The Hanged Man Tarot Card Meaning

The Hanged Man has transformed from an image of shame to one of supreme enlightenment. In 15th-century Italy, the image of a man hanging upside down by one foot was instantly recognizable as *pittura infamante* (shame painting). This was a real punishment used for traitors, bankrupts, and political enemies. In the Visconti-Sforza decks, the card was sometimes called *Il Traditore* (The Traitor). It represented social death, humiliation, and the consequences of betrayal (referencing Judas Iscariot). Coins sometimes fell from the pockets of the hanging figure, emphasizing the loss of material status. In the Tarot de Marseille, the image became more stylized. *Le Pendu* hangs from a wooden beam supported by two living trees with twelve cut branches (possibly representing the zodiac signs). His hands are tied behind his back, and his legs form the shape of a cross (specifically a figure-four). While the punishment aspect remained, esotericists began to see hidden meanings in the geometry of the figure. Arthur Edward Waite completely inverted the card's meaning in the RWS deck. He stripped away the connotation of punishment. His Hanged Man is beautiful and serene. A bright halo glows around his head, indicating that this is a spiritual state, not a physical torture. He hangs from a T-shaped cross of living wood (a Tau cross). His legs form a fylfot cross (a swastika-like solar symbol), and his arms form a triangle, creating the symbol of the descent of spirit into matter. Waite described it as the card of 'The Great Work'—the voluntary suspension of the ego and the reversal of one's worldview to gain enlightenment. It is the story of Odin hanging from Yggdrasil to learn the runes, or St. Peter choosing to be crucified upside down. Crowley’s Thoth card connects the figure to the element of Water (Mem). His Hanged Man is suspended from an Ankh (the symbol of life) rather than a gallows. A serpent creates a grid in the background, representing the transformative power of the life force. For Crowley, this is the card of the 'Dying God'—Osiris, Jesus, or Odin—who must sacrifice himself to the waters of the subconscious to be reborn. It represents the necessary dissolution of the old self.