Sage Leaves: The Hanged Man and Transgenerational Healing
Exploring the Meaning of The Hanged Man Card for Transgenerational Healing
This Week in Sage Leaves
Branches flame and sky grows thin, shadows stretch and seasons bend. In turning, pause — a doorway opens, and the path of healing begins.
Welcome, wise ones, to this week’s Sage Leaves as autumn settles fully around us. The leaves begin to flame and fall, the days shorten with unmistakable swiftness, and the air carries the first crispness of the season. Early migratory birds lift from field and river, winging south as a reminder that all creatures heed the turning wheel. This is a time of weighing and gathering, of asking what we will carry forward and what we must set down.
In our readings this week, The Hanged Man steps forward as guide, reminding us that truth and accountability are not only personal choices but also part of the long threads we inherit across generations. Together we will explore how The Hanged Man can illuminate patterns, restore balance, and support the deep work of transgenerational healing as we walk into this season of shifting light.
You’ll also find this week’s Tarotscope for September 23–30, 2025, bringing awareness for the days ahead.🌿
The Hanged Man Card for Transgenerational Healing
When The Hanged Man appears in a tarot reading, the card often stops you in your tracks. Its image is striking: a figure suspended upside down, one leg bent at the knee, the face calm and even radiant. This is not a scene of punishment, but one of surrender and perspective. In everyday readings, it signals pause, reversal, or a need to let go. But when you consider it in the context of transgenerational healing, its meaning deepens. The Hanged Man becomes a mirror for how families carry wounds across time, and how healing sometimes requires waiting, reflection, and courage to see life differently.
Transgenerational healing is the process of addressing wounds, traumas, and patterns that move down through family lines. These are often unspoken burdens—grief never named, shame carried in silence, or survival strategies passed from one generation to the next. They become part of the “emotional luggage” families hand forward, often without realizing it. When you encounter The Hanged Man in a reading centered on this work, the card signals that the healing process cannot be rushed. It tells you that understanding the roots of family pain requires patience, stillness, and a willingness to view life from an unfamiliar angle.
The Hanged Man is about surrender, and surrender is at the heart of transgenerational healing. Too often, people want quick answers or dramatic solutions. But ancestral wounds do not mend through force. They require you to soften your grip on certainty and control. When you let yourself hang in that in-between state—neither fully in the past nor fully in the future—you allow old stories to surface. Memories, family narratives, and patterns begin to take shape. This suspension is uncomfortable, but it is also fertile ground for insight.
Think of a family that has lived through war, displacement, or poverty. Even if the original events are long past, their imprint remains. Descendants may carry anxiety, scarcity mindsets, or distrust without knowing why. The Hanged Man in a spread reminds you that this inherited heaviness cannot be solved by simply pushing forward. You must pause. You must look at what has been handed down with compassion. The card calls you to surrender the urge to “fix” and instead open yourself to a new way of seeing. Only then does healing begin.
"The Hanged Man reminds you that ancestral wounds do not mend through force but through surrender, patience, and a willingness
to see the story differently."
Another important layer is the theme of reversal. The Hanged Man literally flips the world upside down. In transgenerational healing, this represents breaking cycles. Families often repeat behaviors without questioning them. “This is just how we are,” people say. But The Hanged Man challenges you to turn that script around. What if what was once survival has now become a chain? What if the way your grandparents coped is no longer serving you? This card invites you to reverse the inherited story and write a new one.
The calmness of The Hanged Man is also part of its teaching. Hanging upside down looks frightening, but the figure radiates peace. For you, this is a reminder that healing ancestral wounds is not just about pain. It is also about discovering unexpected serenity. When you stop struggling against what you cannot change, you discover space for acceptance. You realize that you cannot undo the past, but you can choose how its story continues through you. That choice brings relief, and sometimes even joy.
In practical terms, when The Hanged Man shows up in a transgenerational healing reading, it often points to the need for reflection practices. Journaling, meditation, or quiet time spent listening to family elders can reveal hidden truths. It also suggests that therapy or counseling rooted in family systems could be helpful. The card is telling you that this is not the time for fast decisions. Instead, it is the time to gather perspective, suspend judgment, and allow insights to rise naturally.
The Hanged Man also carries a spiritual message. In many traditions, hanging upside down symbolizes initiation. Shamans, mystics, and seekers often endure periods of trial or waiting in order to gain wisdom. In this sense, The Hanged Man in transgenerational work shows that you may be the one chosen in your family line to hold the pause, to look deeply, and to shift the story. It can be a heavy responsibility, but also a sacred calling. You become the bridge between what was and what can be.
