The Hanged Man at Work

So, the Hanged Man has come up in three readings related to work in one night. Two of the readings were done in the exchange forum about what my boss' and his boss thought of me. The third reading came up in reading when I was trying to figure out what internal energy has mean stuck in a certain situation at work, and the situation was signified by the Hanged Man.

I find it difficult to interpret HM in general, and I usually get the clues from the other cards. But since it came up am awful lot in one night about the same subject, I figure it deserved independent understanding. RW Deck.

So the HM *appears* to be a victim, but he is not. He is hanged by the foot, not the neck, so he's not dying. It's unclear whether he hanged himself or someone else did, but in any case, he doesn't resist the situation-- he just hangs (or hangs in) there. You don't see his hands behind his back. Are they tied up or not, no one knows? Therefore, it's unclear how much control he has over his situation. For all we know, he could just stretch out his arms, untie his foot, and leave this whole situation.

He has a halo; is he a saint or pretending to me? Willing victims such as himself could come from a place of true sacrifice for the higher good or from a hidden agenda to control everyone around them through guilt.

This is all well and good, but I cannot relate to this at work at all. I don't see how my bosses could see me as a hanged man, I don't think I'm all that sacrificial! I also don't understand how the card could describe a situation: a situation of sacrifice? It's not! A situation or pretentious sacrifice? I don't see that either.

Your take?

Positively, you are seen as someone who adjust well to issues coming up at work. You accept the way things are, you are able to step back to get another perspective and complete your role at work. You might be someone who has a different approach regarding priorities at work, an individualistic way of working.

More negatively, you can be seen as someone who do not show progression because you don't know yet what is the next step. Have you considered how the future might unfold at work? What are your options? The HM here can simply indicate that you are stuck because you don't have all the elements to forge ahead with your plans. So you need to meditate on what the situation is about in order to move forward.

The Hanged Man can also be a person who spins illusions. They are the filmmaker, the artist, the person who sees life differently. Perhaps your boss thinks that your perspective is just what the office needs because you see things differently. Are you a woman? Do you work in a mainly male office? Sometimes men want a woman's perspective. And a woman's perspective is usually different than a mans.

It can also be about patience and delays. It may be urging you to wait, to stop and think about something in a different way or to analyze the situation from a different angle.

Does your situation at work have anything to do with what others think of you? If so, then the fact that the HM came up in all these cases could mean that you need to let go of that perspective -- just worry about what YOU think of yourself.

laurence said:

You might be someone who has a different approach regarding priorities at work, an individualistic way of working.

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That's true about me. But how did you get that from the Hanged Man?!

Laurelle said:

The Hanged Man can also be a person who spins illusions. They are the filmmaker, the artist, the person who sees life differently. Perhaps your boss thinks that your perspective is just what the office needs because you see things differently. Are you a woman? Do you work in a mainly male office? Sometimes men want a woman's perspective. And a woman's perspective is usually different than a mans.

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That's quite true about me. But, like my question above, how did you get that from the Hanged Man?

wytchayn said:

Does your situation at work have anything to do with what others think of you? If so, then the fact that the HM came up in all these cases could mean that you need to let go of that perspective -- just worry about what YOU think of yourself.

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Wow! You're all better with the Hanged Man than me. Again, that's quite true, but how did you get that from the Hanged Man?

For me, the HM usually indicates either a martyr or that the seeker needs to change their perspective. Since you didn't see yourself as a martyr, I went with change of perspective. Then I looked for a recurring perspective -- in this case, concern over how others see you -- and that's the one that the seeker probably needs to change.

wytchayn said:

For me, the HM usually indicates either a martyr or that the seeker needs to change their perspective. Since you didn't see yourself as a martyr, I went with change of perspective. Then I looked for a recurring perspective -- in this case, concern over how others see you -- and that's the one that the seeker probably needs to change.

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Insightful, wytchayn. Thanks!

summeryjoy said:

That's quite true about me. But, like my question above, how did you get that from the Hanged Man?

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Illusion: he's hanging upside down, but not in pain...It's an illusion

Perspective: He's upside down, so he is going to see the world differently.

HM is also a very intuitive person. You rely on your intuition too much at work. Others won't understand where you are coming from, so be sure to get concrete facts. Try and see the situation as THEY would see the situation. You don't think like everyone else.

Drink plenty of water at work, so that your body stays pure and you can receive messages from your guides.