Major Transformation
Symbolism
The Halo symbolizes enlightenment and soul involvement.
The tree – The World Tree – connects reality to other realms.
The grey background shows he is pausing in a neutral state.
The greenery hanging above him represents the potential growth he will survive.
The Hanged Man’s Expression – He does not appear to be distressed.
The red leggings symbolize devotion.
The blue shirt stands for spiritual royalty.
The nimbus surrounding the Hanged Man’s head signifies a sanit-like status.
The Hanged Man’s eyes are open so he can learn what he can.
Getting to Know The Hanged Man
The Hanged Man is not afraid to be different. The Hanged Man represents an uncomfortable situation because he sees his situation from different angles and he asks us to see things from his perspective. The Hanged Man speaks to a deeper wisdom, a greater peace, and an expanded sense of self. He breaks free. His wisdom comes from his higher self.
Have you ever needed a time-out? The Hanged Man asks us to step outside our view of reality and see things through a different lens. It is time to consider possibilities. This is an opportunity to learn truths that lay outside the accepted norms of our times.
Embrace change in your consciousness now. Release those things that are no longer necessary. Lean into the intermission.
The Hanged Man experiences major transformations. In doing so, he operates beneath the surface for a long time – maybe decades.
When the transition finally happens, friends, family, fellow workers, and the community can be shocked at the final result: marriage, divorce, getting sober, sex change, quitting church, going to college, growing up, quitting college, adopting children, etc.
Seeking a more spiritual way of life and investing in the future is a major transformation. The whole experience can be a time of hanging in limbo – the place between the past and the future. There are all kinds of things we can do to understand the unseen, internal, unconscious parts of our lives. Words that come to mind are perspective, anger, acceptance, discomfort-comfort, validation.
And, at some point, the word “embrace” is front and center. It goes along with ending shame, and risking rejection. All these words include the recreation of your physical, intellectual, and spiritual self.
Finally, all these changes are authentic. When you experience the Hanged Man, three things come to mind. The first is to wait for the situation to unfold. Focusing on the bigger picture helps make the journey smoother. Finally, it’s important to know what can and cannot be controlled.
Story
Locally famous, semi-famous, and unknown talented people in the arts visited the food pantry regularly. Because Woodstock attracted artists, musicians, poets, and writers, many owned first or second homes in the area. Some of these creative and talented people saw their incomes evaporate when the economy tanked in 2008.
These talented people came to make a place and build their lives. They were happy in their Woodstock and Bearsville homes and times were tough.
A person would have a home in the Woodstock area in addition to a place, someplace else. As the economy tanked and the income dwindled, the person would look around, assess the situation, and try to unload the most expensive place, usually in the someplace else location. They cam to Woodstock to live in the cheaper second home only to find zero opportunity to earn money out of the city environment. Some sublet, others sold, and still others underwent foreclosure. They found themselves stranded because their support system was not what it should have been.
So here they were, down and out in Woodstock in Bearsville. Some even lost their Upstate New York home.
Eventually, some established new lifelines. A few ended up homeless. It was gut-wrenching to see the effect of foreclosures on them. It was difficult for them to leave Woodstock. For some, foreclosure impacted their physical, spiritual, emotional health.
A famous poet was the hub of the group in the food pantry line each week. He made himself a place in the pantry. Fellow creatives gathered around him. Intelligent, well-educated people, all. They made the best of it. What else could they do?
A published poet, his positive attitude and smile offered strength. Described by many as a Tantric Buddhist-Hindu yogi, he lives what he studied. Each moment is a spiritual experience for him. He describes himself as an artist, photographer, and poet.
Personally, I always felt his attitude toward life made him the grounding leader of the group. He never got caught up in material possessions so he had little to lose. His lifestyle and attitude set a spiritual example for us all.
He was one of the first people I met when I moved to Woodstock. About two weeks after moving in, I abandoned the unopened boxes in my new home and walked over to the Colony Cafe for an evening poetry reading.
The room was crowded with about 30 writers and poets. Actually, I was the only bona fide audience member in the room. Virtually everyone else was in the writer/poet category.
When he entered the Colony Cafe, everyone greeted him with friendship and respect.
Years later, I was happy to see him standing in the hallway. If it was okay for him to be in the pantry line, then it was okay for the rest of us who shopped and worked in the pantry, too. His positive attitude and smile strengthened others in the line and dignified everyone in the building and the parking lot.
It seemed he knew everyone. He had been coming to Woodstock since he was a young man and was accepted as part of the community.
His attitude was that life should be about compassion for all beings, helping others, and maintaining a positive mental and spiritual attitude. His core beliefs supported the line for the other creatives.
Somehow, I felt these talented people deserve better than a one-hour wait in a line to shop for food. Most people never imagined they would be in a food line.
He uplifted us all – whether we shopped or volunteered.
Energetic Balance
Embrace change: Try out new recipes! Enjoy fun new food. Take a different route to work. Study something you don’t know anything about.
Meditation
Go to a private, safe location. Get comfortable in a seated or reclining position. Begin deep, cleansing breathing. With each inbreath, your body softens. Release tension. Outbreaths release toxins and negativity. Within each inbreath and outbreath, you sink deeper into relaxation.
Gently become aware of your body now. Acknowledge whatever you feel.
Pause now for a few moments.
Now, notice your thoughts. Allow them to be whatever they are. Accept your feelings and thoughts as they come.
Recognize the challenges, and successes you have experienced in your life.
Pause again for a few moments.
Now, acknowledge a time when you were critical of yourself. See these moments with caring and compassion.
Pause for a few moments.
Now, remember yourself as a child. Speak to yourself as you embrace your strengths and imperfections. Accept yourself as a child.
When you inhale, feel acceptance.
When you exhale, release negativity and toxicity.
Positive feelings feel your mind, your body, your soul.
Accept yourself now. Trust yourself. You know that you are enough.
You return to your day now. You know that you can return whenever you need.
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