My Favourite Hanged Man

Our Fool is suspended, waiting for something to happen. Sacrifice something in order to move onto something new. This is a transition period. Let go. The more you give up wanting, the quicker it will happen. 

5. Cosmic Cycles

This Hanged Man isn't upside down unlike the traditional RWS version. However, the height the image achieves still gives us the feeling of seeing things from a different angle. The stunning blues in this card enhance a feeling of calmness and the importance of the pause, the withdrawal from the day to day and taking a moment to breathe. Also the image on this card is very well lit, it's worth checking out in person if you get the chance.

4. Fifth Spirit Tarot

So here we find ourselves at the opposite end of the spectrum to the Hanged Man in 5th place. In the depths of the ocean, the beautiful greens lend themselves just as well to a feeling of tranquility and the bondage ropes give the message of surrender. Here, the artist, Charlie Claire Burgess, has kept the glowing halo around the persons head. Enlightenment can be achieved through pause, discomfort or surrender. Or through a rush of blood to the head. This deck renames the card the Hanged One to allow for an appropriate pronoun to be chosen. 

3. The Spacious Tarot

So, I suppose we're all just hanging around in space waiting for the next thing to happen. The Spacious Tarot guidebook tells us this card is inspired by the NASA photo Earthrise and enables us to reframe and get a perspective from the moon! The card also encourages us to examine the liminal spaces. What can happen in the pauses in between? I have to give this one ten out of ten for originality. 

2. Botan Tarot

The swinging motion of this trapeze artist really lends a weightlessness to this Hanged Man. Although the pull of gravity still applies, its application in a different direction means the weight can be lifted from our shoulders while keeping us anchored within the earths atmosphere. The golden blonde hair replaces the glowing halo. The inevitable feel-good endorphins that come with this form of exercise will lead us to enlightenment. 

1. Way of the Panda 

There are so many cards from the Way of the Panda deck among my top 5's but this is the one card that stands out head and shoulders above all the other cuties. The glow is provided by the fireflies and this panda is hanging upside down by his own choice but perhaps wondering why he got into this position. This reminds us that we can all have doubts when we pause long enough to give ourselves time to think. Hank, the Panda, says "Don't give up. Nobody is ever truly stuck in life." A Hanged Panda is a wise Panda. 

Decks

• Universal Waite by US Games Systems 
• Smith-Waite Borderless edition by US Games Systems 
• Radiant Rider Waite by US Games Systems 

​5. Cosmic Cycles  Tarot by Martina Razo and Miriam E.G. 
4. The Fifth Spirit Tarot by Charlie Claire Burgess
3. The Spacious Tarot by Carrie Mallon and Annie Ruygt
2. The Botan Tarot by A. Miyako. M
1. Way of the Panda Tarot by Kimberly M. Tsan, illustrated by Celia Libelle, www.fablesden.com