Major Arcana XII
The Hanged Man
The Suspended One
The card
The Hanged Man is often compared to the sufferings of Jesus. Here we see the legs of Pieter Fransz De Grebber’s Christ with his feet rooted in the heavens. Suspended at the torso is a bisected portrait of Schiele depicting a conversation, an argument, a debate—and yet a loving embrace and a keeping of their own counsel. Neptune silently illumines the hanging figure as he ponders his fate.
While there is no forward or progressive movement in this moment, you may take joy in being beyond the reach of the world’s chaos for a brief time. Consider this permission to sit in silence and suspend all action. This may feel counterintuitive, but is the correct course of action. Take the time you need to reflect and be honest with yourself about where you’ve been and the direction you’re headed, even if your feet feel bound.
Reflection is often just as important as movement as you will ultimately not get very far if you can’t count on your inner compass and the direction you’re headed.
What might reveal itself if you stopped trying to move?
Jungian lens
The archetype in motion
Voluntary stillness loosens the conscious position and permits another view. Its shadow is paralysis or suffering made into an identity. Integration uses the pause to loosen an exhausted point of view, then recognizes when movement can resume.