Thoth Hanged Man an apnea mentor?

When I was in Egypt this past spring I discovered the sport of freediving or apnea. Basically you hold your breath for as long as possible either statically or whilst diving underwater.

I've always been a swimmer, participated in competitions and galas as a kid and have kept on crawling kilometers thoughout adulthood. After training or on holiday at the seaside I would spend hours playing around underwater.

What a joy to rediscover something I loved to do as a child! I returned to Egypt in October, managed to dive to -22m after three days and received lavish compliments from my wonderful French instructor.

Returning home, I joined a club. Regular training sessions in the pool over the past two months have persuaded me to pull a card or two to try to find out how to improve my apnea performance.

Well, I keep pulling the Thoth Hanged Man... First of all, I was strumped, but then I had a flash: Thoth's image - with the exception perhaps of the crossed leg and nails in the extremities - looks exactly like the posture of a freediver.

In order to accomplish a good dive and to improve breath-hold capacity, a certain amount of suffering and sacrifice is necessary. Lack of air provokes contractions in the diaphragm which can be quite unpleasant. Also, the time I spend travelling to my training sessions could be interpreted as sacrifice...

I'm trying to embrace the suffering of the Hanged Man, and it seems to be working. Last week I managed to swim 50m underwater on half-empty lungs, did the same on Tuesday, and it's getting easier each time.

Goes to show how much positive there can be in a seemingly negative card

FW

<very warm smile> I love it when Tarot works directly in people's lives. <pulls out thoth deck to have another look at the exact posture>

Thanks nisaba

Just a couple of extra thoughts on the posture: the HM would in this case describe the discipline without fins (CNF= constant ballast no fins) rather than the one I prefer, CWT, constant weight with fins). Funnily enough, when I practise CNF I often suffer from a twinge in my right hip so maybe the HM's crossed leg does have a signification after all...

Also, apnea is the only sport in which our cardiac rhythm slows down. To perform well, yoga and breathing excersices are highly recommended. In the words of world record holder Natalja Mochalnova from Russia:

"Recreational freediving gives great opportunity to switch attention from meaningless fuss on the surface to the inward absorption in the serenity of water. Slow swimming harmonizes relationships between highly agitated mind and usually inactive body, producing sensation of muscle joy. Breath holding on comfort mildly shakes up an organism, activating metabolism..."

So yes, pulling this card really does seem to have a direct affect on my life. The HM is a moment of pause, of looking inward and of pure existance. Here are two great clips from Egypt: 1st William Trubridge freediving the Arch in Dahab Blue Hole, and the 2nd Molchanova breaking the CWT world record in Sharm El Sheikh. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrXQbucZUDA

http://www.theunderwaterchannel.tv/clipinfo/4003152

FW.

It's also interesting to note that the Hanged Man in the Herbal deck shows a tranquil individual loosely tangled up in a kelp-bed, looking as if, any time they chose, they could kick free, roll over and head for the surface.

The Thoth Hanged Man is also the card that represents the Water element, and he's shown virtually submerged. Nifty

And the GD deck shows him hanging over seawater, from a complex rock formation that not only supports him but divides the sea into a front half and a back half - with a narrow connecting channel. Very symbolic. In the context of diving, he's wearing the gear but not in the water yet - maybe doing a pre-dive meditation and oxygenating his blood?

similia said:

The Thoth Hanged Man is also the card that represents the Water element, and he's shown virtually submerged. Nifty

Click to expand...

Thanks for this! I didn't even think to read the Book of Thoth!

nisaba said:

It's also interesting to note that the Hanged Man in the Herbal deck shows a tranquil individual loosely tangled up in a kelp-bed, looking as if, any time they chose, they could kick free, roll over and head for the surface.

Click to expand...

An aquatic upsidedown Jack and the beanstalk. Lol I always say I'm jack (hack) of all trades, master of none! Definitely very me 8)

nisaba said:

And the GD deck shows him hanging over seawater, from a complex rock formation that not only supports him but divides the sea into a front half and a back half - with a narrow connecting channel. Very symbolic. In the context of diving, he's wearing the gear but not in the water yet - maybe doing a pre-dive meditation and oxygenating his blood?

Click to expand...

Oh wow I want the same bathing suit! There's even a line and a bottom plate waiting to be lowered into the water. I found a similar image but don't know which deck. Tarzan!

http://www.tarot.org.il/Library/Misc/Whare Ra/12_Hanged-Man.jpg