Spirit of the Great Heart
The Seven of Wands is the card of keeping heart under siege.
We saw this suit’s Five (Strife) two days ago. My reflection that day was to not be drawn into the fray. This Seven card poses the question of what one ought to do when a struggle cannot be avoided.
The guidance of the card is “Valor.”
Sevens in the Thoth deck all represent situations of degeneration and diffused energy where the outcome depends upon the actions of the individual. So, picture an environment of disorder, where plans and strategy have become irrelevant. In moments like this, we must look to our deepest values, and summon the courage to act accordingly. The day is won, not by sticking to the battle plan, but by the valor of the individual.
If we are to keep heart, we must know our own hearts. In the heat of the moment, it may not be possible to get our minds quiet enough to reflect and consider what actions are most in keeping with our deeply held values. So it must be though daily practice that we discover the principles which guide us, almost by instinct, when difficulty comes. When we are beset, we return, we cleave, we take heart, we keep faith.
Guk a ‘mzimba
Sala ‘nhliziyo
This is a Bantu saying, which means “the body grows old, but the heart remains.”
May we always keep heart.