The Hanged Man
The Hanged Man ~ one of the most mysterious and evocative cards in the Tarot deck. Sometimes, he indicates sacrifice. Often, he hangs like on ominous signpost in the road – strange and new happenstances around the next corner. However, the Hanged Man usually shows up to inform you that you will be seeing and understanding things in an entirely new way.
Ever think you’ve really got a good handle on something and it turns out you don’t? Its sort of like thinking you’re about to complete a video game and then you find out there are ton of hidden levels. You think driving a car is the easiest thing in the world and then you get behind the wheel and find it isn’t. You can’t figure out why that person at work is always under your skin and super annoying. Then it dawns on you – you are in love with them!
The Hangman’s perception has changed – he is literally upside down. Everything looks different when you are inverted. When you walk on the ceiling and fall into the sky your parameters have shifted.
Wonderful teachers provide Hangman moments for you by provoking, inspiring and altering the way you approach your subject matter. Friends, romantic and otherwise, have a tendency to change your perception when you look at life through there eyes. A good book or film has the ability to shift your ideas.
In my daily life, I strive for “Hangmanness”. I want to broaden my views and deepen my understandings. Let’s face it; the world is bigger than we could ever conceive of. There are lessons to be learning, intricacies to be understood, and worlds to unravel.
If you want to strive for “Hangmanness” too, take The Hangman out of the deck and put him somewhere you can see him. The Hangman is a great reminder card. Do a headstand or hang you head upside down off your bed. Notice what looks different. Then repeat, “Like the Hangman, I experience my reality in a completely new way. Like the Hangman, I experience my reality in a completely new way.”
Try this a few times a week and see if anything shifts for you.