XII. The Hanged Man: Thinking in Reverse

Today, I would like to take up the XII. The Hanged Man card. In this card, a young man is suspended by one foot tied with a rope inside a wooden frame.

Is he being tortured or punished for something? Looking at the man's face, he actually has a relaxed expression. His hands are clasped behind his back, so he might be hiding something.

According to Tadahiro Onuma, the young man hanging here is the 'Primordial Man (Adam Kadmon), whose body is the size of the universe, and like the Hindu god Vishnu, he is floating in the universe, quietly lost in meditation.' (Tarot no Hikari by Tadahiro Onuma, ISIS)

When I looked up Adam Kadmon on the internet, it said, 'A term in Jewish Kabbalah meaning the "Primordial Man" or the "fundamental structure of the universe." Specifically, it is the light (divine light) as pure potential that existed within God before creation, and it is considered the fundamental human form that manifested as the 10 Sephirot (Tree of Life) during the process of the creation of heaven and earth.'

I would like to talk about the 'Tree of Life' in Jewish Kabbalah and tarot cards again sometime in the future.

In any case, he is in a state of deep meditation, meditating on a task. He is upside down because he is looking at things from a perspective different from the norm. In other words, he is using 'thinking in reverse.'

He is surrounded by a wooden frame, and at first glance, there seems to be no exit, but the bottom is open.

Even if you are blocked on three sides and seem to be at a dead end while searching for an answer, it is shown that if you change your perspective and look at things, and think in reverse, 'the exit is at the bottom.'

The idea that 'the exit is at the bottom' means that the answer is not to be sought outside, but can be found if you descend into your own inner self. The answer is within you.

Kiyoshi Matsumura writes about the isolation tank devised by John C. Lilly in relation to this card. He states that an isolation tank is 'a large vessel filled with a solution of magnesium sulfate. When a person lies down in it, they float because the liquid has a high specific gravity. The tank is sealed, soundproof, lightless, and because the body floats, it becomes a weightless experience; in other words, you shut out all external stimuli and stay still for an hour or two.' (Tarot no Shinpi to Kaishaku by Kiyoshi Matsumura, Setsuwa-sha)

Matsumura says that when you are in an isolation tank, your state of consciousness changes from the norm, and it becomes the very experience of '12 The Hanged Man' = XII. The Hanged Man.

In our daily lives, we face various tasks and difficulties, and we run around in confusion. However, isn't it also necessary to sometimes escape from that daily life and go on a retreat? If you can distance yourself from the hustle and bustle of daily life, withdraw, quietly observe your inner self, and view problems from a different state of consciousness, you will be able to find the answer within yourself.