learned. Ground your ideas. Demonstrate them with others."***
What lofty, unreachable goal does the balloon represent?
***The life of an individual that has the autonomy to live the way he/she wants to without answering to anyone else - a totally false illusion!***
Are you reaching for that goal, but the cares of this world keep you from reaching it? When the balloon crashed, what does that represent to you? Does it represent your goal crashing down around your head, or does it make the goal more accessible?
***More accessible, I believe. If the balloon was an illusion, then its crashing is definitely a grounding - a realizing that the ease of a solitary journey is not reality. There is a danger in existing just in the mental (astral) world. I learn to ground, or I get grounded!***
The crown is your dream. Your ultimate ideal. In order to attain that crown, you must climb over the obstacles in your path. You have the strength to do this.
***And I see an integration here - the mental and the physical come together after a very difficult trial. It's almost a Tower experience. Life was not in the balloon, but the crown (the realization) was. This was the crown of a king who was able to have sovereignty and, at the same time, live in community - and even use that integrity to serve the others. It took a clearing of false goals and ideals (the storm) before this discovery could be made. ***
Saul does reach the crown, only to discover that it carries responsibilities. Are you going to shoulder those responsibilities, or give up and go back to the barren desert?
In your own words, you tell what it would mean to pick up that crown and wear it:
"And how its spirit would shine far greater than its jewels. For Saul found, in his hands, the embodiment of hope and compassion and resolve to reach out to others when no voice but love would ask such a thing. He forgot the mountain peak; he forgot the sojourn. Instead, he felt the stirrings of renewed strength within him. He had finally found his new life ... he raised his eyes to the clearing sky."
Saul found the courage to go after his goal and to shoulder the responsibility it entails. Can you do the same?
***I think I have a greater understanding now and can begin.***
~* Lynell *~
