109. Warrior of Light

If the strings of an instrument are always taut, they go out of tune.

Warriors who spend all their time training lose their spontaneity in battle. Horses that are always jumping fences end up breaking a leg. Bows that are bent all day no longer shoot arrows with the same force.

That is why, even if he is not in the mood, the warrior of light tries to enjoy the small everyday things of life.

108. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light gives before he is asked.

Seeing this, some of his companions say: ‘If someone wants something, they’ll ask for it.’

But the warrior knows that there are many people who simply cannot bring themselves to ask for help. Alongside him live people with such fragile hearts that love becomes a sickness; they are starving for affection and yet are ashamed to show it.

The warrior gathers these people round the fire, he tells stories, shares his food, gets drunk with them. The following day, everyone feels better.

Those who look on other people’s misery with indifference are the most miserable of all.

107. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light learned that God uses solitude to teach us how to live with other people.

He uses rage to show us the infinite value of people. He uses boredom to underline the importance of adventure and spontaneity.

God uses silence to teach us to use words responsibly. He uses tiredness so that we can understand the value of waking up. He uses illness to underline the blessing of good health.

God uses fire to teach us about water. He uses earth so that we can understand the value of air. He uses death to show us the importance of life.

106. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light shares with others what he knows of the path.

Anyone who gives help also receives help and needs to teach what he has learned. That is why he sits by the fire and recounts his day on the battlefield.

A friend whispers: ‘Why talk so openly about your strategy? Don’t you realise that, by doing so, you run the risk of sharing your conquests with others?’

The warrior merely smiles and says nothing. He knows that if, at the end of his journey, he arrives to find an empty paradise, his struggle will have been a waste of time.

105. Warrior of Light

One day, for no apparent reason, the warrior realises that he does not feel the same enthusiasm for the fight that he used to.

He continues to do what he has always done, but every gesture seems meaningless. At such a time, he has only one choice: to continue fighting the Good Fight. He says his prayers out of duty or fear or whatever, but he does not abandon the path.

He knows that the angel of the One who inspires him has simply wandered off somewhere. The warrior keeps his attention focused on the battle and he preserves, even when everything seems utterly pointless. The angel will soon return and the merest flutter of his wings will restore the warrior’s joy to him.

104. Warrior of Light

When he wins a battle, the warrior celebrates.

The victory has cost him anxious moments, nights racked with doubt, endless days of waiting. Since ancient times, celebrating a triumph has been part of the ritual of life itself: celebration is a rite of passage.

His companions see the warrior of light’s joy and think: ‘Why is he doing that? He might be disappointed in his next battle. He might draw down on himself the wrath of his enemy.’

But the warrior knows why he is celebrating. He is savouring the best gift that victory can bring: confidence.

He celebrates yesterday’s victory in order to gain more strength for tomorrow’s battle.

103. Warrior of Light

Jesus said: ‘Let your yea; and your nay. nay.’ When the warrior takes on a commitment, he keeps his word.

Those who make promises they do not keep lose their self respect and feel ashamed of their actions. These people spend their lives in constant flight; they expend far more energy on coming up with a series of excuses to unsay what they said than the warrior of light does in honouring his commitments.

Sometimes he too takes on a foolish commitment which will in some way harm him. He does not repeat his mistake, but he nevertheless keeps his word and pays the price for his own impulsiveness.

102. Warrior of Light

When somebody wants something, the whole Universe conspires in their favour. The warrior of light knows this.

For this reason, he takes great care with his thoughts. Hidden beneath a whole series of good intentions lie feelings that no one dares confess to himself: vengeance, self-destruction, guilt, fear of winning, a macabre joy at other people’s tragedies.

The Universe does not judge; it conspires in favour of what we want. That is why the warrior has the courage to look into the dark places of his soul in order to ensure that he is not asking for the wrong things.

And he is always very careful about what he thinks.

101. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light knows how to lose.

He does not treat defeat as if it were a matter of indifference to him, saying things like ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter’ or ‘To be honest, I didn’t really want it that much’. He accepts defeat as defeat and does not try to make a victory out of it.

Painful wounds, the indifference of friends, the loneliness of losing – all leave a bitter taste. But at these times, he says to himself: ‘I fought for something and did not succeed. I lost the first battle.’

These words give him renewed strength. He knows that no one wins all the time and he knows how to distinguish his successes from his failures.

100. Warrior of Light

A warrior knows when a battle is worth fighting.

He bases his decisions on inspiration and faith. He nevertheless meets people who ask him to fight battles that are not his own, on battlefields that he does not know or which do not interest him. They want to involve the warrior of light in contests that are important to them, but not to him.

Often these are people close to the warrior of light, people who love him and trust in his strength and who want him to ease their anxieties in some way.

At such moments, he smiles and makes it clear to them that he loves them, but he does not take up the challenge.

