Yesterday, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-serving monarch in the history of the British Isles. The line of succession into which she was born is more than 1,000 years old, and although there have been some pretty dreadful kings and queens in that time, our present Queen is a fine example of what it means to be a Good Householder.
We know that being a Good Householder doesn't necessarily entail owning a house. But Queen Elizabeth does, and not just ordinary houses at that, but a cluster of royal palaces. Nevertheless, the criteria for GH status are the same, whether we live in a rented student flat or a Highland castle. Do we use our resources wisely? Do we live according to our conscience? Do we see Life as an end in itself?
And Queen Elizabeth definitely ticks all these boxes. I suspect that's why she is so popular, even amongst people who don't really approve of monarchy - although if they are in the Work, they should really think again, as I'll show later in this post.
The Queen gives employment and financial support to a huge group of people, from her immediate family to the enormous staff who keep the royal palaces in good shape and help her carry out her job.
She is also a spiritual beacon for millions of people worldwide.
How? Because, as Head of the Church of England, she is the supreme earthly authority for the Anglican church.
But, more than that, even to people who don't feel any particular kinship with that church, she is an example of someone who does her duty as she perceives it, cheerfully and diligently, come rain or hail, in sickness and in health.
The Queen thinks of her position as having been ordained by God. She was anointed in Westminster Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the presence of the peers of the realm and representatives from the different faiths of the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Consequently, she does not have the right to refuse any demand made of her as Head of State, nor may she show partiality to any one group, but must exemplify fairness and benevolence to all her subjects.
Although she's one of the world's richest women, she isn't attached to money for its own sake. She is frugal in her personal habits, going round turning off lights at night, eating her breakfast cereal from plastic containers just like the rest of us, feeding her dogs herself.
She doesn't waste, but neither does she stint on spending where necessary to show goodwill to foreign Heads of State, or on trips to demonstrate her interest in the wellbeing of her subjects all over the world.
She was not, it seems, a "hands on" mother, because that was never part of her job. Today's royal couple, Prince William and Princess Katherine, are involved in the daily activities of both their children, just as Princess Diana had been before them. But in the Queen and Prince Philip's day, child-rearing was considered the province of trained nannies and tutors, and later, of the school.
In all of this, Queen Elizabeth gives a living example of what it means to be a Good Householder on a very grand scale. And as such, her life and her work provide a focal point for all her subjects, and her emphasis on the spiritual aspects of each may actually help others to see life in that light.
Even people who don't agree with the principle of a hereditary monarchy have been forced to acknowledge that she is, in fact, a force for good in the family of nations.
This is not a political blog, so I won't go into that argument any further here. But just consider: if we had a President instead of a hereditary King or Queen, then the Head of State would be a political figure, just as is the case in the USA and other countries. And that figure would not be universally supported. He or she would become for many a source of contention, rather than a symbol of unity; and that, in a nutshell, is why most British people prefer their Head of State to be a politically neutral person, chosen not by political parties but by the "accident of birth".
People who know Queen Elizabeth personally say that she is, in fact, a deeply spiritual person who takes her role seriously and her commitment as a lifelong obligation. I can't think of anyone better to symbolize a kingdom than a monarch whose values are primarly spiritual, but who also carries out her duties in a professional, equable manner.
Mrs. Pogson had more to say about the symbolism of monarchy. She considered it a living illustration of the hierarchy of nature, and the order which should govern our own spiritual lives.
The public ceremonies where monarchs ride in golden coaches, escorted by parades of soldiers, to a solemn event, were, to Mrs. Pogson, an illustration of the way in which our different I's should be valued.
First comes the King or Queen, symbolizing Real I. The monarch rides in a special coach to draw our attention to the fact that this is no ordinary I, not "one of the crowd". He or she exists in Essence, from where life should in fact be directed.
The parades of soldiers, sailors, airmen and women, charity workers, and so on, who generally accompany the monarch to public events symbolize the well disciplined I's within us, those of Personality. They have particular jobs to do. They support the monarch and bring order to the kingdom, directed by their own leaders, always under the rulership of the King or Queen.
Finally, the crowds of onlookers symbolize those parts of Personality which are not particularly disciplined but which are sympathetic to the aims of Real I and willing to give their support to the ruling monarch, willing to accept a subordinate role in the knowledge that the kingdom is in safe hands.
And the value of watching these public processions, Mrs. Pogson would explain, was that the spectacle spoke directly to the Higher Emotional Centre.
That centre thinks in pictures and images, not in words. Hence, the regular ritual presentation of the correct hierarchical order of the kingdom is of great worth.
It reminds us both as individuals and as a nation that we are not the supreme rulers of our own world, that we must submit to the leadership of what is highest and closest to God in our inner being, and that this is the proper order of the world of Man.
Of course, this is an idealized picture. But we need such pictures to remind us of what should be, rather than what more often takes place - that increasing orderliness, instead of entropy, should be the pattern of our spiritual life, and that if this is borne in mind, then the outer life may eventually fall into into place as well.
Our Being attracts our life, the Work teaches us. If our Being is correctly arranged, then our lives may follow suit.
And this is the public role of the monarch - to show that right order, and to draw us into allegiance with it, as our Higher Emotional Centre recognizes the truth it shows.
No comments:
Post a Comment