The card’s influence also highlights compassion. In family healing, it is tempting to blame. You may feel anger toward ancestors who made harmful choices or passed down damaging beliefs. But The Hanged Man encourages you to soften. From this suspended view, you realize that those before you were also hanging in their own way—caught in circumstances, limited by culture, or struggling to survive. This does not excuse harm, but it helps you release judgment and choose empathy instead. That release becomes part of your healing.
In conclusion, The Hanged Man’s appearance in a reading for transgenerational healing is a powerful invitation. It reminds you that healing family wounds requires patience, surrender, and a willingness to see differently. It calls you to pause, to reflect, and to trust the uncomfortable in-between space. It teaches that breaking cycles sometimes means flipping the story upside down, and that serenity can be found in letting go of control. Most of all, it suggests that you may be the one chosen to bring awareness, compassion, and new perspective into your family’s story. The Hanged Man does not offer a quick cure. Instead, it offers the wisdom that healing is a process, and that through stillness and reversal, transformation becomes possible.
Reflection Prompt:
Where in your family’s story might you need to pause, let go of control, and look at the pattern from a new angle in order to begin healing?
🌿 Sage Leaves Weekly Tarotscope
September 23-30, 2025
As autumn settles deeper, the rhythm of the days feels both urgent and steady. This week’s spread calls you to notice how cooperation, conflict, and choice weave together into a story of growth. With challenges surfacing in the 5s and a single Major Arcana, The Magician, stepping forward as the turning point, you are asked to balance struggle with agency and dreams with action. These cards remind you that transformation takes shape not only in grand gestures but in the daily work of showing up with focus and persistence.
The Cards of the Week
Tuesday: 3 of Pentacles – Sun in Libra Opposite Neptune in Aries
Wednesday: 5 of Wands – Sun in Libra Trine Pluto in Aquarius
Thursday: 5 of Pentacles
Friday: 7 of Cups – Moon in Sagittarius Sextile Pluto in Aquarius
Saturday: The Magician – Venus in Virgo Square Uranus in Gemini
Sunday: 10 of Cups
Monday: Knight of Pentacles – Moon in Capricorn Trine Venus in Virgo
Daily Story
Tuesday – 3 of Pentacles
The week begins with the 3 of Pentacles, a card of collaboration, planning, and shared effort. The Sun in Libra opposite Neptune in Aries highlights the tension between ideals and realities. You may find yourself balancing your personal vision with the expectations or input of others. This is not a day to go it alone. Instead, lean into teamwork and clear communication. Even if there is confusion about direction, progress will come through building together and honoring the contributions of all involved.
Wednesday – 5 of Wands
On Wednesday, the 5 of Wands brings competition, friction, and energetic clashes. The Sun in Libra trine Pluto in Aquarius sharpens this energy, suggesting that beneath surface squabbles lies a deeper call to transform how you handle conflict. Not all struggles are destructive; sometimes they sharpen your skills and clarify your position. Today’s lesson is to stand your ground without burning bridges. Friction can be creative, and through it you may discover new strength or strategy.
Thursday – 5 of Pentacles
Thursday brings the 5 of Pentacles, often associated with lack, hardship, or feeling left out in the cold. It marks a sobering moment in the week. After the spark of teamwork and the push of competition, this card reminds you that challenges sometimes leave you feeling isolated or depleted. The message is not to wallow in loss but to notice the light in the window nearby. Support is closer than you think. This card invites you to shift your gaze from scarcity to possibility, and to remember that solidarity is the antidote to despair.
Friday – 7 of Cups
On Friday, the 7 of Cups opens a field of possibilities. The Moon in Sagittarius sextile Pluto in Aquarius adds depth to your imagination and may amplify your ability to dream big. Choices abound, but so do illusions. You may feel tempted by glamorous visions that lack substance, or overwhelmed by too many paths at once. This is a day to pause and ask which options serve your long-term growth rather than immediate distraction. Imagination is powerful, but discernment is necessary.
"The Magician rises as the week’s turning point, reminding you that agency and intention are the true antidotes to confusion and scarcity."
Saturday – The Magician
Saturday is marked by The Magician, the only Major Arcana card of the week. With Venus in Virgo square Uranus in Gemini, this day has a spark of unpredictability, a sudden shift in how you view your tools and talents. The Magician reminds you that you already hold what you need — the wand, the cup, the sword, and the pentacle are all on the table. Today is about claiming agency and channeling intention into action. Where earlier in the week you faced confusion or lack, here you step into your own power. This is the turning point of the week, the card that asks you to move from passive reaction into conscious creation.