A true warrior of light always chooses his own battlefield.

099. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light knows the value of persistence and of courage.

Often, during combat, he receives blows that he was not expecting. And he realises that, during war, his enemy is bound to win some of the battles. When this happens, he weeps bitter tears and rests in order to recover his energies a little. But he immediately resumes his battle for his dreams.

The longer he remains away, the more likely he is to feel weak, fearful and intimidated. When a horseman falls off his horse, if he does not remount immediately, he will never have the courage to do so again.

098. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light hears comments like: ‘There are certain things I’d rather not talk about because people are so envious.’

When he hears this, the warrior laughs. Envy cannot harm you, if you don’t let it. Envy is part of life and everyone should learn to deal with it.

However, he rarely discusses his plans. And sometimes people believe this is because he is afraid of envy.

But he knows that whenever he talks about a dream, he uses a little bit of the energy from that dream in order to do so. And by talking, he runs the risk of spending all the energy he needs to put the dream into action.

A warrior of light knows the power of words.

097. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light practices a powerful exercise for inner growth: he pays attention to the things he does automatically, such as breathing, blinking, or noticing the things around him.

He does this when he feels confused, and in this way he frees himself from tensions and allows his intuition to work more freely, without interference from his fears and desires. Certain problems that appeared to be insoluble are resolved, certain sorrows from which he thought he would never recover vanish naturally.

He uses this technique whenever he is faced with a difficult situation.

096. Warrior of Light

The warrior of 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.

095. Warrior of Light

The warrior of 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.

094. Warrior of Light

‘I always believe everything anyone tells me and I’m always disappointed,’ his companion says.

It is important to trust people; a warrior of light is not afraid of disappointments because he knows the power of his sword and the strength of his love.

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.

093. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light, once he has learned how to use a sword, discovers that his equipment is still incomplete - he needs armour.

He sets off in search of this armour and he listens to the advice of various salesman.

‘’Use the breastplate of solitude,’ says one.

‘Use the shield of cynicism,’ says another.

‘The best armour is not to get involved in anything,’ says a third.

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

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

092. Warrior of Light

The warrior of 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 light has dreams. His dreams carry him forward. But he never makes the mistake 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.

091. Warrior of Light

Write down again what I told you:

The warrior of 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 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.

090. Warrior of Light

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 realises 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. 

089. Warrior of Light

Each warrior of light contains within him the spark of God.

His destiny is to be with other warriors, but sometimes he will need to practice the art of the sword alone; this is why, when he is apart from his companions, he behaves like a star.

He lights up his allotted part of the Universe and tries to point out galaxies and worlds to all those who gaze up at the sky.

The warrior’s persistence will soon be rewarded. Gradually, other warriors approach, and they join together to form constellations, each with their own symbols and mysteries.

088. Warrior of Light

The warrior rarely knows the result of a battle when the battle is over.

The activity of fighting will have generated an enormous amount of energy around him and there is always a moment when victory and defeat are equally possible. Time will tell who won and who lost, but he knows that, from that moment on, he can do nothing more: the fate of that battle lies in God’s hands.

At such moments, the warrior of light is not concerned with results. He examines his heart and asks: ‘Did I fight the Good Fight?’ If the answer is ‘yes’, he can rest. If the answer is ‘no’, he takes up his sword and begins training all over again.

087. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light must always remember the five rules of combat, set down by Chuan Tzu three thousand years ago.

Faith Before going into battle, you must believe in the reasons for the fight.

Companions Choose your allies and learn to fight in company, for no one ever won a war single-handed.

Time A battle in winter is different from a battle in summer; a good warrior is careful to select the right moment to begin a fight.

Space One does not fight in the same way in a mountain pass as one would on a plain. Think about your surroundings and how best to move around in them.

Strategy The best warrior is the one who plans his fight.

086. Warrior of Light

The experienced fighter puts up with insults; he knows the strength of his fist and the skill of his blows. Confronted by an unprepared opponent, he looks deep into his eyes and conquers him without ever having to resort to a physical fight.

As the warrior learns form his spiritual master, the light of faith shines in his eyes and does not need to prove anything to anyone. He is not bothered by his opponent’s aggressive arguments which say that God is a superstition, that miracles are just tricks, that believing in angels is running away from reality.

Like the fighter, the warrior of light is aware of his own immense strength; he never fights with anyone who does not deserve the honour of combat.

085. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light is now waking from his dream.

He thinks: ‘I do not grow to deal with this light that is making me grow.’ The light, however, does not disappear.

The warrior thinks: ‘Changes must be made that I do not feel like making.’

The light remains, because ‘feel’ is a word full of traps.

Then the eyes and heart of the warrior begin to grow accustomed to the light. It no longer frightens him and he finally accepts his own Legend, even if it means running risks.

