The Hanged Man isn't a death card, unless it's linked with others in the deck that give the meaning (like a lot of the swords, the Tower, the Lovers, the Devil, Judgement and the Death card, all as possibles for instance... and it would also depend on the spread* used and where they were in it as to the precise meaning: there isn't a single "terminal" card).
What it does indicate is rather varied, sorry to say. As this looks as though it was an upright reading**, it could very well mean a fully aware self-sacrifice (be it either wise or foolish) for either knowledge or a goal, a warning about doing so or pointing out that others will do this on your behalf. In other circumstances, it can mean a deluded self-sacrifice (definitely the reversed reading, or in the wrong part of a spread). As this looks like a standard Tarot de Marseilles-derived*** image, that's a possible: stupid sacrifices for transitional and insubstantial material gain is one of the possible upright meanings of the card in that deck. Some readers also add a Judas meaning to the Hanged Man: it can mark betrayal in your path, if you are one of those. Particularly when near the Moon or the Devil.
Again: the Hanged Man is neither wholly positive or negative and should never be read with just one set of glasses on. He can swing either way.
The sacrifice may well be worth it. Think education: you sacrifice your time (as well as blood, sweat and tears) to gain something at the end. Whether that is a good thing is up to you.
Interesting that the ten of clubs also came up (torn in half): in cartomancy that could be translated as all the good, solid things in life like business success of all kinds, a solid personal base (and image with others: PR) and financial security are going to be torn away to leave nothing but misery and misfortune. (Note: the undamaged card would be all positive. The ten of clubs is a good card to get. All the clubs are usually friendly. Not like dangerous diamonds or sneaky spades.)
The ten of hearts would arguably be worse when torn in half, though: that's a more personal card. At least with clubs, there's always a hint you can rebuild, no matter how badly things get torn down.
*Spread or layout: how the cards are lain out on the table that show the reader which order to read them in, and which interpretation to use, given their place in the pattern. They can come in simple and complex. Even a single-card reading is a "spread".
**Upright reading: when a card is right-side up, as it was supposed to be seen when originally drawn. Reversed is when it's upside-down, and, depending on the reader, can change the meaning of the card to either the opposite of the standard, upright reading, or obscure it in some other way. Reading reversals is a tricky business, and some readers don't bother using them.
***The template of most Tarot decks: the industry standard (there are others, like the Sardinian deck, for insistence). It's a gaming deck. (And, the game of Tarot is a fun one, by the way: I recommend it.) And, a direct descendent of the Italian grand-daddy of all modern card games.
Edited by Euodiachloris, 01 August 2012 - 12:12 PM.
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