12-The Hanged Man – Reversed Salem Deck

When reversed, the Hanged Man suggests that you may be clinging too tightly to an illusion preventing you from gaining a clearer perspective. Refusal to make a necessary sacrifice can result in further loss and suffering. Playing the martyr will not be productive. In Renaissance Italy, hanging someone upside down was a punishment reserved for traitors. After betraying Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec emperor, the Spanish conquistador Cortés killed the Aztec warrior by hanging him upside-down in a Christ-like pose, as is vividly depicted in the mural by Diego Rivera entitled ‘Exploitation of Mexico by Spanish Conquistadors.’

Keywords Reversed: Selfishness, egotism, betrayal, stagnation, reversal, delay, self-pity, clinging, rigid thinking, self-deception, treason, playing the victim, foolish martyrdom, helplessness, unease, disillusionment, hangups, conformity.

Key XII: The Hanged Man (The Traitor)
Myths/Archetypes: Jesus. Buddha. Odin. Cuauhtémoc. The Martyr. The Sacrificial Lamb. Benedict Arnold. The Traitor.
Astrology: Water (Neptune in some modern decks)
Numerology: 3 (Empress) = 1 + 2 (Hanged Man) = 2 + 1 (The World)

Element: Water

When The Hanged Man is reversed you can pretty much take it that life is going well but that’s when life takes us by surprise.  If The Hanged Man is unclear it may help to choose a card from the Major Arcana to provide more insight into what it is The Hanged Man is trying to tell you.  If you had a particular issue in  mind, or want to seek clarification on something else, you can also choose again to get more guidance.

This chosen card is part of your reversed card reading for The Hanged Man using cards from the Salem Tarot Deck. You will find many more tarot pages that will be of great help if you need tarot card meanings. Use the search at the bottom of the page. We have some amazing tarot books for you to browse. Please see below.

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Here are some snippets from a few of my favorite books

Complete Book of Tarot: When using specific decks, however, such as the Crowley Thoth or the Liber T Tarot of Stars Eternal deck, it is best to follow the instructions of deck’s author in the Little White Book (LWB) that accompanies the deck. For example, the Golden Dawn Tarot deck by Robert Wang avoids the name ‘Knight’ entirely and uses the following designations for the court cards: Princess, Prince (in a chariot), Queen, and King (on horseback).

Tarot Books

Complete Book of Tarot: Trump 12: The Hanged Man. Despite our most valiant efforts (trump 11, Fortitude), life can throw us for a loop and leave us feeling suspended and at the mercy of fate. We may have no choice but to adopt a new perspective as we accept our fate, just as Jesus accepted his destiny of hanging on a cross to save humankind.

Tarot for Beginners: However, if the card is reversed, it could represent manipulation, poor planning, or even trickery. There may be others in the situation who don’t have your best interests at heart. Or, you may simply be suffering from a creative block.

• Do get in touch if you looked for The Hanged Man and we don’t have it listed. We would be more than happy to source the information for you. We hope you visit again for more online tarot information!

Tarot Triumphs: The Hanged Man has turned his world upside-down, and he delights in this fresh view. Playfulness and poise are indicated. So are loss of status, stripping of authority, and reversal of intentions. The meaning is in all these aspects: inversion, vision, sacrifice, revelation, cleverness, balance, and the need to understand matters from a different perspective.