Has The Hanged Man appeared in your spread? Does this mean yes or no? What guidance is this card trying to give you?
The Hanged Man refuses to give a simple yes or no answer but it’s not a card to be ignored. This is the Tarot card for change through letting go and transitioning, you may need to make some adjustments in order to get the result you want. It is neither positive nor negative and you might find your true answer buried deeper in the meaning of the card.
Certainly, one of the more misunderstood cards, The Hanged Man summons negative connotations similar to the Death or Tower card but this is a misunderstanding. I’m always happy to see a major arcana for a yes or no Tarot reading and this is no exception.
Just because it’s not giving you a clear yes or no doesn’t mean it’s not trying to help.
Does The Hanged Man Mean Yes or No?
Before we break down the position of the card, The Hanged Man has a message no matter how you draw it. It’s a call to slow things down, avoid making a decision on impulse or taking a risk without some careful planning.
This is not a no. It’s more of a tread carefully or else.
Not every card is going to spell out a definitive yes or no but we should not fall into the trap of ignoring it. If we ignore these cards we might as well just keep drawing cards until we get the answer we want.
The Hanged Man is a major arcana with an important message (even if it wasn’t the exact one you were looking for). Pay attention to the position of the card and we can unlock some deeper meaning.
Note: Sometimes if you back the Tarot into giving a yes/no answer you might miss an opportunity to get the advice from the cards to make something happen. If you’d like a full spread with some advice take a moment with me and get a free Tarot reading.
Upright Hanged Man as Yes/No
Upright, it’s a symbol of change and a new perspective. This isn’t necessarily a yes or a no. It’s simply a strong suggestion for you to look at things a little differently.
Maybe you’ve allowed yourself to become too tunnel-visioned on something and it’s a possibility but you’re going to need to make a change. In any kind of Tarot spread, it’s a sign of abrupt change and stands as a warning that you can’t just keep pushing ahead hoping for things to go your way.
There are several cards that suggest making a change. This is a little different, it arrives in a spread at a pivotal moment. Welcome this change and take advantage of the break from your routine. You’re being offered the opportunity to make your answer a yes – you just need to figure out what needs to change. We’ll look at the deeper meaning of the card in a moment which will hopefully help unlock that guidance.
Reversed Hanged Man as Yes/No
When reversed, there are still some similarities to the upright position but with a few key differences. It’s likely that, on some level, you already know it’s not the right time. You may feel tempted to rush things but this is something important to you and now is not the time to push it.
Again, you’re not getting either a yes or a no. Instead, it’s a message from the universe that it’s time to tap the breaks a little and figure things out. If you’re dealing with resistance, indecision or delays from a third party there may seem like roadblocks at the moment but they’re actually giving you an opportunity to make the right choices for the outcome you seek.
Like most of the Tarot, the Hanged Man is best used with other cards in a spread. By itself, there’s only so much it can tell you.
What Is The Hanged Man Trying to Tell You?
The Hanged Man is considered a negative card in much the same way that the Death card is considered a bad omen. Part of this is down to Hollywood moves using the Tarot as a plot device and the imagery of the card probably doesn’t help.
The truth is that it’s actually here to save you from yourself. Just because it won’t give you a simple answer, doesn’t mean it won’t help. Whether upright or reversed The Hanged Man as a yes or no Tarot meaning is telling you it’s possible if you’re able to see things clearly. The human reaction here is for us to assume we are seeing things clearly and the delay and hurdles are caused by something else. This is exactly the trap you need to avoid, however.
Don’t allow it to discourage you. There’s a definite possibility of it happening, you just need to free yourself up to invite some change from the status quo.
Get a Complete Tarot Spread
Regardless of the result from The Hanged Man Tarot card, I don’t personally think that a yes/no Tarot spread is the best way to get guidance from the cards. Often you’re limiting the cards by boxing them into a corner like this.
If you want some deeper insight, take a few minutes to give me the details and I’ll do a free spread for you within a few hours.