The warrior has been asleep for a long time. It is only natural that he should wake up very gradually. 

084. Warrior of Light

I repeat:

You can recognise a warrior of light by the look in his eye. Warriors of light are in the world, they form part of the world, and they were sent into the world without saddlebags or sandals. They are often cowardly. They do not always act correctly.

Warriors of light are wounded by the most foolish things, they worry about trivialities, they believe themselves incapable of growing. Warriors of light sometimes believe themselves unworthy of any blessing or miracle.

Warriors of light often ask themselves what they are doing here. Often they find their lives meaningless.

That is why they are warriors of light. Because they fail. Because they ask questions. Because they keep looking for a meaning. And in the end, they will find it.

083. Warrior of Light

When the moment for combat approaches, the warrior of light is prepared for all eventualities.

He analyses every strategy and asks: ‘What would I do if I had to fight myself?’ He thus discovers his weak points.

At the moment, his opponent approaches; he comes with a bag full of promises, treaties, negotiations. He has tempting proposals and easy alternatives.

The warrior analyses each of the proposals; he also seeks agreement, but without ever losing his dignity. If he avoids combat, it will not be because he was seduced, but because he judged it to be the best strategy.

A warrior of light does not accept gifts from his enemy.

082. Warrior of Light

The Breviary of Medieval Knights says:

‘The spiritual energy of the Path uses justice and patience to prepare your spirit.

This is the Path of the Knight: a path that is at once easy and difficult, because if forces one to set aside trivial things and chance friendships. That is why. At many hesitate to follow it.

This is the first teaching of the Knight: you will erase everything you had written in the book of your life up until now: restlessness, uncertainty, lies. And in the place of all this you will write the word courage. By beginning the journey with that word and continuing wotjh faith in God, you will arrive wherever you need to arrive.’

081. Warrior of Light

A warrior is as wise as a serpent and as innocent as a dove.

When people gather to talk, he does not judge the behavior of others; he knows that darkness uses an invisible net to spread its evil. This net catches any snippet of information floating in the air and transforms it into the intrigue and envy that infest the human soul.

Thus, everything that is said about someone reaches the ears of the enemies of that person, augmented by the dark weight of poison and malice.

For this reason, when the warrior speaks of his brother’s opinions, he imagines that his brother is there present, listening to what he is saying.

080. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light always has a second chance in life.

Like all other men and women, he was not born knowing how to use a sword; he made many mistakes before he discovered his Personal Legend.

No warrior can sit down by the fire and tell others: ‘I always did the right thing.’ Anyone who says this is lying and has not yet learned to know himself. The true warrior of light has committed injustices in the past.

But as he proceeds on his journey, he realizes that the people to whom he did not behave correctly always cross his path again.

It is his chance to right the wrong he did them, and he always, unhesitatingly, seizes that chance.

079. Warrior of Light

The friends of the warrior of light ask him where he draws his energy from. He says: ‘From the hidden enemy.’

His friends ask who that is.

The warrior responds: ‘ Someone we can no longer hurt.’

It might be a boy who beat him in a childhood scrap, the girlfriend who left him when he was eleven, the teacher who said he was stupid. When he is tired, the warrior reminds himself that these enemies have still not seen his courage.

He does not consider revenge, because the hidden enemy is no longer part of his story. He thinks only of improving his skills so that his deeds will be known throughout the world and reach the ears of those who have hurt him in the past.

Yesterday’s pain is the warrior of light’s strength.

078. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light is not constantly repeating the same struggle, especially when there are neither advances nor retreats.

If a battle is not progressing, he knows that he must sit down with the enemy and negotiate a truce; they have both practiced the art of the sword, now they need to understand each other.

This is a dignified gesture, not a cowardly one. It is a balance of forces and a change of strategy.

Once the peace plans have been drawn up, the warriors return to their houses. They do not need to prove anything to anyone; they fought the Good Fight and kept the faith. Each one gave a little, thus learning the art of negotiation.

077. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light never falls into the trap of that word 'freedom'.

When his people are oppressed, freedom is a very clear concept. At such times, using sword and shield, he fights as long as he has breath and life. When contrasted with oppression, freedom is easy to understand: it is the opposite of slavery.

But sometimes the warrior hears older people saying: ‘When I stop working, I will be free.’ A year later, those same people are complaining: ‘Life is all boring routine.’ In this case, freedom is difficult to understand: it means absence of meaning.

A warrior of light is always committed. He is the slave of his dream and free to act. 

076. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light has the sword in his hands.

He is the one who decides what he will do and what he will never do.

There are moments when life leads him into a crisis; he is separated from things he has always loved; it is then that the warrior reflects. He checks that he is fulfilling God’s will or if he is merely acting selfishly. If this separation is really part of his path, then he accepts it without complaint.

