The Hanged Man: Letting Go

Love this version of the Hanged Man from the Fantastic Menagerie Tarot.

This card has got to be one of the most frustrating, especially when you need things to change. He often shows up when that need for action/resolution is most intense. The Hanged Man says “Wait”. But he also says “Let go”.  Let go of your expectations, attachment to outcomes and desire for control. He doesn’t indicate a “No”,  just “Not yet”.

This is the card of sacrifice. Usually it means sacrificing your expectations, but sometimes you’ll have to give up something more. You don’t have control over the situation, so just let go and see what happens. This card appears when you’re waiting on someone else’s decision.

Doing nothing can be excruciating. But the release that comes from letting go can be almost euphoric. So we see his connection to the Divine, to Odin (who hung from the World Tree for nine days to achieve wisdom) and to Christ.