Need a New Perspective?
The Medicine of the Hanged One & New Moon in Scorpio Video
In this newsletter:
New Moon in Scorpio - Transits & Tarot Video
Overview of the Hanged One
Wisdom of the Hanged One
Shadow Side of the Hanged One
Signs You Need Hanged One Medicine
Getting Started with the Medicine of the Hanged One
New Moon in Scorpio - Transits & Tarot Video
The new moon occurs on November 13, 2023 in the sign of Scorpio—and this one might feel a little sting-y.🦂♏
Tune into my discussion with astrologer Belinda Lau as we look at how this new moon might affect you, and how you can work with this energy to create more ease in these times of chaos.
Were you ever suspended from school? Or sports?
Once in high school my friends and I got suspended. I can’t quite remember the circumstances, but it had something to do with writing all over a mirror in the locker room with lipstick. And then totally denying it.
But we weren’t fooling anyone and got suspended from school. Which didn’t mean we had to stay at home. We still had to come to school and each sit in a separate empty room for the entire day, by ourselves. We weren’t even allowed to bring our books or homework into the room. Though at some point someone must have given me some paper and a pen because I do remember writing a note to my boyfriend about how incredibly bored I was.
It seemed like such a stupid punishment to just sit there all day. But it was effective. I NEVER wanted to be suspended again. Sitting alone in a small back room of the library with no one to speak to, not seeing my friends, and missing my classmates—for a 14-year-old, this was pure torture.
The kind of torture you see in the card we’ll be exploring this moon cycle, the Hanged Man, or Hanged One.
Overview of the Hanged One
In the Rider-Waite-Smith version of the tarot, we see a figure hanging by one foot from a sort of cross made of tree trunks or branches. Hands are behind his back, possibly tied up. If I imagine myself in this position, it’s pretty uncomfortable, and it feels very vulnerable, powerless, and strung up, so to speak.
And yet the figure in this card doesn’t appear to mind. No sign of fear or discomfort. Instead, there is a sense of peace, surrender even. You might wonder, why do they look so peaceful?
Wisdom of the Hanged One
When this card comes up, its meaning is often twofold. For starters, it can indicate feeling suspended, stuck. And no matter what you do or what actions you take, something in your life isn’t budging or moving forward.
It probably feels like there’s nothing you can do about it. But actually, there is so much we can do in a stage of suspension.
Of course, my 14-year-old suspended self couldn’t imagine being able to do anything but be utterly bored and frustrated. But as an adult, I wouldn’t mind time for stillness. Because the gift of being tied up like the Hanged One is that you surrender to the moment and become very present to what is.
When we allow ourselves to do this—to become still, and present to a situation, without needing to participate or take action but to simply witness—we have an opportunity to gain insights, clarity, and a new perspective around a situation, and around just what it is that is keeping us stuck.
Which leads us to the second meaning of the Hanged One—this clarity we get in becoming truly present helps us better understand what needs to be removed or sacrificed, for us to get unstuck.
The Hanged One depicts someone who has given up all pretenses. And when this card shows up, it’s asking us to be willing to sacrifice something—whether it’s a pretense, a way of being, a belief, a habit, a relationship—to better align with our soul’s journey in this lifetime.
It can be a big ask. One that feels uncomfortable, humbling, vulnerable.
But it’s a big reward…IF you’re into feeling the bliss of living a more soul-aligned life.
Because what the Hanged One knows is that sacrifice is part of the spiritual journey. It’s a necessary step to becoming whole, becoming more conscious, more enlightened, and understanding our divine path as indicated by the large sun-like halo around the Hanged One’s head.
Though it’s not the most desirable card to receive in a reading, I find this card helps us remember that while sacrifice is hard, uncomfortable, maybe even downright scary or humiliating, its very nature is to ultimately lead us to a sense of peace, and a sense of wholeness, and renews our connection to the divine within us all.
The Hanged One is asking us to trust in our own wisdom and vision to align ourselves with a more enlightened way of being. They are asking us to also trust that when we make an important sacrifice, we will find more joy and freedom in being who we truly are.
Shadow Side of the Hanged One
While a state of suspension can be supportive, suspension is not sustainable for long periods of time. At some point, we need to balance stillness with action. Being stuck can be so uncomfortable. But after a while, it becomes what we know. And what we know, feels safe. And any sacrifice we need to make, but don’t, becomes scarier the longer we remain suspended. And any illumination we may have come by in the process, gets lost in the shadow of never making a move.
The Hanged One shadow can also emerge when we sacrifice too much, as we often see with people-pleasing and martyr complex tendencies, where someone constantly sacrifices their own needs to please or meet the demands of others. In fact, for those with these tendencies, trying to get their needs met, setting boundaries, or simply saying “no” can feel utterly terrifying as they likely learned early on from a caregiver that they could only receive love on the condition that they took care of others. (Learn more about martyr syndrome here).
But the self-betrayals of people-pleasing and martyr complexes take us far from spiritual alignment, break our spirits, and wear our bodies down leading to chronic and serious illness.
The Hanged One reminds us that the meaning of sacrifice is to give up something valuable in order that something more valuable might be obtained.1
If we are sacrificing at the expense of debilitating and dishonoring the mind, body, and spirit, rather than enlightening ourselves, we are living in the shadow of this card, and it’s time to learn how to sacrifice the tendency to self-sacrifice.
Signs You Need Hanged One Medicine
If you are feeling…
so stuck for so long
like you are spinning your wheels and getting nowhere
exhausted from doing too much for others
ready to move along your spiritual path but not sure how
scared about how to make your next move in life
like you know something in your life has to go for you to move on
…the medicine of the Hanged One medicine may offer you the presence of mind and courage to do what must come next in your life.
Getting Started with the Medicine of the Hanged One
While the rest of this moon cycle we will dive into profound ways of working with the Hanged One’s medicine, here are some simple ways to get started.
Suspend yourself! Just like when I was 14 years old, stick yourself in a room for a day, or even an hour or two, with no distractions. Perhaps just a notebook and an intention to look at a situation in your life with objectivity, like an outsider might see it.
Get upside down. The Hanged One gives us permission to get a new perspective on a situation, and sometimes the best way to do that, is quite literal. Get into a headstand or handstand. Or go to a playground and hang upside down on the monkey bars. Sit on a chair upside down. Get quiet. And simply be a witness to what happens next.
Make a small sacrifice. Perhaps you already know what the Hanged One wants you to sacrifice to move closer to your spirit. But there’s no rule that says you have to do it all at once. For instance, if watching TV is preventing you from doing a spiritual practice or reading a spiritual book, can you cut your TV time by 10 minutes to start? Think about how you might take baby steps to becoming more aligned with who you are becoming.
Hope you’re intrigued by this curious tarot card. I can’t wait to explore its medicine more deeply with you over the coming weeks.
Until then, enjoy just hanging around,
💖Nicole
P.S. Need some extra support, insights, or clarity during these chaotic times?
Learn more about my other offerings at the button below.