*Archetypal Magic*: The Hanged One
Here we are nearing the end of an extremely difficult year. In the middle of a Covid surge and zero government guidance or assistance. Many of us are struggling to pay our bills and buy groceries. Many of us are stuck inside again because of mandated stay at home orders or we’ve been in extended quarantine since March.
We are waiting for a new president to be inaugurated- and don't know if that will really change much. We are waiting for a semblance of unity in beating back a virus so we can hug our friends again and also continue fighting for them.
And we don’t know what any of this is going to look like. We don’t yet understand the future we’re moving into. It feels like we’re in a standstill for the moment.
With this, I can’t stop thinking of the Hanged Person tarot card and/or archetype.
This person is hanging upside down from one leg, the other leg contorted behind them and their hands tied behind their back. Yet they have this blissful little smile on their face and this kind of soft glow around their head. They understand something we do not. They understand that wriggling around trying to regain control is only going to add to the aches and chaos.
This person has found a sweet spot in the discomfort. They know they’re going to be here for a while so they have found the most tolerable position to stay in and are taking it to a pleasurable place. They’ve found a sweet sub space to fall into and dream in. The Hanged Person knows the art of surrender and understands the concept of “the only way out is through”. There is an alchemy here we can learn from.
If you’re familiar with rope bondage and have ever been suspended, your body knows this exact feeling.If you’ve been in labor you know this feeling. If you practice yoga, you likely know this feeling. If you have a shadow work practice you know this feeling in an emotional sense.
This archetype teaches us to lean into the discomfort of a moment to find peace or even pleasureon the other side. We learn about ourselves when we sit with discomfort. We feel more resilient once we are disentangled from the rope. We look back and say “I DID that and it was difficult and I learned something”.
This energy is HARD. And it’s not just about waiting. It’s about finding those little pockets of stretching. Those pockets of bliss.
Embodying this archetype can be tricky and even triggering if you have a history of trauma so really consider what’s best for you and your body.
Some embodied ways to experiment with searching for the pleasure in the tight spot are:
Yoga/twists
Self bondage
Inversions
Extra slow micro movements (even just extending and retracting your arm)
Some questions to sit with are:
Is there a time in your past that feels similar to now? How did you get through that intense and uncomfortable waiting?
What would you like to repeat from that time? What would you like to shift?
What is good about the time you’re in now alongside the stuckness? How can you hold both at the same time?
What are you learning right now?
We WILL come down from the ropes. We will have freedom of movement and a clear direction again. It’s coming. But we can’t rush it. If we get ahead of ourselves we prolong the process.