ARCANA
The Hanged Man tarot card depicts a man hanging upside down: suspended from the living World Tree that's rooted in the underworlds, and supported by the heavens. Because of the serene expression on his face, it is assumed that the man is hanging there upon his own free will. This is the card of ultimate surrender, of being suspended in time and of martyrdom and sacrifice to the greater good. This is the archetype to meditate on to help break old patterns of behavior and bad habits that restrict you. The Hanged Man's number is 12 - a higher octave of the number 3, representing careful planning and orderly growth leading to spiritual development. 1 (beginning) + 2 (the reasoning force) = 3 (the product of rebirth). The ruling planet is Neptune, the planet of self-sacrifice and idealism.
The Hanged Man is one of the most mysterious cards in the tarot deck. It is simple, but complex. It attracts, but also disturbs. It contradicts itself in countless ways. The Hanged Man is unsettling because it symbolizes the action of paradox in our lives. A paradox is something that appears contradictory, and yet is true. The Hanged Man presents to us certain truths, but they are hidden in their opposites.
This Arcana type characterizes the person with the following actions and personality types:
✯ Letting go - having an emotional release, accepting what is, surrendering to experience, ending the struggle, being vulnerable and open, giving up control, accepting God's will."The main lesson of the Hanged Man is that we "control" by letting go - we "win" by surrendering. The figure on Card 12 has made the ultimate surrender - to die on the cross of his own travails - yet he shines with the glory of divine understanding. He has sacrificed himself, but he emerges the victor. The Hanged Man also tells us that we can "move forward" by standing still. By suspending time, we can have all the time in the world."
✯ Reversing - turning the world around, changing your mind, overturning old priorities, seeing from a new angle, upending old order, doing an about-face.
✯ Suspension - pausing to reflect, feeling outside of time, taking time to just be, giving up urgency, living in the moment, waiting for the best opportunity.
✯ Sacrifice - being a martyr, renouncing a claim, putting self-interest aside, going one step back to go two steps forward, giving up for a higher cause, putting others first.
CHIDORI AND HER ARCANA
The Hanged Man is a selfless Arcana to posses. The description above for the tarot card matches Chidori's personality almost to the dot.
Chidori is trapped in between two worlds - her dreams of the past and what she wants, versus the present. She is trapped between Strega and Junpei. She is trapped between life and death. Chidori learns about letting go - she surrenders to the fact that she has to care about life, especially with the one she loves. She becomes vulnerable to "so much pain," as she would put it, letting herself feel and adapt to experiences with Junpei. By letting go of her past, she changes her mind and sees life from a new angle. She puts Junpei before her, giving up her own life as the ultimate sacrifice to let him live because she fears his death. Chidori embraces her Arcana by fully accepting what it means to live her life.
DOES MEDEA FIT?
Seeing as how I did my High School thesis on Medea's character, I couldn't help but wonder - does Medea fit with the Hanged Man Arcana? The Hanged Man Arcana, like stated above, is a selfless Arcana that puts others first and learns from the past. Medea, however, murdered her father, her brother, King Creon, his daughter, and her two children all to please herself and piss off her ex, Jason. After doing a bunch of research, I found something really interesting: If you get the Hanged Man Tarot card Reversed when the reader flips the card, the meaning is different. :
"The Hanged Man reversed represents a period when you feel you are sacrificing a lot and getting nothing in return. You may have felt things were at an absolute standstill, with no movement or resolution. It is as though you are suspended in time and unable to make a move forward, backward or even sideways to get out of your current situation. Your own goals and dreams are put on hold because of external realities or internal issues. This is an energy that is passing out of your life and you can now expect things to start happening once again and major changes to occur. This period of suspension is like a catalyst for what is to come."
This all makes a lot of sense. Medea killed her father to please Jason, she killed her uncle and stole his treasures to make them rich enough to please Jason, and she moved to Corinth to please him as well. After all of her sacrifices of never being able to go back to her own city and family, she is betrayed by the person she loves the most - he leaves her for a new woman to gain money and status. Medea, hurt, commits the ultimate sacrifice by killing her children, not to help a better cause, but to pain the one she loved the most. She knew that Jason would be more devastated seeing his children dead than killing him. So, I cant help but wonder if the reason she got a Reversed Hanged Man is because Medea was put into her forcefully instead of coming to her because she had the true potential. All of this is an assumption, but I couldn't help but ponder for a moment as to why Medea would be the Persona for the Hanged Man Arcana.