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Sometimes the Warrior feels as if he were living two lives at once.

In one of them he is obliged to do all the things he does not want to do and to fight for ideas in which he does not believe. But there is another life, and he discovers it in his dreams, in his reading, and in his encounters with people who share his ideas.

The Warrior allows his two lives to draw near. "There is a bridge that links what I do with what I would like to do," he thinks. Slowly, his dreams take over his everyday life, and then he realizes that he is ready for the thing he always wanted.

Then all that is needed is a little daring, and his two lives become one.

Write down again what I told you: The Warrior of the Light needs time to himself. And he uses that time for rest, contemplation, and contact with the Soul of the World. Even in the midst of a battle, he manages to meditate.

Occasionally, the Warrior sits down, relaxes, and lets everything that is happening around him continue to happen. He looks at the world as a spectator, he does not try to add to it or take away from it, he merely surrenders unresistingly to the movement of life.

Little by little, everything that seemed complicated begins to become simple. And the Warrior is glad.

The Warrior of the Light is wary of people who think they know the path.

They are always so confident of their own ability to make decisions that they do not notice the irony with which destiny writes each life, and they always complain when the inevitable knocks at the door.

The Warrior of the Light has dreams. His dreams carry him forward. But he never makes the mistakes of thinking that the way is broad and the gate wide. He knows that the Universe functions in the same way as alchemy. Solve et coagula said the masters--"Concentrate and disperse your energies according to the situation."

There are moments when one should act and moments when one should accept. The Warrior knows how to distinguish between these moments.

Once he has learned how to use a sword, the Warrior of the Light discovers that his equipment is still incomplete--he needs armor.

He sets off in search of this armor and he listens to the advice of various salesmen.

"Use the breastplate of solitude," says one.

"Use the shield of cynicism," says another.

"The best armor is not to get involved in anything," says a third.

The Warrior, however, ignores them. He calmly goes to his sacred place and puts on the indestructible cloak of faith.

Faith parries all blows. Faith transforms poison into crystal clear water.

I always believe everything anyone tells me and I'm always disappointed," his companion says.

A Warrior of the Light is not afraid of disappointments because he knows the power of his sword and the strength of his love. It is important to trust people.

However, he imposes certain limits: It is one thing to accept God's signs and to know that the angels use the mouths of other people to give us advice. It is quite another to be incapable of making decisions and to be always looking for ways of letting others tell us what we should do.

A Warrior trusts other people because, first and foremost, he trusts himself.

The Warrior of the Light views life with tenderness and determination.

He stands before a mystery, whose solution he will one day find. Every so often, he says to himself: "This life is absolutely insane."

He is right. In surrendering to the miracle of the everyday, he notices that he cannot always foresee the consequences of his actions. Sometimes he acts without even knowing that he is doing so, he saves someone without even knowing he is saving them, he suffers without even knowing why he is sad.

Yes, life is insane. But the great wisdom of the Warrior lies in choosing his insanity wisely.

The Warrior of the Light studies the two columns on either side of the door he is trying to open.

One is called Fear and the other is called Desire. The Warrior looks at the column of Fear and on it is written: "You are entering a dangerous, unfamiliar world where everything you have learned up until now will prove useless."

The Warrior looks at the column of Desire and on it is written: "You are about to leave a familiar world wherein are stored all the things you ever wanted and for which you struggled long and hard."

The Warrior smiles because nothing frightens him and nothing holds him. With the confidence of one who knows what he wants, he opens the door.


Tags: Paulo Coelho Fiction