The Hanged One represents the ability to surrender to change. In the Justice card you have the opportunity to open to your heart's true desire. Now with the Hanged One you are invited to surrender over to that vision completely, trusting in spirit. The image on the card is a being suspended upside-down. The Hanged One represents a reversal of how you normally operate in the world, creating a radical shift in perceptions. With this card we learn that in fact we are the only one who stands in the way of change. Even though we may have a heart's vision in alignment with our spiritual center, it is our own ego and addiction to old patterns that is preventing that vision from blossoming. With the Hanged One, we hand the power for change back over to spirit. What happens when we do that may not be what we expect. Oftentimes we are offered a completely new way of seeing the same situation. If we are closed we may argue for our habitual way of seeing things, out of the need to be right. But if we are open and trusting, anything is possible.
In Vedic astrology, the Hanged One is linked to the shadow planet known as Ketu. Ketu is the South Node of the Moon, one of two invisible points in space of potential eclipses. In ancient times, the nodes were seen as two halves of a serpent that could devour the luminaries, which represent our conscious awareness. The nodes are mysterious planets that connect us with cosmic forces, and so they are agents of karma. Specifically, Rahu the North Node creates karma and Ketu completes karma. Remember that Rahu corresponds with the Fool card. The Fool is ready and willing to step off the cliff of karma and into a new incarnation of fate. Everything the Fool sets in motion, the Hanged One must complete by fully surrendering over to it and letting it go.
In Toltec shamanism, the Hanged One is an aspect of the nagual. In the Toltec cosmology, everything is either the tonal or the nagual. The tonal is everything that can be experienced, all of the sensate objects in your dream, as well as all your thoughts and feelings. The nagual is the realm of the unknown and unknowable. The nagual is in fact much vaster than the tonal. Toltec practices aim at opening one up to the energy of the nagual to allow for a more fluid perception.
With this card, we are nearing the end of the mastery of transformation. Now we begin to realize that the mastery of transformation is the realization that everything is pure energy, and energy is always changing. We do not need to force change to happen in our lives, in fact we cannot prevent it. All that is required of us is connecting with our deeper intent and then surrendering over to the greater will. The last two cards, Fortune and Justice have helped us to connect with our center and from that place of center express what it is we truly wish for in life. In some ways, the Justice card is all about the attitude adjustment necessary for surrendering over to change. It is the weighing of the heart in the underworld in preparation for the soul's journey into death. With the Hanged One, we sacrifice our little heart and open to the greater heart of the universe.
Find the Hanged One in the Tarot deck of your choice and place it on your altar or somewhere you will see it often. Invite the Hanged One energy into your life. Notice where in your life you could surrender over to the change you want to happen.
Next: Death
(c) 2004 by David Ray
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