A common occurrence when working with the tarot is the appearance of recurring cards. Similar to a recurring dream, when a tarot card appears over and over in successive readings, it’s a message that is really trying to get through to you.
Statistically speaking, it seems inconceivable that the same card could reappear in two or more consecutive readings over a span of time. Consider that the tarot deck consists of 78 different cards, and for every reading the deck is thoroughly shuffled and cut in a random way.
And yet, the truth of this mystery is that it happens; and when it does, it’s worthwhile to pay attention and explore the recurring image more deeply.
Recurring tarot card images
For this week’s Tarot Tuesday, I’m taking inspiration from my own recent recurring card: The Hanged Man. Ever since I did my vision board at the start of the year, this card keeps showing up. Initially it appeared when I drew one card from the 22 major arcana cards as a theme for me in 2023. Then, in the following two readings I did for completely unrelated things, it showed up again.
Pay attention because the recurring card doesn’t necessarily have to show up in a reading for yourself. These two readings I’m talking about were the two previous Tarot Tuesday series. Have a look:
So even when you’re reading for others or for a collective, be mindful that the images given to those you’re reading for also have a certain significance for you. It’s impossible for the images not to have any personal meaning for you because as a reader, even when you’re interpreting the images for someone else, you’re an essential component in the mix. Although the situation you’re reading for may not be your own personal situation, the images that appear always have something to tell you.
Really seeing the images
Since I’m clearly being called to examine the image given to me in The Hanged Man from a less superficial perspective, let’s do that today.
When you see the image in the middle of each of the above three-card spreads, what immediately comes to mind? Even if you’ve worked with tarot for a while, try to come at this question with fresh eyes.
Here’s what I’m seeing:
upside down
hands behind back (and arms crossed with hands in an anatomically impossible position that makes them look like angel wings, in the Marseille deck)
one foot tied up to a tree (right foot in the RWS deck, left foot in the Marseille deck)
the clothes defy gravity—they aren’t flopping down but stay perfectly in place even though the entire body is upside down—and yet the hair is hanging low
the legs are crossed into what looks like a “4” shape
in the RWS deck, the man resembles the tree trunk behind him; in the Marseilles, the man is in the center, bookended by two tree trunks with colorful arms that have been cut off
Really looking at the image you’ve been given, without referring to keyword books or other references, is important. So many readers memorize rote meanings without even looking at the image itself. This is like going to a movie wearing a blindfold and earplugs. As you notice the details in the image, let your mind offer up free associations that lead you to personal meaning.
The message in The Hanged Man
Without even needing to resort to a reference book, we can use the observations above (and any that you came up with yourself) to explore a working symbolic definition of The Hanged Man.
First of all, he’s tied to a tree, so he’s not going anywhere. In addition, his hands are behind his back, which further tells us that he isn’t going to be taking any action because his hands are apparently tied.
If you’re reading for someone else (or even for yourself, journaling your thoughts), right away you can ask questions about what’s going on in the current situation regarding the polarity active versus passive. That’s at the heart of this card.
Some questions to ask around this dynamic are:
Do you feel like taking action and you’re somehow not able to?
What would happen if you just let go and stopped trying to do things?
Who and what are the other elements in this situation? What roles do they play and how might they need to take action right now, rather than you?
Do things feel upside down? What looks like it’s the wrong way up? Are you seeing things through new eyes? What has changed in your world recently that is beyond your control and yet is giving you a new perspective?
What does it feel like when you’re forced to stop, wait, and reflect? Are you taking time out to reflect and assimilate recent activity? Are you able to consciously step back and let go?
Exploring active versus passive
Polarity is a universal law and finding balance in polar opposites is a task we are all faced with.
The active/passive polarity occurs throughout nature. It’s one of the fundamental dynamics we work with in the cycle of life.
Understanding how a particular polarity shows up in a multitude of ways can help you broaden your symbolic vocabulary, thus enriching your readings so you can find deeper meaning within them.
For example, if we start with active versus passive, we find a deep well of meaning.
When it comes to the active/passive polarity, both are needed for balance, but sometimes one is needed more than the other in a particular situation. When we see The Hanged Man, we’re looking at the passive (yin) side. However, they always co-exist.
I really liked this diagram I found here:
Everything is YIN YANG is everything
Negative Positive
Female Male
Night Day
Passive Active
Moon Sun
Intuitive Logical
Cold Hot
Soft Hard
Death Life
Stillness Movement
Dark Light
Submission Dominance
Weak Strong
Small Big
Hate Love
When we broaden our symbolic vocabulary, we can work with more concepts as we interpret images. As you read through these lists, likely you get a physical feeling and emotional sensation for each list. Additionally, there are moral and cultural meanings associated with each.
For example, when you read “weak, small, hate” versus “strong, big, love,” I’d wager that if you were asked to choose one side, you’d choose the active/yang side. It sounds more appealing, according to our Western culture, to be strong and big and loving rather than weak and small and hateful. It’s a no-brainer. And yet, all of these exist in all people. Thus, we are called to integrate all sides of ourselves.
Does that mean you should take this list and memorize it along with other lists, so when you see The Hanged Man you say “Are you being hateful?” Of course not. What we’re aiming for is to grasp a conceptual framework that allows us to explore personal meaning. That’s why “my” Hanged Man is going to be different than “your” Hanged Man. I know what he’s saying to me right now in my life. I have to laugh because I know why he keeps showing up over and over: his concepts are extremely hard for me to embrace right now.
In fact, the paradox is that the harder the concepts are to embrace, and the fiercer the resistance you feel to a particular image, the more likely it is that you need to bring more of that into your life. It’s like when you meet someone who rubs you the wrong way: the reason they tick you off so much is that they’re likely showing you parts of yourself you want to eliminate. And yet we can’t—nor should we—eliminate any part of ourselves. We can learn how to dance in balance with the polarities.
I’ll leave you with a question, then. In the major arcana, who would be the polar opposite of The Hanged Man in the tarot?