True North: A Guide to Purpose by Angelica O’Rourke Aug 2020
The concept of a constant guide to life is not new. Nope. It has been around throughout existence. There have many sayings, quotes, aphorisms, etc. describing this concept. Let’s look at some of the principles behind setting and staying on your true north.
Principle 1: Priority
One needs to set the number 1 purpose or goal for getting up every morning. There is a saying that if you do not set a goal you will hit it every time. It may seem simple to set a goal and live a life based on that end-goal. It is not. One can easily be distracted or side-tracked by circumstances. What would it take? It takes knowing your priority, self-discipline, and focus to name a few to stay on the path of your true north.
I use Varys from the series Game of Thrones deck as the Hierophant. Why? Because Varys will not willingly stray from his true North. He always does what is best for the realm as if it is an alive entity. If he has to choose between friendship and his love for the realm, he will choose the realm. Varys is the perfect archetype of The Hierophant and what it stands for. What is yours? Yours may be to be honest always. It may be to care for all animals or to be the first woman president. It will vary from one person to the next. Varys has the skills to stay on his true North. This brings us then to Principle 2: Self-discipline.
Principle 2: Self Discipline
One reason Varys is used as an archetype of the Hierophant is that he has self-discipline. He is not given over to desires of the flesh which many people do. This is one reason many people stray from their true north. He is totally given over to the desires of his true North to make every decision on what is the best action for the realm. He has married himself to this goal and vowed to live his life for this purpose. Self-discipline is also needed when the going gets tough. Will you play the victim? Or will you suck it up and do what needs to be done? This requires Focus.
Principle 3: Focus
Another example of why Varys is an archetype of the Hierophant is his skill to focus on the journey towards his true North.
Varys did make wrong choices or judgment at times that did not benefit the realm, but he never purposefully chose actions against the realm. When he
did make the wrong choice, he accepted the consequences and made the next right choice. He did not go into a woe-is-me attitude or go to group to discuss how he felt and why everyone should feel sorry for him. He had terrible things happen to him, but he chose to use these things to make the correct choices and to stay focused on the realm the next time.
The Hierophant stands for structure and rules based on societal norms. He bases judgment on what should be done for society and lays aside personal desires. The Hierophant is always about the good of the whole. The Hierophant is associated with Yang energy and Earth energy. This means he is focused on resources and earthly concerns. He is literally down-to-earth. I will probably continue this list of principles at another time, but for now, this should keep us all busy.
