The Hanged Man tarot card from the Simply Tarot deck

The Hanged Man Tarot Card Meaning

The Bound One

✦

Surrender • Perspective • Pause

Giving something up, a sacrifice of some sort, whether a material possession, person, principle or the quest for some unattainable goal. A time of submission and acceptance recognising where things are beyond our control. Use this time to heal yourself and reflect.

The Hanged Man appears in a reading when the Subject needs to accept something difficult. They need to look at the situation and be completely honest about what they want in their life in comparison to what they actually have. They should attempt to truly assess the impact of existing situations or relationships and evaluate what needs to be done. Do they have healthy relationships? Are they involved in situations that are holding them back? Maybe what they want just isn’t right or available to them at the moment and the Subject is unhappy to let it go.

This is an upsetting and painful process for them to go through. They need to stop struggling against it so much. The Subject has to relinquish control of the outcome and they fear that, in losing that control, they will lose something they love or hold dear. There is no choice for the Subject though, they cannot change the outcome or make any difference now. If they can truly accept this they will be able to focus their energy elsewhere and the transition will be easier.

⌵

❦

Love & Relationships

Emotional progress slows for a reason. Someone is being asked to release old expectations about how love should look, move or resolve itself. Connection changes shape when control finally loosens its grip.

◈

Material Life

Progress feels suspended, though not without purpose. Delays, sacrifices or periods of uncertainty may be forcing someone to reconsider what security actually means beyond constant productivity or external achievement. Some foundations must loosen before stronger ones can be rebuilt properly.

✎

Notes from the Artist

This poor man hangs suspended, upside down, from a beam perched between two trees.

Only one of his legs is tied to the beam to indicate that this is not a punishment enforced on him by someone else - but more that he has been forced to relinquish control of his destiny for a period of time. His hands are tied behind his back so he cannot easily remove himself from this situation. He is not happy at all, but he is calm and does not waste his time and energy, or cause himself pain, by protesting or fighting against this imposition, this would only make things worse for him. He can, however, utilise this time for deep reflection about his situation - this will also help the time pass less slowly and help him to retain his self analysis going forward.

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From the archive

The Original Artwork, Reimagined

Before The Hanged Man became part of the Simply Tarot collection you see today, it was drawn and painted by hand for the original 2011 Tarot House Deck. The style has evolved, but the meaning and character of the card remain at its heart.

Original hand-painted The Hanged Man tarot card by Patricia House from the 2011 Tarot House Deck — 2011 **Original 2011 artwork The Hanged Man** Hand-painted by Patricia House

The Hanged Man stays serene even though he is upside down with one leg tied to an overhead beam, the other loose. His hands are tied behind his back. — Today **The Hanged Man reimagined** The current Simply Tarot artwork

The original first edition

Buy the Original 2011 Deck

The card shown above is part of the original 78-card Tarot House Deck. Every image was drawn and painted by Patricia House before the deck was professionally printed by Cartamundi in the UK. A limited number from the original print run are still available.