Accept Responsibility

This week I'll be using the Hoi Polloi Tarot published by Hoi Polloi Inc. The oracle I'll also use is the I Ching Pack created by Richard Gill and Anthony Clark and published by Thorsons. Today's cards are the Hermit and Striving Upwards (Hexagram 46):

No one can accept responsibility for the spiritual life of someone else.

―John Beckett

It is telling that this Hermit has very little color in a brightly colored deck. I was talking to a friend the other day about how churches must entertain rather than teach these days. People seem to want only fun and excitement on their spiritual path, not the hard work of looking inward or doing service for others. Hexagram 46 reflects the seed's effort of pushing up through the earth. Effort and perseverance are required for any path. Beckett (a pagan) offers "Five Reasons You Can't Find the Right Spiritual Path," which may not sound like a vacation checklist but is definitely worth a read. Here are the bullet points:

• You don’t know your core values. 
• You’re so busy running away from something you can’t run toward anything.
• You’re looking for perfection. 
• You’re looking for external confirmation.
• You aren’t sticking with something long enough to see if it works for you.