XII. Hanged One
Surrender, perspective, pause, letting go
“I surrender control and
open myself to new perspectives.”
They hang suspended, upside down, caught between what was and what will be.
On the card, a chrysalis hangs from a tree branch. Still. Silent. Entirely enclosed. From the outside, nothing much seems to be happening. But inside, everything is changing. The caterpillar has dissolved into something unrecognizable, trusting the process that will eventually form wings. The Hanged One lives in that in-between space, where the self you knew is dissolving so the self you are becoming can come out. So this is not a prison you are locked up in, it is a place that gives you the time to figure things out. Sometimes we must stop moving, not because we are stuck, but because the most important changes require stillness. Changes that can't be seen and that others would call inactivity.
The tree that holds the chrysalis is a reminder that you are supported through this process. In many mythologies, the tree is the bridge between the seen and unseen, the earthly and the spiritual. Hanging from its branch, the Hanged One sits in that liminal space, between what has been and what is to come.
The Hanged One’s position invites another layer of meaning: seeing things from a different perspective. Hanging upside down, the world looks different. What once seemed urgent may appear irrelevant. What once seemed impossible may hand you some opportunities. This different view gives insights you couldn’t see from the ground.
In many ways, this card can be seen as an initiation. It is the surrender before the breakthrough, the deep breath before the leap. It can feel uncomfortable. Let's face it: we live in a world that prizes speed, productivity and progress that can be seen. To hang in suspension is to defy that and to honor a different kind of time: time for the soul. There is also an element of 'letting go' in The Hanged One. In nature, the caterpillar must give up its former body, dissolving into something entirely new before it can become a butterfly. Likewise, we are sometimes asked to release an identity, a plan or a certainty to grow into our next self. Letting go of something can open up room for what’s truly meant for you.
This card also tells you that suspension is not the same as stagnation. Waiting is not wasting time when the waiting has its purpose. Like the chrysalis, you may be in a season where you look unchanged on the outside, yet inside, everything is rearranging.
So hang here for a while. Let the world turn without you for a moment. Feel the support of the branch. And know that when the time comes, you will not only step forward, but you will also be able to fly.
Reflections
- What situation or challenge could I see differently if I shifted my perspective? Maybe to the perspective of others?
- Where in my life would surrender serve me better than constant action or control?
- Where am I avoiding action under the guise of “waiting for the right time”?