If, however, such a separation was provoked by someone else’s perverse actions, then he is implacable in his response.

The warrior possesses both force and forgiveness. He can use both with equal skill.

075. Warrior of Light

At the beginning of his struggle, the warior of light stated: ‘I have dreams.’

After some years, he realizes that it is actually possible to reach his goal: he knows that he will be rewarded.

At that moment, he feels sad. He knows about other people’s unhappiness, about the loneliness and frustration experienced by so much of humanity, and does not believe that he deserves what he is about to receive.

His angel whispers: ‘Give it all up.’ The warrior kneels down and offers God his conquest.

That act of surrender forces the warrior to stop asking foolish questions and help him overcome his feeling of guilt. 

074. Warrior of Light

A warrior does not keep company with those who wish to harm him. Nor he is seen in the compnay of those who want to 'console' him.

He avoids anyone who is only by his sidein the event of a defeat: these false friends want to prove that weakness is rewarded. They always bring him bad news. They always try to destroy the warrior's confidence, all under the cloak of 'solidarity'.

When they see him wounded, they dissolve in tears, but, in their heart of hearts, they are happy because the warrior has lost a battle. They do not understand that this is part of the fight.

The true companions of a warrior are besides him always, during the difficult times and the easy times.

073. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light is always vigilant.

He does not ask anyone else for permission to wield his sword; he simply takes it in his hands. Nor does he waste time explaining his actions; faithful to God’s decisions, he gives his answer in what he does.

He looks to either side of him and identifies his friends. He looks behind him and identifies his opponents. He is implacable with treachery, but he does not seek revenge; he merely drives away the enemies of his life, never fighting with them any longer than is necessary.

A warrior does not try to seem, he is.

072. Warrior of Light

A sword may not last very long, but the warrior of light must.

That is why he never allows himself to be deceived by his own abilities and thus avoids being taken by surprise. He gives each thing the value it deserves.

Often, when the warrior is pondering grave matters, the devil whispers in his ear: ‘Don’t worry about that, it’s not important.’

At others, when he is faces by banalities, the devil says to him: ‘You should pour all your energies into resolving this situation.’

The warrior does not listen to what the devil is telling him; he is the master of his sword.

071. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light never forgets the old saying: the good little goat doesn’t bleat.

Injustices happen. Everyone finds themselves in situations they do not deserve, usually when they are unable to defend themselves. Defeat often knocks at the warrior’s door.

At such times, he remains silent. He does not waste energy on words, because they can do nothing; it is best to use his strength to resist and have patience, knowing that Someone is watching, Someone who saw the unnecessary suffering and who will not accept it.

That Someone gives him what he most needs: time. Sooner or later, everything will once more work in his favour.

A warrior of light is wise; he does not talk about his defeats.

070. Warrior of Light

‘Hitler may have lost the war on the battlefield, but he ended up winning something too,’ says Marek Halter, ‘because man in the twentieth century created the concentration camp and revived torture and taught his fellow men that it is possible to close their eyes to the misfortunes of others.’

Perhaps he is right: there are abandoned children, massacred civilians, innocent people imprisoned, lonely old people, drunks in the gutter, and madmen in power.

But perhaps he isn’t right at all, for there are also warriors of light.

Warriors of light never accept what is unacceptable. 

069. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light accepts his Personal Legend completely.

His companions say: ‘He has remarkable faith!’

For a moment, the warrior feels proud, then immediately feels ashamed of what he has heard because he does not have as much faith as he appears to have.

At the moment, his angel whispers: ‘You are only an instrument of the light. There is no reason to feel proud or to feel guilty. There are only reasons to feel happy.’

And the warrior of light, aware now that he is but an instrument, feels calmer and more secure.

068. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light is terrified when it comes to making important decisions.

‘This is too much for you,’ says a friend. ‘Go on, be brave,’ says another. And his doubts grow.

After some days of anxiety, he withdraws to the corner of his tent where he usually sits to meditate and pray. He sees himself in the future. He sees the people who will benefit or be harmed by his attitude. He does not want to cause pointless suffering, but nor does he want to abandon the path.

The warrior allows the decision to reveal itself.

If he has to say ‘yes’, he will say it bravely. If he has to say ‘no’, he will say it without a trace of cowardice.

067. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light cannot always choose his battlefield.

Sometimes he is taken by surprise in the middle of battles not of his choosing, but there is no point in running away, those battles will merely follow him.

Then, at the point when conflict seems almost inevitable, the warrior talks to his opponent. Showing neither fear nor cowardice, he tries to find out why the other man wants to fight, what made him leave his village in order to seek him out to fight this duel. Without even unsheathing his sword, the warrior persuades his opponent that this is not a fight for him.

A warrior of light listens to what his opponents has to say. He only fights if absolutely necessary.

066. Warrior of Light

The Latin root of the wood ’responsibility’ reveals its true meaning: the capacity to respond, to react.

