Known also as the Spirit of the Mighty Waters and having affinity with the Element of 
Water, the Hanged Man represents letting go of old forms and surrendering to the truth. This card is aligned with Odin, who hung on the Tree of Life, Yggdrasil, for nine days willingly to gain the wisdom of the Runes. There is a willingness now to see things in a new and fresh way - a different perspective if you will. The old forms and structures are no longer valid, and you have been released from viewing the world in the same old way and now must find a new pattern with which to continue your life. There is a sacrifice required, and it is a giving up of the old well-worn path. It is not a material sacrifice that is required, but a sacrifice of the will to something greater than the ego. You have stayed firm and steady and true, and yet in the end it has not served you. It is time to be washed clean of your old beliefs and let go to new possibilities in the future. It is a sacrifice of the personality, of the mask that you have worn to fit in and so it is time to find your true face, and the relief that comes with this is a blessing. Whenever we have to let go of our way of being in the past, and face an unknown future there will always be uncertainty, a little fear, and even pain. And yet there is so much better in our future if we will only cease to cling to the past and trust in life. You have the opportunity to see now those places and situations that have hooked you, and caught you up so that you have felt stifled. Once you recognise these patterns then you will release yourself, relinquish what you thought was important and move on to bigger and brighter things. There is a huge transformation coming for you, and now is the time to prepare for it and meet it with willingness and humility. Time to contemplate where in your life you have become stuck, and what you are required to let go of in order to let the energy flow again. Image from "Sherlockian Tarot" © sherlockiantarot.tumblr.com
