It has been an extraordinarily ridiculous amount of time since I last meditated on a page from Paulo Coelho's book Warrior of the Light. But that does not matter. All that matters is now, in this moment, I am again.
A Warrior of the Light does not rely on strength alone, he makes use of his opponent'senergy, too. - Warrior of the Light, p3 -
A battle cannot be won if one burns through all his or her energy in the fight. A warrior knows that strength is important, but it is never a deciding factor. Intelligence is used: how to use an opponent's weakness against him, how to cater to a warrior's advantage without exhausting the warrior before the fight is over. The crowd watches, jeers, even, as the warrior pauses to kneel and pray. He listens to the words of his god, his inner voice, his reason. He does not listen to the human world around him, but touches with something much deeper inside of himself. And it is there, in that core, that he finds his strength.
In a roman coliseum, this makes perfect sense. The implications for modern society are perhaps not as crystaline.
The idea is, in effect, not to fight the full force of life. We find ourselves on these life paths, wandering aimlessly, sometimes hopelessly. Sometimes we know exactly where we're going and just how to get there. Sometimes we have no idea where we're going, we just know the route we want to take. And some of us are content to just wander dazedly.
One thing that Coehlo expressed in his novel The Alchemist, was that even if we know precisely where a path begins and ends, we can't possibly fathom what happens in between. It will curve, twist, and take us in directions we never thought we'd go.
Sometimes we leave the path because we don't think it is going the right way. Sometimes we try to fight the path. Sometimes we see it through to the end, and are pleasantly surprised with the results. The idea is that even if everything does not work out in precisely as we planned, it still may be vital to our education. If it is not an unusual shortcut to the finish line, then it is something very important to experience.
It does take work and energy to get to where we want to be. It doesn't just happen. Neither, though, does it happen by brute force. We must use some of the energy that is given to us - the circumstances thrown our way - the energy of our opponent - to get to where we want to be. We do not need to be ashamed of asking for help, be it from a god or a guardian or a friend or confidant. When the enemy is too strong to pass through, simply allow it to redirect you. Take every blow as a lesson in self-defence, and see where you stand when it's over. Take it in stride and take it with gratitude.
Peace, Love & Light be with you.
