Ra-Hoor-Khuit Network's
Magickal Library

 

The Hanged Man.

The Spirit of Man. The Mighty Waters. Mem. Water.

The Hanged Man or Dying God.  Water. Mem.  This figure is Osiris or Christ and shows redemption through suffering.  He is drowned in the waters of affliction, the attitude is traditional and involves a right angle and a triangle.  His foot is bound to the Ankh of Immortality by the serpent of life.   The complete symbol is a triangle and a cross.

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  The posture of the drowned or hanged man is of the greatest significance.  The legs are crossed so that the right leg forms a right angle with the left leg, and the arms are stretched out at an angle of sixty degrees, so as to form an equilateral triangle.  This gives the symbol of the triangle surmounted by a cross, which represents the descent of the light into darkness in order to redeem it.   The whole idea of sacrifice is a misconception of nature, and the element of water to which the card is attributed is the element of illusion.

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Redemption through sacrifice.  Enforced sacrifice.  Suffering.   Ill-dignified: Punishment.  Loss.  Defeat.  Failure.  Death.

 

This page last updated: 03/01/2018