Element:Water
Color:Blue/Green
Planet:Neptune
Letter:
Number:12
Other titles:The Crucifixion,Mithras,Osiris,Odin,Judas
Keywords:sacrifice,illusion,suspension,mystery,veil
Description:
The Hanged Man is not only a symbol but stands as the full symbol of the hidden by itself, and no other card will offer more obscure details than this one. It stands for the sacrifice as a general term,sacrifice as an offering to certain gods and the sacrifice done for your own path. Here we will have all the ancient legends of Gods that gave something in exchange for "more" like Odin and his eye sacrifice:"Then," said Odin, "if thou wouldst keep thy head, answer me this: what price will Mimir ask for a draught from the Well of Wisdom that he guards?"
"He will ask thy right eye as a price, O Odin," said Vafthrudner.
"Will he ask no less a price than that?" said Odin.
"He will ask no less a price. Many have come to him for a draught from the Well of Wisdom, but no one yet has given the price Mimir asks. I have answered thy question, O Odin. Now give up thy claim to my head and let me go on my way."(The Children of Odin, by Padraic Colum, [1920])
or the Mithraic sacrifices for salvation and even the Christian myth derived from other ancient ones of the same kind like Mithranism, Zoroastrianism and even Osirian Egyptian cult. However in Christianity, The Hanged Man stands as the symbol of Judah and not Jesus as many would think, and it shows the sacrifice of this important disciple when he realized fully the message of the Nazarene and if the last has a one dimensional path that goes through him and only him, the first leaves an upside down symbol of himself and with him a two dimensional path. For the Hanged Man is not sacrificing for another,or for any illusive moral goodness but only for himself and for that it stands upside down. In most Tarot decks it is associated with the Water element and in the same time number 12, closing the circle, the wheel.
The termination of one level though, brings decay to those that are no fully completed just like in the Jewish folk tales about the golems and in the same time for the Hanged Man, the entire world becomes filled with Golems, losing its value and riches the more one is advancing on his/her path.
See the world from the other sidewhat do you see?What do you feel?What do you hear? Does it makes you feel different?If yes, how?
