He tries to encourage them to do the things they would like to do but for which they lack the courage. At such times, the Enemy appears holding two wooden signs in his hand.
On one sign is written: “Think about yourself. Keep all the blessings for yourself, otherwise you’ll end up losing everything.”
On the other sign, he reads: “Who do you think you are, helping other people? Can’t you see your own faults?”
A Warrior knows that he has faults. But he knows too that he cannot do his growing alone, distanced from his companions.
Therefore, he throws the two signs to the floor, even if he thinks they may contain a grain of truth. The signs crumble into dust, and the Warrior continues to encourage those nearest him.
The philosopher Lao Tzu says of the journey of the Warrior of the Light:
“The Way involves respect for all small and subtle things. Learn to recognize the right moment to adopt the necessary attitudes.”
“Even if you have already fired a bow several times, continue to pay attention to how you position the arrow and how you flex the string.”
“When a beginner knows what he needs, he proves more intelligent than an absent-minded sage.”
“Accumulating love brings luck, accumulating hatred brings calamity. Anyone who fails to recognize problems leaves the door open for tragedies to rush in.”
“The battle is not the same as the quarrel.”
The Warrior of the Light meditates.
He sits in a quiet place in his tent and surrenders himself to the divine light. When he does this, he tries not to think about anything; he shuts himself off from the search for pleasure, from challenges and revelations, and allows his gifts and powers to reveal themselves.
Even if he does not recognize them then, these gifts and powers will take care of his life and will influence his day-to-day existence.
While he meditates, the Warrior is not himself, but a spark from the Soul of the World. Meditation gives him an understanding of his responsibilities and of how he should behave accordingly.
A Warrior of the Light knows that in the silence of h
is heart he will hear an order that will guide him.
When I draw my bow,” says Herrigel to his Zen master, “there comes a point when I feel as if I will get breathless if I do not let fly at once.”
“If you continue to try to provoke the moment when you must release the arrow, you will never learn the art of the archer,” says his master. “Sometimes, it is the archer’s own overactive desire that ruins the accuracy of the shot.”
A Warrior of the Light sometimes thinks: “If I do not do something, it will not be done.”
It is not quite like that: He must act, but he must allow room for the Universe to act too.
When a Warrior is the victim of some injustice, he usually tries to be alone, in order not to show his pain to others.
This is both good and bad.
It is one thing to allow one’s heart to heal its wounds slowly, but it is quite another to sit all day in deep contemplation for fear of seeming weak.
Inside each of us there lives an angel and a devil, and their voices are very alike. Confronted by a problem, the devil encourages that solitary conversation, trying to show us how vulnerable we are. The angel makes us reflect upon our attitudes and occasionally needs someone else’s heart to reveal itself.
A Warrior balances solitude and dependence.
A Warrior of the Light needs love.
Love and affection are as much a part of his nature as eating, drinking, and a taste for the Good Fight. When the Warrior watches a sunset and feels no joy, then something is wrong.
At this point, he stops fighting and goes in search of company, so that they can watch the setting sun together.
If he has difficulty in finding company, he asks himself: “Was I too afraid to approach someone? Did I receive affection and not even notice?”