Happy Spring (or Fall, depending on which hemisphere you are in)! Here in Nebraska, the rain is falling, there are buds on the trees and blooms on the bushes... Hopefully we've reached the end of the snow. We shall see!
Yesterday, whilst browsing the aisles at my local Barnes and Noble Bookseller, Claire Boucher caught my eye on the cover of the Spring/Summer issue of AnOther Magazine. For those who don't know, Claire Boucher, AKA Grimes, is a Canadian singer, songwriter of the fucking awesome variety. Check it the fuck out. That's an order. Moving on... A sucker for good collaging fodder, fashion mags and reading about my favorite artists, this absolute monster of a zine made it's way home with me along with the newest issue of Hi*Fructose.
(Both fucking stellar magazines. You should pick them up and have a gander if you haven't already.)
A completely expected but nonetheless welcome thing occurred while flipping through Hi*Fructose... I found an artist that I am now completely enamored with! Jenny Morgan is a New York based artist who's work is absolutely phenomenal, but here's the kicker... I am pretty sure she, in some way, shape or form, is inspired by Tarot! I came across a picture of a painting she did called POV that immediately, and I believe purposefully, reminded me of card number XII of the major arcana, The Hanged Man.
Voila! BLoG ToPiC!!!
Oftentimes, the poor Hanged Man is viewed as a negative card by both querents and readers. There is something about the way he is positioned and his complete and utter upside~down~ish~ness that says, "Well shit, this can't be good." But, fear not, lovelies! Take a look at the hanged man... Yes, he is upside down, but look at it this way: Did you ever, as a child or even as an adult, hang your head off the side of your bed or the couch and look at your surroundings upside down? If not, take a moment to try it, I'll wait.
... ... ...
Did you do it? Good. I'm going to guess that you noticed at least one thing that you had not noticed before, had forgotten about or hadn't even given a second thought... am I right? Now imagine all of the weird shizzle that the Hanged Man must be seeing or noticing for the first time from his vantage point!
When the Hanged Man shows up in a spread, I tend to look at him, not in a negative fashion, but as an opportunity for the querent to look at their situation from a new point of view. Take whatever it is you are inquiring about and turn it upside down. What does it look like now? What is different about the situation from this angle? Now turn yourself upside down and keep the situation upright. See anything you didn't notice before? Chances are the answer is yes.There are infinite ways of looking at a situation and, while some readers view the Hanged Man as a hold up, a period of non~movement, or stagnation, I like to see it as necessary suspension in order to sort out all the different points of view and decide on the one that most resonates with you; the one that you want to adopt as your own for the time being. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking some time out in order to get your poop in a group.
I don't remember for the life of me where I read this way of interpreting the Hanged Man, but it's worth mentioning... When the Hanged Man shows up for you, make sure you are watching your pocketbook. From his position, it is inevitable that anything contained within the Hanged Man's pockets, unless prevented from doing so, will fall out. During times of necessary suspension, it can be quite easy to let your finances, budget or spending habits get out of control. Self~love and pampering yourself is healthy in moderation. Be conscious of your finances and make sure you are not overspending on unnecessary, material goods or being too generous toward others.
Take a look at the Nicoletta Ceccoli depiction of the Hanged Man (pictured left). In this version, while remaining right~side~up, the figure in the card is gaining new perspectives by simply growing another head... what better way to view things from different angles than to have a whole new set of eyes from which to peer! Certainly something to ponder and to keep in mind for future readings in which the Hanged Man makes an appearance.
Now... Go forth, grow heads and do headstands and shit! I hope this was helpful.
Have a fuckin' killer day!
Much love,
~Jonquil
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