Sunday – 10 of Cups
On Sunday, the 10 of Cups appears, a card of harmony, joy, and emotional fulfillment. After the turbulence of the earlier week, this card offers a moment of wholeness. Family, community, and chosen kin come into focus. The imagery of a rainbow arching over a happy home reminds you that connection and love are what anchor you. This card does not promise perfection, but it affirms that you are capable of creating spaces of belonging and joy even in imperfect circumstances.
Monday – Knight of Pentacles
The week closes with the Knight of Pentacles, steady, methodical, and reliable. The Moon in Capricorn trine Venus in Virgo underscores patience and dedication. After the ups and downs of the week, this card offers a grounded path forward. The Knight reminds you that real progress is not flashy. It is made step by step, with care and persistence. As you move into the new week, the focus shifts to consistent effort and practical follow-through.
Overarching Themes
Numerology and Progression
The week’s narrative contains a visible progression. You begin with the 3 of Pentacles, a number of collaboration and growth, and move through the instability of the 5s, which represent challenge and disruption. By week’s end you arrive at the Knight of Pentacles, a figure of maturity and responsibility. This suggests a journey from cooperation, through conflict and lack, toward steady progress. The two 5s stand out, highlighting the theme of crisis and choice. They remind you that growth often emerges from friction and discomfort.
Major Arcana Presence
The sole Major Arcana this week is The Magician. Its solitary presence makes it significant — it is the pivot point of the entire arc. The Magician signals that personal agency and focused intention are the true antidotes to confusion, scarcity, and overwhelm. It represents the power of aligning will and resources, and it marks a moment when you can reclaim control of your own narrative.
Elemental Balance
There are no Swords this week, which is striking. This absence suggests that logic and mental clarity are not the primary forces in play. Instead, the week is dominated by Pentacles (three cards), which emphasize material reality, security, and sustained effort. With Cups and Wands also present, the story includes emotion and passion, but everything returns to the grounded lessons of Pentacles: building, enduring, and persevering.
Lack of Recurring Cards
Unlike previous weeks, there are no recurring cards from the previous weeks. This suggests that you are not revisiting an old pattern but stepping into new ground. The repetition lies instead in the numerical sequence: the two 5s and the larger movement from 3 to Knight. The absence of recurring imagery highlights that this is a fresh cycle, with new challenges and new opportunities, rather than a continuation of a past loop.
However, looking back, both last year and this year bring forward the Knight of Pentacles and the 7 of Cups as recurring guides. Together they remind you that imagination without focus drifts, and steady effort without vision stagnates. This pairing asks you to balance dreams with discipline, weaving possibility into grounded reality.
Conclusion
This week’s spread weaves a story of building, testing, and reclaiming agency. You begin with collaboration in the 3 of Pentacles, clash with conflict in the 5 of Wands, and encounter scarcity with the 5 of Pentacles. Imagination blooms in the 7 of Cups, and then you cross the threshold of empowerment with The Magician. From there, harmony shines in the 10 of Cups, and the week closes with the practical reliability of the Knight of Pentacles.
The energy of the 5s asks you to face difficulty honestly, while The Magician shows that you have the tools to transform struggle into creation. The final movement into the Knight of Pentacles grounds you in steady progress. Though no single card repeats, the week offers a clear rhythm: from challenge to choice, from scarcity to abundance, and from dreaming to building.
In this season of shifting light, the cards remind you that transformation is rarely smooth, but it is always possible when you trust your tools, your vision, and your persistence.
The path from the 3 of Pentacles to the Knight of Pentacles shows you that growth is a process of testing, choosing, and persevering. Even when conflict and lack appear, they are steps along a larger arc that moves toward grounded strength. As you move through this week, remember that the tools you need are already in your hands, and steady effort will carry you further than fear or haste.
Where in your life are you being asked to move from confusion or scarcity into steady, intentional action? How can you use the tools already in your hands to shift the story you are living?
Think about a recent conflict or moment of scarcity. What small, concrete step could you take to shift your response — from struggle into learning, or from lack into resourcefulness?
Until Next Time...
As autumn deepens and the light wanes, may The Hanged Man walk beside you as both teacher and companion. Let the cool air remind you that wisdom often comes when you pause, release control, and see from a new angle. May this season grant you the patience to surrender what no longer serves, the perspective to glimpse hidden truths, and the courage to carry forward only what brings healing to the generations yet to come.
Leaves fall, light softens,
the world turns upside down.
In stillness, wisdom ripens,
and healing takes root in you.
Until next next time,
— Dr. Winkler