St. Peter Upside-down
The upside-down crucified St. Peter
The Hanged Man tarot card is all about gaining new perspectives on life. While most people avoid having their world flipped upside down, The Hanged Man seeks it out. In giving up his subjective experience, The Hanged Man gains spiritual enlightenment. He is able to see the world anew.
THE FIGURE’S POSITION
The figure’s position illustrates the numbers 3 and 4: his head and arms make a trinity and his feet resemble the symbol 4, unifying the spiritual world of the trinity and the material world of the 3 dimensions plus T.
BOUND FEET
The Hanged Man is bound to the cross by only one foot. Being half bounded implies that the man is not totally dependent on the material world. His other foot is free to move around as it pleases. The Hanged Man’s bounding illustrates the need to live partially in the spiritual realm and partially in the material one:; As above so below.
CROSS
The cross is a Tau Cross, because of its resemblance to the Greek letter Tau. The Hanged Man gives up his comfort in order to gain a new outlook on life.
HALO
The Hanged Man’s position seems precarious and something to be avoided. Around The Hanged Man’s head shines a halo. Upon first glance. This halo however signifies that The Hanged Man is practicing something holy and that, instead of avoiding him, we should follow him.
Upright
An Upright Hanged Man suggests that you need to see things from a different perspective. Perhaps the world is swirling around you and it seems that you are swimming upstream. Take a step back, look at the stream’s direction, and follow it.
Embrace the world as it is,
not as you perceive it.
Reverse
A Reverse Hanged Man suggests that you are refusing to see things from a different perspective. Things are getting blocked up and you are refusing to acknowledge it.
A Reverse Hanged Man warns of our stubborn ego misrepresenting a situation. Take a step back and remove your subjectivity in order to see a fuller picture. Follow the stream of objective reality.
“Ahh, now, I get it!”
