The Hanged Man & 8 Swords

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 25 Nov 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

ros	25 Nov 2004
Confusion!!! (RWS) The Hanged Man & 8 Swords together "inner work with patience" I feel the The Hanged Man has made a sacrifice to achieve knowledge. He now is at a crossroad. Then how can he move if the 8 of Swords is beside him? Does this mean that there is no movement at this time. There is more inner work to be done? There seems new vision and then no vision together. Thoughts stopping new awareness or able to move ahead slowly because of new awareness of sacrifices made? Any ideas appreciated, just a general question.

Emily	25 Nov 2004
The 8 Swords could mean there is a reluctance to move on - In the Rider Waite the swords don't fully surround the woman and she could easily shrug off the ropes and blindfold if she wanted - so she has a choice stay there or to move. I never realised before but its a similar meaning to The Hanged Man - he's there through choice, he could also end his suspension if he wanted. Not really helped you but you've got me thinking - I'll post again if something else hits me about these cards. :)

krazymayj	25 Nov 2004
the problem is there because of mistrust. if there is no reason to mistrust then it is your own/the querents own fears that are holding him back. if youll pardon the slang, either crap or get off the pot.

Fudugazi	25 Nov 2004
Maybe it's not yet time to move on. Maybe there is more inner work to do where you are. The 8 swords is often interpreted as a card of blockage - refusal to leave a situation, letting oneself be blindfolded when one could be free - but what if, in this combination, it meant trying to leave a situation that is not yet ripe to be left, because you cannot yet see what the Hanged Man alone can show you? The Hanged Man wants you right there. You can strain against it (8 swords) or accept it (Hanged Man). The Tarot will show you when it is time to move on.

RedMaple	25 Nov 2004
The Hanged Man also can mean sacrifice. I've seen it come up for caretakers, who even though they are choosing to take care of someone, can sometimes feel trapped.

cheekyminx	25 Nov 2004
General readings are kind of difficult sometimes, as I don't know what you've asked maybe the hanged man and 8 swords means you're not ready to make a self sacrifice, because if you do it will only bring you restriction and a feeling of imprisonment but then again, maybe you do need to make a sacrifice of some sort to stop this feeling of imprisonment and restriction?

biddy9	27 Nov 2004
One of the "bad" aspects of the Hanged Man is that too much introspection can lead to avoidance, withdrawal and disconnect from others (often seen when this card is reversed). So, I'm thinking when you have the Eight of Swords with the Hanged Man, you are looking at a situation where continual introspection may actually be leading to damaging consequences, such as taking you down the wrong path in terms of your thoughts and contemplations. While the Hanged Man can be useful in some cases, in this case it may not be useful to be so introspective as it is binding you to a very narrow focus. The best thing to do is to perhaps focus more on the external for some time or get the opinions of others to help see things in a more balanced light.

Umbrae	27 Nov 2004
Could also be that the hanged man is so hung up in his sacrifice that he’s unable to move on. (Martyr complex?)

WalesWoman	27 Nov 2004
I like what everyone so far has said, especially Biddy 9's interpretation of too much introspection actually causing a lack of movement, becoming trapped in your thoughts and paralyzed by fear to release yourself. Another thought I had was the upsidedown aspect of the Hanged Man, seeing the world from a different viewpoint, or perhaps needing to, and with the 8 Swords following not sure or not wanting to see what the Hanged Man's viewpoint is.

The The Hanged Man & 8 Swords thread was originally posted on 25 Nov 2004 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.