Thursday, November 17, 2016

September 26, 2016: The Seneschal



The Seneschal, or the Twelve of Earth, is a card that has interested me since I first received this deck in the mail.  The Seneschal is my card for today, and I’m looking forward to thinking about it.  First, keywords.  The keywords for The Seneschal are servant, administrator, mediator, justice, law, organized, trustworthy and loyal.  Next, I think this card deserves a definition because this is not a term that is in use these days.  Merriam-Webster defines “seneschal” as “an agent or steward in charge of a lord’s estate in feudal times.  Okay, that makes sense; the seneschal would have access to all the powers of the lord, only the seneschal would take actions in the name of the lord of the estate and in the lord’s highest good, not for the seneschal’s benefit.  Not everyone could do this job.

The message of this card to me is that I have authority in this life (either perceived authority or actual authority), and I need to use my authority wisely because in the end, I also answer to “someone.”  Like yesterday’s King of Air, The Seneschal follows the rules, however he also questions the rules if they seem to not apply.  He has many tools at his fingertips, tools that allow him to do his job in an effective way, but in the end his power is borrowed.  He reminds me that sometimes it is quite important to set aside aspirations of leadership, and instead be the one that is trusted by the leader.  This “one” has huge responsibility, because added to everything else is the requirement to interpret the needs of the leader, and then manifest them without editing in accordance with personal beliefs or emotions. 

I think this card today is an important message to me.  I don’t need to be the one in charge in order to have an important place in my home, my job, or my spiritual practices.  Yes, sometimes we do need to question authority, as that is one tool for evolution, but today I should hold off those questions.  I should not follow blindly, not by any means, but I might need to believe that my “leader” (whoever or whatever that is) has a long-range plan. 

I am feeling a bit “meh” today, and I am wondering about that.  It’s almost as if the security and familiarity of my past habits and actions are calling me, reminding me that while evolution is exciting and wonderful, it is also hard work and maybe it might feel good to just fall back into my old habits.  Is this the “terrible twos” of growth?  We all know that time when a child becomes unbearable, most likely because a growth spurt is imminent and the subconscious tries to revert back to the safety of the familiar, rather than moving on to the potential of the unknown. 

A lot has happened since Haftorang came to me, many changes and many experiences, some uncomfortable or worse, that I’ve been processing.  Part of me feels that I have the knowledge and wisdom and ethics to be The Seneschal.  But it appears that a part of me does not want the responsibility; that part wants the safety of being a follower. 

Perhaps I must pause here, and examine the Abyss.  This makes sense; I have no right to claim Binah and Chokmah and the 14th Path until I do so. 


$>

No comments:

Post a Comment