The Hanged Man Teaches the Importance of New Perspectives: A Look at the Impact of Major Arcana Card Twelve

The Hanged Man is an interesting guide within the Major Arcana. He’s fairly complex and can be interpreted in many ways. I find it particularly intriguing that The Hanged Man’s upright position is upside down, as I think it speaks to some of the interpretations he is commonly associated with. Although the themes that he teaches center on sacrifice, surrender, release and self-exploration, he can also take these things too far.

Sacrifice taken to the extreme is martyrdom. Surrendering wholly to one’s circumstances can lead to missed opportunities. Releasing everything that feels heavy can be a delusional means of avoiding difficult conversations if left unchecked. Endless self-exploration is a fine way to delay taking clear and decisive action.

While The Hanged Man has purposefully suspended himself upside down to change his perspective, get introspective, and create space for new opportunities and knowledge, he must also endure the hardship of this choice and face the consequences.

In reverse, The Hanged Man can be even more extreme. Instead of being bound ankle over head, he is positioned as if he is stubbornly and arrogantly balancing on one leg. He has tied himself to a branch or post, unwilling to change and seemingly unaware of his precarious position.

All these factors play into the way that The Hanged Man delivers his guidance in a tarot reading. He tends to be one of those cards that gives more information in a spread than as a single-card pull. We will explore this in the general energy readings shared below.

Note that general energy readings are not designed to answer specific questions. They address what the universe wants someone to know about their overall situation or energetic presence at the moment.

This post, as with the other card-specific ones on the blog, are written in conjunction with the Cup of Sugar newsletter series. You can sign up to receive the remaining newsletters in the series here. You don’t need to receive the newsletter to enjoy this post, but the newsletter does provide additional context.

Below, I read the cards in each spread as if I am talking directly to you. Enjoy!

Spread 1: Inward Reflection Promotes Outward Growth

This four-card setup tells me that you’ve been doing some serious soul searching. The Empress, The Hanged Man and the Queen of Cups all indicate that you’ve been reflective, introspective, and creating the necessary space and fertile ground for new opportunities to grow.

My instinct is that you’ve been experiencing a lot of disappointment lately, and it seems to be connected to your job, side hustle or a passion project. The reversed Three of Wands tells me that your work is going unrewarded and unnoticed. Right now, you feel as if, despite your best efforts, things simply aren’t going to go your way.

While these challenges could have prompted you to give up or get angry and lash out, you chose to search for the truth. You know that mindset, effort and trusting your intuition about what obstacles stand in your way are all essential components for moving things forward. The cards have more wisdom to share.

The Empress tells me that you’re working to nurture your ideas in a new way. Because the old way wasn’t effective, you feel confident enough that going back to basics and building upward from the foundation will make all the difference. The Empress sees your passion and is here to assist.

The Hanged Man indicates that you need to make some sacrifices. It may feel as if starting again is a waste of time, but you’re smarter now. You’ve learned many lessons. By diving into the issues, you’ve gained clarity about where to go next. The Hanged Man will help you overcome your ego’s story about being a failure. He is here to support you in changing your perspective about what happened. With his help, you can release this burden and move on.

The Queen of Cups commends you for your devotion to this endeavor. She supports your future growth by reminding you to trust your inner voice and feel your way through. You’ve gained wisdom through your experiences. Now is the time to let that knowledge shine through you.

Spread 2: A Cycle is Ending, But There’s Work to be Done

This spread is interesting. The World clearly indicates that you’re completing a cycle that has been an important part of your life for some time. It feels like these cards are referring to a significant relationship or partnership. Whatever it was, this cycle definitely had an impact on your identity and how you define yourself.

As this journey comes to an end, however, you’re beginning to realize that you are whole on your own. You don’t need anyone or anything else to complete you. The Hanged Man tells me that this realization has shifted your worldview (no pun intended). In fact, you may literally feel as if your world has been turned upside down—even if The World does not share this position.

Where things get interesting is with the reversed Four of Swords and Ace of Cups. Traditionally, the Four is about meditation, going within and shutting out any external noise. In reverse, the card tells me that you’re busy and active, perhaps to avoid the pain of feeling like you sacrificed a lot of your life to a person or relationship that wasn’t worthy of your attention. Now, you’re trying to make up for lost time.

This is also unsatisfying. You are beginning to feel disconnected from yourself and others. Your feelings are no longer reciprocated by your previous partner. This is disorienting and has you worrying that your love was lost to someone who seems content to taint what you had.

But remember this: All cycles must come to an end. Some last a lifetime, but others are short. Whenever one ends, another begins, and in this case, your new cycle is all about you. What makes you truly happy? What are you no longer willing to give up? What from the past must be released in order to manifest something new? Mourn your loss, but find a way to move on. There is more work to be done.

Spread 3: Overcoming Disillusionment Leads to Abundance

The Four of Coins is one of those cards where the imagery speaks rather loudly. It’s clear that you’re feeling poor in some way. The coins indicate that this is likely a financial situation, but there’s many types of poverty and instability (emotional, spiritual, mental) that could be impacting you right now.

I get the sense that this has a lot to do with how you feel. Namely, that you’re joyless. You’re stuck out in the cold with little abundance in sight. But the Four of Coins shows me that your wealth is there. It’s within reach. You’re shunning it and turning away, hiding in your ragged tent looking for warmth, but your abundance remains. It hasn’t gone anywhere.

Remember that not having what you want is not the same as not having anything. The Hanged Man indicates that you feel like you’ve missed your chance at greatness. Perhaps some level of indecisiveness prevented you from going after what you want. All is not lost. There’s still time to turn things around.

The upright Three of Cups and reversed Four of Cups tell me that you’re beginning to see the light at the end of your self-imposed tunnel. Good fortune is coming, and it will feel quite healing after so much unhappiness. As you see these new possibilities appear before you, you’ll be ready for action. You’re not about to miss another opportunity that comes your way. A door may have shut but you’re ready and waiting for the next one to open.

Spread 4: Mastery is Profitable; Missed Opportunities are Not

You did it! You mastered your craft. You learned everything you could and put it into action. You’re a well-respected and sought-after professional, and many are in awe of what you’ve been able to achieve through hard work and dedication. The Eight of Coins tells me you’re not only diligent and proud of what you’ve created, but you’re also open to new opportunities to learn and grow.

The Ten of Coins indicates that through your work, you’ve been able to create a legacy. This work has been profitable for you, sure, but it has also made you feel abundant. You’ve been blessed to be able to provide stability for yourself and your loved ones.

And yet, you’re also ready for a change. You’ve been so caught up in what you’ve been building that you feel some opportunities have passed you by. The reversed Hanged Man indicates that this might be all in your head. The grass being greener on the other side is more of a delusion than a realistic commentary on what’s available should you leave your current position.

Remember that you cannot miss the things that are meant for you. The reversed Four of Wands says that your feelings of dissatisfaction are a distraction at best. It’s natural to feel ambivalent about where you are in life when you feel like you may have let your true purpose pass you by. Honor those feelings but avoid the temptation to dwell. You’re exactly where you need to be to make the most of the one life you have.