Personally I'm still convinced that a literal interpretation of the "sacrifice" is one big red herring, complete with flashing lights and alarm bells. Seriously.
The previous verse, AL III:12, where the sacrifice is mentioned was attributed to the letter Lamed and Atu VIII Adjustment. Both the letter and the card symbolise the Woman Justified by the Sword/Phallus. The Woman symbolises both the Holy of Holies and the world of Briah/Cups. She is the Empress who seeks Seventy to her Four. The Seventy that she seeks is the Middle Pillar. Look at the Tree of Life and note how the path of Daleth intersected by the Middle Pillar creates a Cross.
The phallic Sword that Justifies her is the perfected Ruach that is ready to sacrifice itself to "rend the veil" and open up to Briatic consciousness. This is the Knowledge & Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.
In the biblical narrative this is represented by Jesus as the Ruach-Child, sacrficed on the Cross so that he may enter the Tomb/Womb/Cup/Holy of Holies. At the moment of his death the Veil to the Holy of Holies was torn in two.
Matthew 27:50-51
50. And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. [Ruach]
51. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.
In the ancient Jewish tradition, once a year on the day of Yom Kippur, the High Priest would pass through the same Veil into the Holy of Holies to sacrifice cattle, little and big, before the Mercy Seat. Once again this is K&C symbolism that we've seen before in earlier threads.
Turning to the present verse we have Atu XII The Hanged Man. Does he look like a King of Kings? A perfected Ruach that is worthy to open up to Briah? Does he look like the Kohen Gadol who enters the Holy of Holies? I don't think so. But if he were to open his Mouth (Atu XVI The Tower) then the earth would shake and the rocks split.
