Tag: The Hanged Man

The Fool’s Journey through the Major Arcana: SunFest 2016:The Hanged Man

Posted C. LaVielleLeave a commentPosted in The Hero's Journey, Uncategorized, Wheel of the Year

As the seekers approach, the hanged man’s eyes snap open. Hanged man: I have come to understand that the Multiverse is more complex and vast than I am able to comprehend; and that the knowledge I seek is not to be found in the physical, mental, or emotional realms. I must set myself apart from everyday life, still my body, mind, and emotions, and seek the realm of spirit. I have faith that the Multiverse has a plan for me and that, in time, it will help me to understand it. And so I wait, with a quiet mind and open heart, for the touch of the divine. Hanged man’s eyes close.

Moonshine and the Major Arcana

Posted C. LaVielle2 CommentsPosted in Major arcana, Tarot, The Hero's Journey

The Moon is all about the way we interface with the unknown, or the unconscious , or the astral plane, or the spirit world, or the realms of gods, daemons, and demons, or parallel universes. These are the strange and frightening worlds every hero must travel to complete his or her quest. Since the keys of the major arcana trace the story arc of this journey, The Moon is a pivotal card, casting its eerie shadows over many of the other keys. The card most obviously connected to The Moon is The High Priestess because the planet attributed to this card is the Moon. To make absolutely sure you get the connection most depictions of this card are loaded with lunar images. The High Priestess is the guardian of the threshold between the known and the unknown, the conscious and the unconscious mind, the hero’s ordinary world and the world he must enter to complete his quest. She can either help or hinder him as… Read More »

The Major Arcana and the Hero’s Journey: The Hanged Man, Part III

Posted C. LaVielle3 CommentsPosted in Major arcana, Tarot, The Hero's Journey

Water is a mysterious substance. It expands when it becomes solid instead of contracting like any other self-respecting compound, and it contracts instead of expanding when it liquefies. It flows easily into any shape you choose, but no matter how hard you compress it, it won’t get any smaller. Without it life as we know it would be impossible, yet everything will eventually dissolve in its persistent caress, especially if you add a bit of salt and turn it to tears. It can be as gentle and refreshing as a warm summer rain or as dangerous and cruel as a raging sea. It is everywhere. 90 to 94 percent of the human body is water, and it covers two thirds of the earth. Swirling with opposites and contradictions, it is The Hanged Man’s element. Neptune, the planet of mysticism, spirituality, deception, and illusion, is also associated with The Hanged Man. Its Hebrew letter is Mem, which means water. In this case it refers to the… Read More »

The Major Arcana and The Hero’s Journey: The Hanged Man, Part II

Posted C. LaVielle18 CommentsPosted in Major arcana, Tarot

The Hanged Man is in search of enlightenment. But notice that he’s not having a cup of tea with Great Aunt Ethel. The knowledge he seeks can only be given to him by the gods, or for those with a more secular viewpoint, by his subconscious. This sort of knowledge is available to everyone; all we need to do is ask. It’s attainment is the selling point of the major religions and meditation techniques. The part that they sometimes don’t mention is that to receive the answer, you must go to a place where you can actually hear it, and then you must be very still.  It isn’t a physical place.  It exists where the world as we know it and the realm of the “other world” intersect.  It’s that ethereal, dusky place between the dark and the daylight.  Psychologist call it “liminal space” and define it as a place where borders meet and soften and become neither one nor the… Read More »