A responsible warrior is one who has proved able to observe and to learn.

He is even capable of being ‘irresponsible’. Sometimes, he has allowed himself to be carried along by a situation, without responding or reacting.

But he always learned his lesson; he took a stance, listened to advice and was humble enough to accept help.

A responsible warrior is not someone who takes the weight of the world on his shoulders, but someone who has learned to deal with the challenges of the moment. 

065. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light behaves like a child.

People are shocked; they have forgotten that a child needs to have fun and to play, to be slightly irreverent and to ask awkward, childish questions, to talk nonsense that not even he believes in.

And they say, horrified: ‘So this is the spiritual path, is it? He’s so immature!’

The warrior feels proud of such comments. And he remains in touch with God through his innocence and his joy, without ever losing sight of his mission. 

064. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light unwittingly takes a false step and plunges into the abyss.

Ghosts frighten him and solitude torments him. His aim had been to fight the Good Fight, and he never imagined that this would happen to him, but it did, Shrouded in darkness, he makes contact with his master.

‘Master, I have fallen into the abyss,’ he says. ‘The waters are deep and dark.’

‘Remember one thing,’ replies his master. ‘You do not drown simply by plunging into the water, you only drown if you stay beneath the surface.’

And the warrior uses all his strength to escape from his predicament. 

063. Warrior of Light

Sometimes evil pursues the warrior of light, and when it does, he clamly invites it into his tent.

He asks evil: ‘Do you want to hurt me or use me to hurt others?’

Evil pretends not to hear. It says that it knows the darkness in the warrior’s soul. It touches wounds that have not yet healed and calls for vengeance. It mentions certain tricks and subtle poisons that will help him to destroy his enemies.

The warrior of light listens. If conversation flags, he encourages evil to continue talking by asking all about its various plans.

When he has heard everything, he gets up and leaves. Evil feels so weary and empty after all this talk that it does not have the strength to follow him.

062. Warrior of Light

Whenever the warrior draws his sword, he uses it.

It can be used to clear a path, to help someone, to fend off danger, but a sword is a capricious thing and does not like to see its blade exposed for no good reason.

That is why the warrior never makes threats. He can attack, defend himself of flee; all of these attitudes form part of combat. It is not, however, part of combat to diminish the force of a blow by talking about it.

A warrior of light is always alert to the movements of his sword. But he never forgets that the sword is watching his every move as well.

It was not made to be used by the mouth.

061. Warrior of Light

A warrior knows that an angel and a devil are both competing for his sword hand.

The devil says: ‘You will weaken. You will not know exactly when. You are afraid.’ The angel says: ‘You will weaken. You will not know exactly when. You are afraid.’

The warrior is surprised. Both angel and devil have said the same thing.

Then the devil goes on: ‘Let me help you.’ And the angel says: ‘I will help you.’

At the moment, the warrior understands the difference. The words may be the same, but these two allies are completely different.

And he chooses the angel’s hand.

060. Warrior of Light

The warrior knows that there are occasional pauses in the struggle.

There is no point in forcing things; he must have patience and wait for the two sides to clash again. In the silence of the battlefield, he listens to his heart beating.

He notices that he is tense, that he is afraid.

The warrior takes stock of his life; he makes sure that his sword is sharp, his heart satisfied, that faith still burns in his soul. He knows that maintenance is as important as action.

There is always something not quite right. And the warrior takes advantage of those moments when time stops to equip himself better. 

059. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light is reliable.

He makes a few mistakes, he sometimes thinks he is more important than he really is, but he does not lie.

When people gather round the fire, he talks to his friends, male and female. He knows that his words are stored in the memory of the universe, like a testimony of what he thinks.

And the warrior asks himself: ‘Why do I talk so much, when often I am incapable of carrying out everything I say?’

His heart replies: ‘When you defend your ideas in public, you then have to make an effort to live accordingly.’

It is because he believes that he is what he says he is that the warrior ends up becoming precisely that.

058. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light is always trying to improve.

Every blow of his sword carries with it centuries of wisdom and meditation. Every blow needs to have the strength and skill of all the warriors of the past who, even today, continue to bless the struggle. Each movement during combat honours the movement that the previous generations tried to transmit through the Tradition.

The warrior develops the beauty of his blows.

057. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light has learned that it is best to follow the light.

He has behaved treacherously, he has lied, he has strayed from the path, he has courted darkness. And everything was fine, as if nothing had happened.

Then an abyss suddenly opens up; you can take a thousand steps in safety, but just one step too many can put an end to everything. Then the warrior stops before he destroys himself.

When he makes that decision, he hears four comments: ‘You always do the wrong thing. You’re too old to change. You’re no good. You don’t deserve it.’

