THE HANGED MAN

Late this winter, my friend Vince and I were walking down an empty street near the docks and having an interesting talk about the concept of Purgatory. The details of the conversation are totally lost in my memory, because in the middle of it we came upon a strange Polaroid entombed in a frozen puddle. I couldn't tell whether the photo itself was out of focus, or whether the ice had refracted the image, but either way it was a haunting portrait. Not distinctly male or female, its face neither a grimace nor a smile, the sphynx-like image seemed remarkably out of place, and yet it seemed as if it could rest a hundred years in that very spot, enduring.

The twelfth card in the Major Arcana, The Hanged Man, is another one of those that people fear on sight, needlessly so. Our gut reaction to someone in a vulnerable state is usually aversion, so the idea of being that person doesn't exactly thrill us. However, there are times when it's impossible to move on unless you face the facts about your situation-- so instead of struggling, you may want to consider total surrender. Assess the world from your upside-down position and reconsider your old way of looking at things. You may find that being trussed up gives you a break from hauling around old ideas or hang-ups. You may discover new respect for others who you once thought had everything all backwards. Try not to mistake threats to your ego with threats to your life; this is just a temporary entanglement.

So was that ice-puddle. I went back a few days later and excavated the photo, and now it's hanging on my wall.