Most Tarot decks call this card the Hanged Man. We call it the Suspended Man. Each of the Tarot cards has a theme. Key 12 is a demonstration of the Law of Reversal. What does that mean and what exactly is being reversed?
Consider the premise that all you see is all there is. Everything that happens in your life is luck, circumstantial, way beyond your ability to control. You make plans. You know that there should be some sort of meaning in your life. But does life really have a meaning? It mostly doesn’t make sense, and when it appears to get its act together, something comes along to mess it all up.
Try seeing your life from a different perspective. Is it possible that all you see is not all there is? Well, take the Fool, the first card of the Tarot. He’s a symbol of absolute freedom, yet he’s called a Fool. He’s supposedly the Wise man in the prime of his youth, but he’s about to fall off a cliff! And now look at the Suspended Man. His face is youthful, but he has white hair, which in the Tarot normally signifies that he’s old. Here he is tied up by his left foot hung over a gorge. And in this odd state he’s transformed into a state of illumination. Go figure! By looking at the cards this idea of freedom appears to be a little far-fetched. So let’s go over the symbols and colors and find out what’s really being said.
Let’s first look at the number 12. There are many references to the number 12 on this card. The Suspended Man is hanging from a structure that looks like the Hebrew letter Tav. The branches have been loped off. They total 12. 12 in Tarot is always identified with the zodiac. And the zodiacal signs always stand for the expression of different types of personality. With the branches loped off, this could mean that those personalities are no longer available, or active. It’s just you and your Inner Self being pictured here. He’s at rest, poised, in a state of balance. He’s totally supported by the structure, which is in the shape of the Hebrew letter Tav.
Tav is the Hebrew letter associated with The World Key 21. That figure is dancing on its right foot, full of joy and freedom. So here on Key 12 we have the Suspended Man supported by the real nature of the universe, symbolized by Tav. He is in a state of meditation, illumined, and dependent entirely on the personality of the Universe. And he’s safe. Interesting to note, the numbers of the two cards are in reverse to each other: 12 and 21.
Because we currently only operate from our material five senses, his condition seems to be a bit odd to us. Our entire awareness of everything in our lives, including the universe, only comes to us via our senses. So the obstacles, or gatekeepers, to our being fully aware of Life are our bodily senses. They serve us quite well in the material world, but now we want to enter a spiritual world of experience. We want to enter the world of the Wise. Our task is to wake them up.
Let’s continue looking at this card and Key 21. The Hebrew letter Mem rules Key 12. Mem is related to water. If you look in a pool of water, you’ll see a reflection of yourself looking back. Key 21 and Key 12 are in reverse to each other, both in number and image. They are actually the same figure, but the Suspended Man appears to be in bondage from a material point of view. The reality is just the reverse!
The function of the Suspended Man card is silence. We practice concentration in order to quiet our mind, which allows it to enter the realm of meditation. Thoughts appear, come and go, but we let them slip away. As you reach for a point of quiet, you enter union with the Absolute. 
In Samadhi, the outward appearance is still, in a state of suspension like the Suspended Man. Inwardly all is active, in a state of bliss. The Truth arises from within, leaving the mind , the intellect behind.
Let’s continue along these lines by identifying water with the sub-conscious mind, as we saw on the High Priestess card. The water that flows from her dress is the same water that flows throughout the Tarot cards. On the Emperor card we called it the stream of consciousness which gives life to his realm. On the Empress card we identified alchemical water as the mind-stuff from which everything is made.
The Hebrew letter Mem is assigned to this card. See the lower right-hand corner. Mem means water. Mem is one of the three mother letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The other two are Aleph, for air and Shin, for fire. These are the 3 primary aspects of the Absolute, according to the Book of Formation. The element Earth comes from uniting all 3 together. In the Strength card we learned how to activate the power of Mem, the sub-conscious mind, which is that power which creates the conditions of our lives, through suggestion. The Suspended Man’s hands are behind him, out of sight because he doesn’t need them. Everything we’ve been taught is that we create our lives through the work of our hands, which can also mean through our intellect. That’s not what’s happening here. And there’s no exertion. He’s completely at ease!