He looks up at the sky. And a voice says: ‘My dear, everyone makes mistakes. You’re forgiven, but I cannot force that forgiveness on you. It’s your choice.’

The true warrior of light accepts that forgiveness.

056. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light is a believer.

Because he believes in miracles, miracles begin to happen. Because he is sure that is thoughts can change his life, his life begins to change. Because he is certain that he will find love, that love appears.

Now and then, he is disappointed. Sometimes, he gets hurt.

Then he hears people say: ‘He’s so ingenuous!’

But the warrior knows that it is worth it. For every defeat, he has two victories in his favour.

All believers know this. 

055. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light recognizes the silence that precedes an important battle.

And that silence seems to be saying: ‘Things have stopped. Why not forget about fighting and enjoy yourselves a little.’ At this point, inexperience combatants lay their arms and complain that they are bored.

The warrior listens to that silence; somewhere something is happening. He knows that devastating earthquakes arrive without warning. He has walked through forest at night and knows that it is precisely when the animals are silent that danger is near.

While the others talk, the warrior trains himself in the use of the sword and keeps his eye on the horizon. 

054. Warrior of Light

For the warrior there is no such thing as an impossible love.

He is not intimidated by silence, indifference or rejection. He knows that, behind the mask of ice that people wear, there beats a heart of fire.

This is why the warrior takes more risks than other people. He is constantly seeking the love of someone, even if that means often having to hear the word ‘no’, returning home defeated and feeling rejected in body and soul.

A warrior never gives in to fear when he is searching for what he needs. Without love, he is nothing. 

053. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light knows that everyone is afraid of everyone else.

This fear generally manifests itself in two ways: through aggression or through submission. They are two facets of the same problem.

That is why, whenever he finds himself before someone who fills him with fear, the warrior reminds himself that the other person has the same insecurities as he has. He has surmounted similar obstacles and experienced the same problems.

But he knows how to deal with the situation better. Why? Because he uses fear as an engine, not as a brake.

The warrior learns from his opponents and acts in a like manner. 

052. Warrior of Light

In the interval between battles, the warrior rests.

Often he spends whole days doing nothing, because that is what his heart demands; but his intuition remains alert. He does not commit the capital sin of Sloth, because he knows where that can lead – to the warm monotony of Sunday afternoons when time simply passes.

The warrior calls this ‘the peace of the cemetery’. He remembers a passage from Revelation: ‘I know thy works, that thou art neither cold or hot… So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.’

A warrior rests and laughs. But he is always alert.

051. Warrior of Light

The warrior knows that no man is an island.

He cannot fight alone; whatever his plan, he depends on other people. He needs to discuss his strategy, to ask for help, and – in moments of relaxation – to have someone with whom he can sit by the fire, someone he can give regale with tales of battle.

But he does not allow people to confuse this camaraderie with insecurity. He is transparent in his actions and secretive in his plans.

A warrior of light dances with his companions, but does not place the responsibility for his actions on anyone else. 

050. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light does not always have faith.

There are moments when he believes in absolutely nothing. And he asks his heart: ‘Is all this effort really worth it?’

But his heart remains silent. And the warrior has to decide for himself.

Then he looks for an example. And he remembers that Jesus went through something similar in order fully to inhabit the human condition.

‘Take away this cup from me,’ said Jesus. He too lost heart and courage, but he did not stop.

The warrior of light continues despite his lack of faith. He goes forward and, in the end, faith returns. 

049. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light pays attention to small things because they can severely hamper him.

A thorn, however tiny, can cause the traveller to halt. A tiny, invisible cell can destroy a healthy organism. The memory of a past moment of fear allows cowardice to be reborn with each new morning. A fraction of a second opens the way for the enemy’s fatal blow.

The warrior is attentive to small things. Sometimes he is hard on himself, but prefers to act in this way.

‘The devil is in the details,’ says one of the Tradition’s old proverbs. 

048. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light listens.

To engage in any activity you need to know what you can expect, how to achieve your objective, and whether or not you are capable of carrying out the proposed task.

‘Only a person who, suitably equipped, feels no desire for the results of conquest and yet remains absorbed in the struggle can truly say that he has renounced the fruits of victory.

One can renounce the fruit, but that renunciation does not signal indifference to the results.’

The warrior of light listens with respect to Gandhi’s strategy. And he remains unconvinced by those who, incapable of achieving any result at all, preach renunciation. 

047. Warrior of Light

The warrior hears someone say: ‘I need to understand everything before I can make a decision. I want to have the freedom to change my mind.’

The warrior regards these words suspiciously. He too can enjoy that freedom, but this does not prevent him from taking on a commitment, even if he does not know quite why he does so.

A warrior of light makes decisions. His soul is as free as the clouds in the sky, but he is committed to his dream.

On his freely chosen path, he often has to get up earlier than he would like, speak to people from whom he learns nothing, make certain sacrifices.

