The Hanged Man + 3 of Cups

Photo by Adonyi Gábor

Being fascinated by human behavior comes with strange observations. I am often struck by patterns that remain hidden and unnamed.

But there are some patterns that people are more familiar with than they think.

One of them is pressure. And it’s everywhere.

Photo by Lucas Pezeta

On a major scale, the world feels heavy and violent. On a local level, it’s the small pressures that build until something explodes. Some people project their anger outward. Others turn it inward. Either way, pressure results in a reaction.

Pressure reveals character.

And sometimes, under enough pressure, people will abandon their values to find balance.

The Hanged Man is this feeling. It’s when you’re either in full surrender to whatever is going to happen or you’re at the brink of giving up altogether. But then the 3 of cups appears, and the journey changes.

Suddenly, you have options. Communion. Togetherness. Reverence in knowing that none of us were ever meant to suffer alone.

You look back, and The Hanged Man no longer looks helpless. With the 3 of cups by its side, The Hanged Man looks like a request to pause and look again, but not in isolation. To look for those who stand by you who can hold the weight with you; who want to, but only if you let them.

Photo by Fiona Murray