The Hanged Man--Visionary or Deluded?

Thirteen said:

One of the original names of the card was "The Traitor" and his position is how traitors were hung in Italy. Upside down by one foot.

Let's start there. The idea here is that the "Traitor" sees things very differently from the status quo. And the status quo (those in charge at least) hang him up so he won't influence others and change the way things are. Remember that the card indicates "sacrifice" as well as a new perspective. One person's "traitor" is another's "rebel leader" and rebels need to be willing to "sacrifice" themselves in order to turn things upside down. Shake up the status quo.

In fact, during the American Revolution, the British forces sung a song about the "world being turned upside down" meaning that the rebels (as they saw the American colonists) were trying to turn things topsy turvy by putting common folk in charge rather than obeying a king. That, to them, was all horribly wrong. But, obviously, to certain Americans, it was not. And every American leader risked being hung (literally executed) when they signed their named to the Declaration of Indepenence, if they were captured by the British. To the British, they were all traitors to the Crown.

SO. The card may not *literally* have to do with being a traitor or rebel or getting hung up for it. But metaphorically, it's very aptly connected to those old roots of how "traitors" were hung up (willing to be hung up, to sacrifice themselves to get across their opposing views). Note that the Hanged Man is always pictured as "serene" and never in distress. Those in charge are trying to dissuade others from seeing things his way...i.e. "Upside down." But they'd just advertised his position by hanging him up this way. They are making his point.

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Thirteen said:

Don't give up on the bat! Bats, like, well, a traitor: very misunderstood. They are "upside-down," coming out at night rather than during the day, resting upside down rather than right side up (like other winged creatures). This makes them "unconventional" and "rebels" right? It also connects them to the Moon and all the watery emotional stuff that goes with the Moon even though they are creatures of the air (flying) and earth (living in caves).

Some Shamans see the Bat as flying between worlds—which is what the Hanged Man essentially is doing while upside down. Remember that the Hanged Man is not supposed to remain in that position. He goes into it for spiritual reasons and gains insight while in it. This is why the card often indicates a pause or waiting period, a "rest" even. The Hanged Man is not being passive, he's actively absorbing what he's seeing and understanding. But he is "between worlds" at that moment. Meaning "inactive" in ours. However, that pause isn't going to last forever. He's going to come out of it, right himself, and use what he's learned. (That's the whole point, right? To bring that info back to the world.) In fact, there is an element to the Hanged Man that going upside-down is like becoming a babe in the womb again so that he can be "reborn" anew.

Thus, as the Hanged Man "flies" between worlds while upside down, the Bat "literally" does so as well, through the night (and in magical terms, to the spirit world). And because the Bats hang upside down when at rest, they were seen as symbols of rebirth (again, in some cultures), akin to a babe in the womb (Bat in a cave). Just like the Hanged Man.

But wait! There's more: Bats actually aren't blind; they've great vision in the light, and when it gets dark, they've echolocation. Meaning you can't fool a Bat even when you turn off the lights. That's very Hanged Man. He is someone who was fooled while upright...but now can see what everyone is missing. He is no longer fooled. Not only can the Bat "see" what others do not (as the Hanged Man does) but he also hears what others do not.

So, agreed, there isn't nearly as much literal sacrifice in image of the Bat as compared to the man actually hanging upside down...but the Bat is certainly the Hanged Man's "spirit animal."

For more on this, check out the Wild Unknown Study group's Hanged Man discussion here: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=204491

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headincloud said:

Whether he hung himself or someone hung him doesn't seem to have much bearing on the card because the outcome is the same - willing sacrifice. I've found it to illustrate the point at which we see the bigger picture and retire a selfish need for the sake of others and to further spiritual development, selfishness versus selflessness in a nutshell.

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