His friends say: ‘You’re not free.’

The warrior is free. But he knows that an open oven bakes no bread. 

046. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light sits around a fire with his companions.

They talk about his conquests, and any strangers who join the group are made welcome because everyone is proud of his life and of his Good Fight. The warrior speaks enthusiastically about the path, he tells how he resisted a particular challenge or speaks of the solution he found to one especially difficult situation. When he tells stories, he invests his words with passion and romance.

Sometimes, he exaggerates a little. He remembers that at times his ancestors used to exaggerate too.

That is why he does the same thing. But he never confuses pride with vanity, and he never believes his own exaggerations.

045. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light knows the importance of intuition.

In the midst of battle, he does not have time to think about the enemy’s blows, and so he uses his instinct and obeys his angel.

In times of peace, he deciphers the signs that God sends him.

People say: ‘He’s mad’

Or: ‘He lives in a fantasy world.’

Or even: ‘How can he possibly believe in such illogical things?’

But the warrior knows that intuition is God’s alphabet and he continues listening to the wind and talking to the stars.

044 Warrior of Light

The warrior remembers the past.

He knows about man’s Spiritual Quest, he knows that this Quest has been responsible for some of history’s finest pages.

But also some of history’s worst chapters: massacres, sacrifices, obscurantism. It was used for personal ends and has seen its ideas used to defend the most terrible of intentions.

The warrior has heard people ask: ‘how am I to know that the path I am on is the right path?’ And He has seen many people abandon their quest because they could not answer that question.

The warrior has no doubts; he follows one infallible saying:

‘By their fruits ye shall know them,’ said Jesus. That is the rule he follows, and he never goes wrong. 

043. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light always keeps his heart free of any feelings of hatred.

When he goes into battle, he remembers what Christ said: ‘Love your enemies.’ And he obeys.

But he knows that the act of forgiveness does not mean that he must accept everything; a warrior cannot bow his head, for if he did he would lose sight of the horizon of his dreams.

He accepts that his opponents are there to test his valour, his persistence, his ability to make decisions. They force him to fight for his dreams.

It is the experience of battle that strengthens the warrior of light. 

042. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light often loses heart.

He believes that nothing can stir in him the emotion he so desired. He is forced to spend many evenings and night feeling that he is one of the vanquished, and nothing seems able to restore his enthusiasm.

His friends say: ‘perhaps his fight is over’

The warrior feels pain and confusion when he hears such remarks because he knows that he has not yet reached the place he wanted to reach. But he is stubborn and refuses to relinquish his aims.

Then, when he least expects it, a new door opens.

041. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light needs both patience and speed.

The two worst strategic mistakes to make are acting prematurely and letting an opportunity slip; to avoid this, the warrior treats each situation as if it were unique and never resorts to formulae, recipes or other people’s opinions.

The caliph Moauiyat asked Omr Ben Al-Aas the secret of his great political skills:

‘I never get involved in something without having first worked out my retreat; then again, I have never done into a situation and immediately wanted to run straight out again,’ came the answer. 

040. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light is never in a hurry.

Time works in his favour; he learns to master his impatience and avoids acting without thinking.

By walking slowly, he becomes aware of the firmness of his step. He knows that he is taking part in a decisive moment in the history of humanity and that he needs to change himself before he can transform the world. That is why he remembers the words of Lanza del Vasto: ‘A revolution takes time to settle in.’

A warrior never picks fruit while it is still green. 

039. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light is never cowardly.

Flight might be an excellent form of defence, but it cannot be used when one is very afraid. When in doubt, the warrior prefers to face defeat and then lick his wounds, because he knows that if he flees he is giving to the aggressor greater power than he deserves.

In difficult and painful times, the warrior faces overwhelming odds with heroism, resignation and courage. 

038. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light is never indifferent to injustice.

He knows that all is one and that each individual action affects everyone on the planet. That is why, when confronted by the suffering of others, he uses his sword to restore order.

But even though he fights against oppression, at no point does he attempt to judge the oppressor. Each person will answer for his actions before God and so, once the warrior has completed his task, he makes no further comment.

A warrior of light is in the world in order to help his fellow man, not to condemn his neighbour. 

037. Warrior of Light

The Warrior of light knows when an enemy is stronger than he is.

If he decides to confront him, he will be destroyed instantly. If he responds to his provocations, he will fall into a trap. So he uses diplomacy to resolve the difficult situation in which he finds himself. When the enemy behaves like a baby, he does the same. When he challenges him to fight, he pretends not to understand.

His friends say: ‘He’s a coward.’

But the warrior of light pays no attention; he knows that all the rage and courage of a little bird are as nothing to a cat.

In such situations, the warrior remains patient; the enemy will soon go off in search of others to provoke.

036. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light who trusts too much in his intelligence will end up underestimation the power of his opponent.

