Esoteric Tarot

Of all the cards of the Major Arcana the meaning of the Hanged Man is almost certainly the most obscure, esoteric, and impenetrable at first inspection. This is not helped by the fact that there is no consensus as to exactly how the symbolism of this card should be read.

The most obvious source for the image depicted in the Hanged Man card is the medieval punishment called 'bafflement', in which a person would be hung upside down, and often left to die. In many packs the Hanged Man