Mystic Messages: The Hanged Man and the Fool Archetype

The Archetype of the Hanged Man: A little Opossum is hanging upside down waiting patiently for her babies to mature and leave her pouch. There is little she can do until this happens. Her condition is what we would call “On Hold!” (image from Ice Age movie)

There are times in life when your personal freedom is restricted for one reason or another. In this state of waiting you may have to develop patience. The reward for patience is patience itself.

You can actually use these periods in your life to plan your strategy. Making plans can ignite your imagination and keep you looking forward to what you will do in the future when you regain your freedom.

The I Ching says this about waiting:

“Waiting is not mere empty hoping. It has the inner certainty of reaching the goal. Such certainty alone gives that light which leads to success. This leads to the perseverance that brings good fortune and bestows power to cross the great water.”

The Archetype of the Fool

This Jester is jumping through the air, totally unaware of where he may land or what he may encounter. He has enough faith in his own process that he trusts that his way will be clear and guided. He is the consciousness between “thought” and “event.” What you think you will manifest making life a state of mind.

So many times in life we may talk ourselves out of doing things because we do not feel in control or we have limited knowledge and experience. This is often a sad mistake because we are not believing in ourselves. We must learn to trust the flow of life, especially when there are synchronistic event which validate our actions. These coincidences are the magic in life that transforms the mundane into the extraordinary. We feel a “God Force” directing our course and if we can relax enough to allow ourselves to be led, then the possibilities are limitless.

The “State of Grace” represented by the “Fool” is a place of subtle intuition where making choices or decisions is personified by an inner conviction that no matter what life has in store, it is going to be alright.

There are few of us who have enough faith to exist in this state of consciousness. One person who lived most of her life in this way was Mother Teresa. She relied completely on divine providence. Through the power of prayer and her belief that all her needs would be met, she was able to manifest all that was needed for herself, her order (Missionaries of Charity) and all those who they helped. Mother Teresa was a great soul with undaunted faith and we can learn from her example.