A Wise man sees a different world. He sees a world made up of energy, different rates of vibration. Note the two spiral wands in the hands of the World card. Though we appear to be “solid,” at the atomic level we are just atoms flying through space held together by our mind. If you wish to change conditions in your life change your mind. See the world for what it is and act accordingly. All manifestation is but the appearance of the same energy in different forms. Remember, what your physical senses tell you is not what is really there. And the powerful thought patterns of mental imagery are where changes really begin to take place.
The planet Neptune is associated with this card. This is another reference to water, for Neptune is called the god of the deep sea. As a planet Neptune is aligned with silence, sleep, and inspiration, thus a reference to imagination. Neptune rules Pisces, sign of the fishes and 12th sign of the Zodiac. Our Suspended Man is having a Neptunian experience, a deep spiritual experience in silence. 
The beginning of the Piscean Age brought us Jesus and his 12 Apostles. Plus many of his disciples were fishermen.
Let’s take a further look at the symbology of this number. 12 is the total number of Hebrew simple letters, which can be found on the 12 edges of a cube. In the Book of Formation a cube is used to describe the foundation of the Universe. There are 12 signs of the zodiac, each of which is said to represent a type of personality. The zodiac is divided into 4 triplicities, one triplicity for each element: fire, air, earth and water. The shape of Suspended Man appears to be a multiple of 12, by the position of his legs, a four, and his arms, a three, like a triangle. So, it seems that all the personalities of the zodiac, or you could say, the Personality of the Cosmos, can be found summed up in the Suspended Man.
Four reminds us of the Emperor, ruler of reason, and three the Empress, ruler of imagination. On this card we have active reason (the cross) exalted above imagination (the triangle). By this configuration we are instructed to be careful what images we create and ponder. If we truly understand our place in Life, we can actually imagine ourselves into a better life by using correct reasoning. Here the reasoning self-conscious mind is fully in charge. Race thought and mood swings are a thing of the past.
The three and the four created by his arms and legs also express the alchemical symbol for sulphur. But it’s upside down on the card. Sulfur represents passion, but here in Key 12, with the point downward, it’s silent. The three chakras, 2 in the brain and 1 in the throat are the triangle. The other 4 are the cross and in the rest of our body. We’re not seeking the material world to satisfy our needs; we’ve turned our passion inward and used it to bring on illumination. And at that point everything we need will come to us.
Let’s look at his clothing. His jacket is blue, the color for water, memory, receptivity. His legs are red, the color for fire and action. These elements are opposites. Opposition is also symbolized by the reversal of the figure. But opposition is at rest here. All activity is suspended, even his hands are behind his back. That’s because he’s suspended by a twisted white cord, a reference to the cyclic, rhythmic nature of the Life Force. We put on a jacket to protect us from the elements. His blue jacket of protection declares his receptivity and access to the Inner Voice. Behind him all is gray, representing the union of opposites, the foundation of Wisdom.
His has two pockets in his jacket in which to hold things. They are shaped like crescent moons, reminding us that the attributes and powers of the sub-conscious mind are readily available. His ten white buttons remind us of the 10 Sephiroth, or light emanations, on the Tree of Life. The white trim on his jacket looks like a cross above a circle, suggesting the symbol for the planet Mars. The entire jacket is an expression of the protection of the Life Force with its underlying power fully active. His yellow shoes and yellow halo are indicative of the super-conscious plane of mental activity where he resides.
The ground has been hollowed out by water. His head falls below the surface of the ground, indicating his thinking and illumination are active below the surface of things. He can see that which is hidden to most people. On the ground surface we have green grass, reminding us of Venus and love. It is also indicative of growth and desire.
His overall appearance is that of an unmovable pendulum, perfectly poised and at ease. His personality is at one with all Life. He’s completely supported by all Life. He appears withdrawn, but he is actively engaged.
Gates of Light 