13. THE HANGED ONE: UNIVERSAL LOVE

By Judy Jennings © Copyright 2013

Rider-Waite

From our thoughts come our words and actions.  Our interpretation of events is what determines the patterns of our experience.

The lesson contained in The Hanged One is that the way a person really makes a change is by changing her or his own viewpoint.  The twelfth triumph represents the surrender of oneself to a greater cause, the acceptance of higher power, and tolerance for the ideas of others.  This is a card of willing sacrifice.

Comparitive

In the three worlds that are represented in the major arcana (for more on this, see “The Three Worlds Of The Major Arcana”, April 2, 2012 ), The Hanged One resides between The Hierophant and The Sun.  This suggests that that the unorthodox perspective found in The Hanged One is the key to truly incorporating the Truth revealed by The Hierophant into the spirit and personality.

Jungian Archetype

Symbolism in the Rider-Waite version of this card is succinct and to the point.  The wooden cross from which the traveler hangs is an extension of the Wand of the Magician, and the garden imagery emphasizes the connection between these two cards.  The position of the legs form an inverted four, in a reference to the earthly domain of the Emperor.  The blue shirt signifies the subconscious realm of the High Priestess, while the red leggings continue to evoke the powers of The Magician and the rational mind.  The expression on the face of the Hanged One is always serene, and never troubled.  The aura surrounding the head is a clear reflection of the divine light that radiates from The Sun.  A background of gray indicates the presence of wisdom.

Ancient Egyptian

Mystic Spiral

In a reading the appearance of The Hanged One almost certainly indicates the need to keep an open mind. 
There may be circumstances that are beyond the traveler’s control, or ideas that are difficult to accept. 

Alternately, this card might suggest an individual who is already engaged in a state of acceptance.  A person represented by The Hanged One will have an unconventional outlook and a compassionate, unselfish nature.  This person will be talented in some way, possibly an artist or musician.  The sixth sense of intuition is indicated, as is the gift of precognition.

Thoth

Sun-Moon

Meditate on The Hanged One to increase your power of positive thinking.

SISTERHOOD OF JUSTICE

By Judy Jennings © Copyright 2013

The discussion of the Law of Karma that began in the Wheel Of Fortune continues in the Rider-Waite deck with an emphasis on Justice as the mode where the consequences of preceding causes are carried out.  A fair and balanced execution of the parameters that have been established earlier in The Emperor are found here as well, for Justice expresses the benevolent administration of law and the love of order.  The qualities found in this card are impartiality, accuracy and harmony.  The scales in the left hand indicate equity, while the upheld sword in the right suggests the ability of decisiveness. 

There is also an alliance between Justice and two other triumphs that exalt female strength, and those are Key 8, Strength, and Key 3, The Empress.  All three are ruled by Venus, and are closely associated.  The Empress is the source of creative imagination, while Strength and Justice work together to bring that ideal into the world.

There are other associations suggested in the Rider-Waite imagery of Justice, as well.  She shares a position similar to the High Priestess and The Hierophant, seated between two stone columns representing the forces of duality.  Behind her hangs a veil much like the one behind the Priestess.  The stone upon which Justice is seated shows a correlation with both the Emperor and The Chariot, and a connection to The Magician is shown in the red robe.  The common factor?  Each of these major arcana is concerned with the expression of subconscious ideas in the material world.

Morgan Greer Tarot

The symbolism of the Sword is significant.  In Tarot, Swords command a full suit, in addition to wielding the law of cause and effect in the eleventh triumph.  In both cases, though, the force is the same.  Swords represent the powers of decisiveness, communication, and all other mental processes.

In a reading, this is a card of a balanced and impartial mind.  A person represented by Justice will be poised and self-directed.  Gracious and sociable, this individual has the ability to inspire the talents of others.  This is someone who is wonderful in marriage and partnerships.  Strong cultural values are sometimes indicated.  In some cases, a legal matter may be suggested.  The aspect of fairness is strongly indicated whenever Justice presents.  

