As the wheel of Tarot turns from Strength at Trump 11 to the Hanged Man at Trump 12, The Fool, previously the Hero Hercules, appears to be brought low as a thief condemned to hang for his crimes. In traditional symbolism, he hangs holding the bags of gold he has stolen, although in some interpretations his face shines in serene beatitude rather than suffering from the punishment he has brought upon himself. It is as if he wished to be hung in the first place. The symbolism of being hung upside down connected the symbol to Peter and the Christ story, probably leading to the primary meaning of the card being sacrifice, or even sacrifice through suffering. Crowley seems to embrace this association and amplify it even further by illustrating his hanged man as actually crucified by nails through the hands and one foot. Don't be mistaken that Crowley is conveying anything like Pauline Christianity through the symbolism of this card. Crowley adapted the key feature of this card straight from existing decks and thought it central to the image.
Just as in the Emperor image the Hanged Man has his legs crossed one over the other in a figure 4, though the style of rendering the figure makes its interpretation this time much more explicit. Crowley used the legs crossed in this manner to convey the act of withholding ejaculation. The vaginal symbolism of the Ankh above with hidden egg and wispy white emission makes it very obvious. The Hanged Man himself is a phallus and the sacrifice implied is that of orgasm. Crowley once again reveals tantric interpretations of symbols decades before Tantra would be heard of in the West. The beatitude of this figure and the halo around his head come from the coiled Kundalini serpent below which he is waking by engaging in sex without ejaculation and the joy of that exercise. This is one of the tantric techniques most certain to trigger the beginning of the Kundalini awakening.
Herein is another hint about the Tarot viewed as the wheel of the law, or a pictorial map of the Hero's journey. We are moving backwards. If the Kundalini is fully awakened at 11 Strength, how are we awakening it later at 12? We are not. We have been moving unconsciously through the Trumps from the end to the beginning and the Fool is the goal. There is a choice we have up until now, coming from the mundane World to the Hanged Man, that we can just quit our seeking, return to the comfort of familiar things and give up on being an adventurer. Once committed to the Kundalini process there will be no turning back. Once the serpent is awakened it's path to heaven must be completed or destroy the Hero in the process. Choose wisely.
