Anthony Teth

The Hanged Man is a card of tribulations. In readings, it tends to represent situations of discomfort, awkwardness, deprivation, severe discipline, extreme stress, general pain, and occasional terror. It also represents one’s ability to transcend all of these troublesome obstacles with generous helpings of grace, brilliance, and self-reflection. However, like in many parts of life, the proverbial gain can only happen post-pain. Side-stepping the trials in question (sometimes well-known and purposefully evaded) nullifies their eventual benefits as well.

Qabalistically speaking, the Hanged Man represents the path of Mem or Water, stretching between the sphere of might and severity (Geburah) and the sphere of intellectual splendor (Hod). Thus, it is sometimes viewed as the path which transmutes the harsh, offbeat and staccato energy of Martial Geburah into the cerebral alacrity of Mercurial Hod.

Water is important in this transition for various reasons, and not merely because its most common glyph in the Western mystical traditions happens to be an inverted Fire triangle. Water’s ability to move and flow, as well as its ability to conform to any sealed container certainly springs to mind. Also emblazoned is the idea that one can only truly ‘dive into’ the unknown. Pawing around its edges gets us nowhere.

Going deeper, water signifies our core emotions, the mirrors of self-reflection, and the vast expanse of consciousness within us all. Embracing these regularly passive parts of ourselves when faced with some of our most difficult life challenges allows us to tap into the limitless wellsprings of inner power usually lost to us, giving us an unseen edge no matter how dire the circumstances.