The Tarot of the New Vision is a fascinating deck from the fine folks at Lo Scarabeo. This deck shows traditional Rider-Waite-Smith images from the back. Finally, a glimpse of what is going on behind the scenes.

On Tuesday, the blog entry was about making meanings and one of the suggestions was to consider what happened just before and what might happen just after the scene in the card. Well, add to that list: what is going on behind the scenes?

Since we are talking about seeing things from a different point of view, what better card to explore than the Hanged Man?

Wow. This really changed the energy and feel of the card for me. What are your thoughts?

Here are some observations from the deck designer, Giordano Berti.

The meanings of this figure are many and not immediately clear. It obviously does not express prudence, as someone affirmed. It is decidedly more accurate to talk of suffering—adding, however, that this condition could also derive from an individual coice. But who would accept torture like this? Soemone who is mad, maybe, or someone out of the ordinary. In fact, hanging from a pole reminds us of certain Shamanistic rituals aimed at taking the Initiated inot a higher dimension of being by putting him direct touch with supernatural entities.

Psychologically, the Hanged Man represents maturity due to the experience of a painful episode. In this case, the title of novice or “new plant” cannot be applied to the Hanged Man, as it is usually attributed to those who have just complete the initiation rite.

There are a lot of instances in life, which, by provoking deep suffering, open the mind to a greater awareness. Until this awareness is deep in your memory, it is necessary to carry on in search of yourself without waiting for the easing of the pain (which reduces mental clarity).

In everyday life, the Hanged Man could even represent a voluntary sacrifice for someone or for the benefit of something else; a symbolic crucifixion that is not always understood. It is probably concerns a temporary situation, not martyrdom. In fact, green fronds shoot out the tree’s branches—meaning that the sacrifice, whether accepted or not, has given back life to a situation that was languishing.

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Written by Barbara Moore
The tarot has been a part of Barbara Moore’s personal and professional lives for over a decade. In college, the tarot intrigued her with its marvelous blending of mythology, psychology, art, and history. Later, she served as the tarot specialist for Llewellyn Publications. Over the years, she has ...