Tarot Card Comparisons: The Thoth Tarot-Key 12- The Hanged Man & The Legends Tarot- The Hanged Man.

Key 12 in both the Thoth and Legends Tarot, is named the Hanged Man. Both names are appropriate in a card that depicts self-sacrifice.

However, the Legends Tarot has no hanging man, nor any man at all. Displayed on this card is a feminine angel, laying upon a staircase, clasping a red rose. Since the Hanged Man Tarot Card, is traditionally about self-sacrifice and surrender, so we can only conclude that this angel has given of herself, in a romantic situation, and has lost her lover and is now surrendering herself to grief. Albeit great art, this card seems to be without any real arcane understanding.

THE THOTH TAROT HANGED MAN- ATU (Key)12, is much more stylized but expressing the deeper concepts. The Hebrew letter Mem is attributed to this card representing the element Water, as the Spirit of Water in the economy of initiation, such as a baptism which is also considered a death. "Out with the old in with the new."  

This card represented the  supreme form of adept ship, during the Aeon of Osiris, which we excited in the early 20th century. The Hanged man represents the Drowned Man, as a soul is drowned in the Astral Fluids to become a human. Thus you see his foot loosely bound to the Crux Ansata using the Serpent, destroyer creator force as rope. The Crux Ansata or Ankh, represents the Rosy Cross, or even the letter Daleth that is shown in some cards as a tree branch, suggesting Venus, Love; all of which are attributed to the Great Mother. The Ankh is a androgen symbol of Womb, phallus and mankind and also the Egyptian symbol for infinity.

Here is represented the card of the Dying God myth which we know in all religions, the One that is sacrificed so the many can live. The One Energy Transforming into the "many beings" or the DNA of animal sacrificing its survival mind to the Higher Conscious state of Spirit. Thus, you can see the idea of  redemption through martyrdom is absolutely disqualified as a viable phenomena in spiritual development, since the Hanged Man is actually giving up less to gain more.

Some call this the card of redemption. Redemption implies dept of which only falsehood can apply, since we don't owe our Creator anything but to be ourselves which is to be the Divine Self Image. The Hanged Man implies that we must sacrifice our concepts of divisionism, and separateness from the Divine, Spirit or God to reclaim our inheritance. As inheritance isn't earned, or a product of sacrificing ones soul, but just requires one to Know Thy Name,i.e,"Above all things, Know thyself'!

The green of Venus dominates this card, but it is seen slowly growing darker in shade, denser as it were; as we descend the card and at the very bottom, the Serpentine force of new life begins to stir. Here our "most beloved", the personality or ego, is sacrificed to the Greater Self, so that we can become "as above so below", which is really no sacrifice at all and the world redemption, is in the final analysis, the wrong idea. As souls, we sacrifice lack of sensuality and discrimination, to become sensual and discriminatory and/or discerning creators. The body gives the infinite Self, measurement, so that experimentation and self awareness can happen.  Now this is a "sacrifice" of lack for more and something I can absolutely get behind! Then, when time has run its course and we must leave the body, we now sacrifice measurement, sensuality, and all the wonders that senses give us; such as, joy, happiness, pleasure, pain, sorrow, mirth, etc.for immeasurable immortality.  Mortality, is a sacrificial methodology that I can get behind. I would recommend getting the Book of Thoth by Master Theron (A.Crowley) to further study this powerful yet subtle card,

Thank you for your interest and comments. May you live long and prosper.

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