Le Pendu - El Ahorcado - The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man represents the uiversal principle of recognizing and awakening to repetitive patterns that bind, limit, and restrict our growth and evolution. In order to break limiting patterns, it is often necessary to take a distinctly different posture, or stance, such as turning ourselves up-side-down to get another view of a restrictive pattern or stuck place in consciousness that is being experienced.

The Hanged Man represents that state of consciousness which requires that we move beyond ego and trust the deeper aspects of who we are. Often this symbol might be viewed as the crucifiction of the ego or of egoic patterns which are no longer constructive. The universal symbol associated with repetitive patterns is the labyrinth, represented by the spiral in the background. This symbol ultimately teaches us that there are always many more options, solutions, and perspectives to consider than those in which we are currently invested.

Often, when we experience ourselves being bound or limited, there is a sense of being numb, asleep, depressed, or blind. The sleeping snakes remind us that nothing is renewed or regenerated when we are fixated or stuck. The Egyptian Ankh(the reversed cross holding the foot of the man) is a symbol of unlimited life force, constantly accessible for creative use.

By releasing the wounded parts of the past that we still hold in our minds, we are able to express our feelings abundantly from a place of knowing our priorities and commitments. Love with wisdom comes from a place of integrity, which is the alignment of mind, heart, and action in all that we do. When we release our limiting and destructive patterns, we are free to openly express our inherent love with wisdom in the world.