On June 2, 1953, with two young children and a new marriage at the tender age of 25, Elizabeth Mountbatten was crowned Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England. At her birth, her place in succession to the crown was distant and unlikely. When she was 16 years old, however, her destiny and fate were forever changed. Her Uncle, Edward VIII abdicated the throne, passing the line of succession to his younger brother, who would then be crowned Emperor-King George VI. It was not the first, nor the last time that a love affair would come between a member of the Royal Family and their duty to the Crown.
King George VI died an untimely death, and the Reign that Queen Elizabeth II assumed would last for 70 years, the majority of her life and the longest reign of any monarch.
What is the Monarchy?
Living in the democratic United States, the monarchy is one of the things we fled as the seedlings were planted for this new, and still very juvenile nation. Not long after the establishment of America, England began forming a preliminary Parliament, which vacillated power between it and it’s Monarchy. By the 18th Century, the Monarchy was legally bound to yield governmental power to an elected Parliament, House of Commons and Prime Minister. The Monarchy was still given figurehead duties and to this day, the Prime Minister only officially takes office after being formally asked to form a government in the name of the Monarch, and meets with the Monarch at least once a week.
I remember when I was young, watching the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, being probably the first time the English Royals came into my awareness; and asking my parents what exactly the Royal family did. The response was basically that they were for show. And I thought, what a waste. A spectacle for what?
What does it mean to be Royal.
As I grew into adulthood, and questions such as “Who am I?” and “How do I live a good life?” became more pressing; naturally I would seek for role models: people who encompassed everything I idealized in life: a purpose, happiness, fulfillment, peace. There were few people who had this. The lives of idolized celebrities, popstars and athletes seemed hollow and traumatic. Many of those who have been placed on a pedestal eventually falter, and even though we forgive them in their humanness, what we seek in a role model is someone to hold an ideal, that seems unreachable, thereby giving us something to strive for. They reside in a level or dimension of existence that seems almost unattainable, and yet it mustn’t be because there they are.
The Enemy of Mediocrity
What I see far too often in our modern day society is settling for mediocrity. We have such marvelous advancements in technology, engineering, healthcare and more; and yet we choose cheap, fast and easy. The way we dress, care for ourselves and others, the things consume, invest in, right down to our thoughts; are all subpar.
How does this happen? How do we have the best of everything? And still choose mediocrity?
How do we have all these time saving assets and still don’t have time to properly care for ourselves? In ages passed, we obtaining and preparing food, goods, clothing etc. was much more laborious and yet perhaps better quality
It is because we have turned away from our own Royalty. The archetype of Royalty has been all but lost, outside of the English Royal Family. No other family has maintained such purity of lineage and royalty for so long.
The monarch is more than just a figurehead, they are a living symbol of the archetype of Royalty.
What is Royalty?
When many people hear royalty, they think of a rich, lavish, luxurious lifestyle; having no worries, everything you could ever want at your fingertips and watching as people swoon and fawn profusely over you.
It may look like to some on the outside, but it couldn’t be further from the whole truth.
Royalty is an archetype. It’s not merely fancy clothes and jewels, it is the idealized and perfected potential that exsists for all humans, to climb out of our victimhood and realize our true power. To transcend such lowly energies of pettiness, greed, selfishness, judgement, separation, and gossip into an exalted state of being.
The Royal family, and specifically the Monarch, holds the energy for choosing one’s divine sovereignty over mere humanness. This means choosing one’s godliness over mediocrity and selfishness. I means choosing, above all else, duty and service; and along with that comes grace, poise, elegance, compassion, everything we’ve seen exuded from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I means living, at all times, in the elevated state of being that we all can strive for.
Holding a position of such power comes with great responsibility. Unlike elected officials, there are no days off, no vacations, and no set terms. The Monarch holds no political, and retains an astute objective in any case before them, they do not stoop to involve themselves in dramatic tabloids of gossip, and refrain from discussing most any detail of their personal lives. Not because they are distant or avoidant, but because their job is not to live in such lowly realms of gossip and drama, but to remain in a higher esteem.
Gossip, drama, tabloids keep us in a vibration of separation, victimhood, and powerlessness. Speaking of something we know nothing about (mere opinion), pointing fingers, speaking publicly of personal affairs does not empower us, it keeps us in a cyclical loop of mere humanness, when our innate potential is Godliness.
Why do we need such archetypes?
Why do we seek such role models? Why do children idolize their heroes? Because the human condition is to improve upon itself. We strive for better, faster, more efficient. The essence of self improvement is knowing oneself. In order to transcend, one must know the truth of who one is, and separate that from the lies told by an to oneself. What better way to see the potential for what can be, than to see it embodied in a living example?
The Children of God who Grow Up
We are children of God, made in his image. Children are meant to grow to be like, and ideally better than our parents. Christ, the Prophets, Saints, Kings and Queens give us a human example of what God can look like in the flesh. To be like God, like Christ, Saintly, Queenly, Kingly is something we can all strive for. We can all strive to be the best versions of ourselves.
Even if you don’t believe in a religious God, all of us strive to be the best version of ourselves. To treat ourselves and others with dignity and respect, to love freely, to protect the innocent and weak, to fight for justice.
None of us have any clue what it means, or feels like to wake up every single day and choose duty over yourself and your family for 70 years.
What is duty?
Queen Elizabeth lived 70 years of her life in total and complete Service, or duty to her position as Monarch. Part of living a Royal life is sacrificing aspects of the self that keep us small and diminish our purpose. This is why Royals do no engage in tabloids, gossip, and even put duty above their personal indulgences.
Because in truth, our greatest and highest destiny is far greater than any one of us individually. Our duty, after ourselves, is to one another. Our duty, in essence, is to serve others. In our Godlike embodiment, our duty is to do good for all, not just yourself.
By putting her duty and service to others above her service to her own personal preferences, Queen Elizabeth II held a beacon of light for all others to recognize, put their faith in and to follow. Her steadfastness gave us all a sense of stability and continuity in a seemingly chaotic world, where nothing is as it seems.
That reliability, that unwavering devotion to principle and relentless Light gives us all hope in turbulent and hopeless time. She gave us something to strive for, to know that even under the toughest pressure, one does not have to break. There is a resilience and fortitude in the human Spirit that Her Majesty did indeed master. She is an exemplary role model for what is possible with an appropriate concentration of willpower.
And so, to Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England, I offer my most humble and gracious gratitude, for your limitless service to us all. May we all learn from and embody your example of sovereignty.
