Major Arcana · XII
The Hanged Man Tarot Card Meaning
- Arcana
- Major Arcana
- Number
- XII · No. 12
- Yes or no
- Maybe · Reversed: No
Upright meaning
Pause · new perspective · sacrifice
Now is a time to wait rather than act. Look at it upside down and you'll see an answer you missed.
Reversed meaning
Pointless sacrifice · delays · stalling
You are holding on for no reason, or keep putting off a decision. Let go of what you need to and things will move again.
In a yes-or-no reading
- UprightMaybeIt isn't settled yet. It could depend on conditions or timing.
- ReversedNoThe card says it won't be easy as things stand.
Its place in the Major Arcana
The 22 cards of life's big currents and turning points. They are read as one person's journey from 0, The Fool, to 21, The World, and the more of them in a spread, the more the matter goes beyond personal choice.
Cards 8 to 14 are the stage of turning inward to test and refine yourself. Here you learn patience, reflection, pausing, endings and balance.
The 22 Major Arcana
- The Fool
- The Magician
- The High Priestess
- The Empress
- The Emperor
- The Hierophant
- The Lovers
- The Chariot
- Strength
- The Hermit
- Wheel of Fortune
- Justice
- The Hanged Man
- Death
- Temperance
- The Devil
- The Tower
- The Star
- The Moon
- The Sun
- Judgement
- The World
Draw your own
Now that you know the card, think of one question and shuffle the deck yourself. Which of the 78 cards comes up is decided the moment you shuffle.
Meanings follow the widely used Rider–Waite tradition, and the pictures are simple designs drawn for this site. Please treat tarot as a light-hearted aid to reflection.