Changing Perspectives - Hanged Man Medicine
For today’s collective reading we have the Chariot, shadowed by the Hanged Man
The Chariot has shown up a lot recently, I think it’s a sign of the times that we are forging the way to new ways of living our lives. Chariot represents control and will power: control of our emotions and our actions, and the will power to pursue our goals. He also demonstrates victory and ego. Number seven of the Major arcana is at the end of the first sepentaries; he is about to embark on the lessons of the unconscious and the superconscious after mastering his maturity and lessons of society. He is the developed ego, and feels accomplished and confident in his life and achievements. He appears for people who are successfully controlling a situation through the force of his or her own personality.
But he has much to learn.
On this card; the Chariot of the Wild Unknown Tarot, he is depicted as a horse. Horses are noble creatures and have been symbols of power for centuries. But what’s also interesting is that horses were also associated once with funerals and death, especially in India. They were used to pull the funeral pyre of great leaders, and also sacrificed in place of kings, or killed and buried with their owners. These symbols of control and power were kept close and honoured even in death.
This perspective is especially interesting when paired with the Hanged Man.
The first thing most people notice about the hanged man is that he is upside down. Followed by his sombre name. He comes directly before the Death card in the Tarot, and is often thought of as a ‘scary’ card.
The Hanged Man is a highly spiritual card, and among his many meanings he is a self-sacrificing martyr. He is refusing to follow a path set out by religion or society and as a result he is persecuted. The very act of hanging upside down is something that was thought to bring one closer to spiritual awakening. By placing your head and crown chakra closest to the ground we can better connect to the earth and serves as symbol of reversal of attitude and experience that come from spiritual awakening. Spiritual awakening requires some degree of withdrawing from society, seeing peace where others see frenzy, embracing that which you do not understand. Accepting one’s fate, even if it means being a martyr. This also means going against your parents or your peers in some way and embracing yourself, even if it means going against what society expects of you. The Hanged man is about embracing our identity, listening to our subconscious mind in order to be lead to the super-conscious, or spiritual enlightenment. This card also indicates a need to change perspectives, to see the world through a different lens.
Often times we become conditioned by our environment and peers, as represented here in the Chariot, and we lose track of our true self. If the Chariot represents ego and society, then the Hanged Man represents letting go of ego and seeing the world around us in a different light. Maybe even not wanting to be apart of the world around us, and rejecting its demands upon us.
If we are in control of our will and our outer world, then what about our inner world? Do the two co-exist or do they clash? Is your ego supported by both your position in society and your view of yourself?
The Hanged man carries medicine around changing perspective upon what it is to be really established and successful in society. It challenges the Chariot ego and asks to be sacrificed rather than continue on a purely rational and ego-centred existence.
These cards ask you to reassess your ideals of success, acknowledge ego-based decisions, look inward and connect to your subconscious mind. There you will find your true WILL.
Keep Seeking.
X
Sara.