Mystical wanderers,,,,hello. I, Troy Parrott, Tarot Pro, am continuing our journey through and exploration of the Tarot. We are now over halfway through our our examination of the 22 major arcana cards, using a special North London themed deck of my own design. Draw the cards, gentle reader. See what they have to say.

Today, we move on to Card XII: The Hanged Man Bird.

XII: The Hanged Bird

Upright

Pause, surrender, sacrifice, new perspective

Inverted

Stubbornness, stuck, rigidity

(Look y’all, I’m going to be honest and break the third wall a moment here — the only reason that Chirpy is hanging upside down from a tree here and not some actual Tottenham player or personality is that I just really, really loved the imagery. How could I not?)

The Hanged Man is an interesting card, one of the more unique ones in the tarot major arcana. A figure hangs upside down from a T-shaped branch, with a corona of light — or possibly a halo — surrounding his head. You might think this would make him uncomfortable, but he takes a jaunty, casual, almost whimsical pose while the blood pools in his cranium.

That’s because he’s doing this to himself willingly. No one has forced him into it. It’s not a comfortable position, but neither is it punitive. He is there because he desires to improve himself, and in order to do so he requires a new perspective. So he hangs himself upside down to see if seeing the world differently helps him solve his problems. The halo, then is the light of insight — the Renaissance equivalent of a lightbulb over one’s head.

Are you stuck within your own head, or has something around you troubled you? The Hanged Man is a sign that perhaps it’s time to take a break and look at things from a new angle. It is also the card of sacrifice — in order to further your goals, you must give something else in exchange. And boy howdy, if there’s one thing Chirpy knows about, it’s sacrifice. (Human sacrifice mostly.)

Turn the Hanged Man upside down and hey presto — he’s back upright! Kind of. He may LOOK like he’s back on level ground, but look around — if the Hanged Man is upright, then it’s the WORLD that is upside down. This could be a sign that you are resisting taking a break, or you’re trying to distract yourself from pressing problems. Maybe a Turfie escaped your dungeon and you’re making up for it by devoting yourself with a renewed energy to devouring the souls of the U23 squad or replacing Daniel Levy with a lizard person instead of taking time to contemplate the issue. Look, we all have bad days.

The Hanged Man may look weird or scary, but he often represents a positive outlook. If you draw it, take a moment to stare into the cold, unforgiving void of your black, lifeless eyes in the mirror. Once you emerge, altered, from the stygian darkness, you might find a new perspective is just what you needed. Or maybe it’s just blood.

Come back tomorrow and we shall discuss the next card in the Tottenham Hotspur Tarot.