Simply put, The Wheel represents change, and Justice the following state where you live with what you have already begun.  In the highest expression, Justice harnesses all of the powers gained by the Traveler along the path of personal development, who begins putting them into use in order to navigate the realm of greater, more Universal influences.

  

FORTUNA'S WHEEL

By Judy Jennings © Copyright 2013

The followers of the Goddess Fortuna built her temple on the banks of the Tigris in 293 B.C., and she’s been living on through the Tarot and the hearts of her people ever since.  In fact, Fortuna, who represents the personification of chance events, persisted in such popularity after the advent of Christianity that she incurred the wrath of Saint Augustine, who developed not only the concept of the Catholic Church, but the ideas of “original sin” and “just war”.  Disliking the inclusive nature of Fortuna, he wrote “How, therefore is she good, who without discernment comes to both the good and to the bad?...It profit no one if she is truly fortune...let the bad worship her.”   

Fortuna

Worshipped she is, and not only by the bad.  Lady Luck and people’s belief in her are as close at hand in modern times as the nearest line for lottery tickets.  In the Tarot, she has maintained a powerful presence through the Wheel of Fortune.  Older versions of this card often include the image of Fortuna at the wheel, while the Rider-Waite deck employs the fixed signs of the Zodiac to signify the changing Wheel, revolving within universal truth that remains constant in contrast to the flux of human lives.  Fate and change are the province of Fortuna, and those two energies together are inextricably tied to the idea of Karma.    

Golden Dawn Initiatory Deck

The Wheel of Fortune marks a change in the attention of the Tarot, as the tenth triumph moves away from areas of personal development and begins to address forces of a more universal nature.  This card offers a strong metaphysical side for the student of contemplation, as well as an extremely energetic presence whenever it presents in a reading.

Ancient Lombardy

Psychologically, the Wheel of Fortune represents the principle that all mental activity is cyclical in nature and has a tendency to recur in rhythms.  This arcana speaks to the evolution of consciousness and the development of the higher mind.  The rising figure on the right side of the Wheel in the Rider-Waite version is Anubis, escort of the soul’s journey through the underworld, suggesting elevating consciousness.  Representing the Great Work itself, the Wheel embodies the mode of consciousness that brings conciliation and harmony.  Progress and civilization are suggested, as are the ideas of accomplishment and mastery.

Ancient Marseilles

Metaphysically, The Wheel is widely understood to represent the Law of Karma, which Western culture acknowledges with phrases like “What goes around, comes around” and “Violence begets violence”.  The concept of karma is embraced in widely different forms in religions around the world, from the karmic dirt of Jainism to the samsara and nirvana of Buddhism.  Christianity disguises the idea in a series of metaphors culminating in the resurrection of Jesus, and the Bible makes repeated references to the Law of Karma in phrases like “Reap what one sows”, “Live by the sword, die by the sword", and "Seek, and ye shall find".

Chinese Tarot

Tarot is a system that advocates taking personal responsibility for your own life, not only for your actions but for your thoughts as well.  This lesson begins immediately with the partnership shown in the first and second major arcana.  The Magician and High Priestess represent the left and right hemispheres of the brain, the conscious and subconscious, intellect and intuition.  The relationship between those forces is what determines our experience in this life, because it is our subconscious reaction to events that take place in the material world that shapes our attitudes and actions.  Messages sent from the conscious mind are taken literally by the subconscious, and if thoughts are full of negativity, spirit will be so also.  Who among us has not seen that in action?  Replace that with positive thinking, teaches the Tarot, and possibility becomes endless. 

This message of personal responsibility continues in The Wheel, which signifies the results of the expressions of the earlier stages of personal development.  The greatest challenge of this card, at least for the Western thinker, may well be to avoid thinking of Karma as a system of punishment and reward, and instead, contemplate on the interwoven energies of Change, Fate, and Personal Responsibility.