The Hanged Man Reversed

The Hanged Man upright is about new perspectives, sacrifices, vulnerability and selflessness. It is about a time of suspension that, when over, brings with it new insights. Reversed....

1) Opposite: as the Hanged Man card usually involves sacrifice and insight, the inverse would be a refusal to surrender what needs to be surrendered, or a refusal to see things from a new perspective. In this regard, the reversed card is the assertion of the ego; stubbornness or selfishness. The querent is clinging to whom and what they are - all that they have - refusing to give it up even though the exchange could transform them and help others.

2) Blocked: The energy of the Hanged Man is about gaining a new perspective while in suspension. Blocked, however, would suggest that the querent cannot escape the suspension or the separation. They are stuck feeling apart from the world, unable to bring what they're learning and seeing from this perspective back into the world with them.

3) Upside-down: Ironically, the Hanged Man upside-down is right-side-up. He's standing rather than suspended. There is no sacrifice, no new insight. This suggests that whatever the querent is hoping to see, achieve, or do, or perhaps needs to do, they cannot do. If we follow the mantra of "no pain, no gain" then the querent is not willing to suffer the pain--or not able to suffer the pain...and so there is no gain.

Onto the next reversed Tarot card, Death...

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