It is important not to forget that sometimes strength is more effective than strategy.

A bullfight lasts fifteen minutes; the bull quickly learns that it is being tricked, and its next step is to change the bullfighter. What that happens, no amount of brilliance. Argument, intelligence or charm can avert tragedy.

That is why the warrior never underestimates brute force. When it proves too violent, he withdraws from the battlefield until his enemy has exhausted himself.

035. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light has the qualities of a rock.

When he is on a flat terrain, everything around him is in harmony and he remains stable. People can build their houses upon him, and the storm will not destroy them.

When, however, he is placed on a slope, and the things around him show neither balance nor respect, then he reveals his strength; he rolls towards the enemy that is threatening his peace. At such moments, the warrior is a devastating force, and no one can stop him.

A warrior of light thinks about both war and peace and knows to act in accordance with the circumstances. 

034. Warrior of Light

For the warrior of light, there are no abstractions.

Everything is concrete and everything is meaningful. He does not sit comfortably in his ten, observing what is going on in the worlds; he accepts each challenge as an opportunity to transform himself.

Some of his companions spend their lives moaning about their lack of choice or passing comment on the decisions made by other people. The warrior, however, transforms his thinking into action.

Sometimes he chooses the wrong goal and pays the price for his mistakes without complaint. At others, he swerves from the path and wastes a great deal of time only to end up back where he started.

But the warrior of light never allows himself to be discouraged.

033. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light sometimes behaves like water, flowing around the obstacles he encounters.

Occasionally, resisting might mean being destroyed, and so he adapts to the circumstances. He accepts without complaint that the stones along the path hinder his way across the mountains.

Therein lies the strength of water: it cannot be shattered by a hammer or wounded by a knife. The strongest sword in the world cannot scar its surface.

The waters of a river adapt themselves to whatever route proves possible, but the river never forgets its one objective: the sea. So fragile at its source, it gradually gathers the strength of the other rivers it encounters.

And, after a certain point, its power is absolute. 

032. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light always manages to balance Rigour and Mercy.

To attain his dream, he needs a strong will and an enormous capacity for acceptance; although he may have an objective, the path that leads to that objective is not always as he imagined it would be.

That is why the warrior uses a mixture of discipline and compassion. God never abandons His children, but His purposes are unfathomable, and He builds the road with our own steps.

The warrior uses that combination of discipline and acceptance to fuel his enthusiasm. Routine was never at the head of any important new movement. 

031. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light knows that it is impossible to live in a state of complete relaxation.

He has learned from the archer that, in order to shoot his arrow any distance, he must hold the bow taut. He has learned from the stars that only an inner explosion allows them to shine. The warrior notices that when a horse is about to jump over a fence, it tenses all its muscles.

But he never confuses tension with anxiety. 

030. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light needs love.

Love and affection are as much a part of his nature as eating and drinking and a taste for the Good Fight. When the warrior watched 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?’

A warrior of light makes use of solitude, but is not used by it. 

029. Warrior of Light

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 attitudes and occasionally needs someone else’s mouth to reveal itself.

A warrior balances solitude and dependence.

028. Warrior of Light

‘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 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 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.

027. Warrior of Light

The warrior of 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 from the search for pleasure, from challenges and revelations, and allows his gifts and powers to reveal themselves.

Even if he does not recognise them then, these gifts and powers are taking 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. These are the moments that give him an understanding of his responsibilities and how he should behave accordingly.

A warrior of light knows that in silence of his heart he will hear an order that will guide him.

026. Warrior of Light

The philosopher Lao Tzu says of the journey of the warrior of light:

‘The Way involves respect for all small and subtle things. Learn to recognise 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 recognise problems leaves the door open for tragedies to rush in.’

‘The battle is not the same as the quarrel.’

025. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light shares his world with the people he loves.

He tries to encourage them to do the things they would like to do but fir 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 and thus distance himself 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.

024. Warrior of Light

A warrior knows that his best teachers are the people with whom he shares the battlefield.

It is dangerous to ask for advice. It is even more dangerous to give advice. When he needs help, he tries to see how his friends resolve – or fail to resolve – their problems.

If he is in search of inspiration he reads on the lips of his neighbour the words that his guardian angel is trying to say to him.

When he is tried or lonely he does not dream about distant men and women; he turns to the person beside him and shares his sorrow or his need for affection with them – with pleasure and without guilt.

A warrior knows that the farthest-flung star in the universe reveals itself in the things around him.

023. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light does not postpone making decisions.

He thinks a good deal before he acts; he considers his training, as well as his responsibilities and duties as a teacher. He tries to remain calm and to analyse each step as if it were of supreme importance.

However, as soon as he has made a decision, the warrior proceeds: he has no doubts about his chosen action, nor does he change direction if circumstances turn out differently from how he had imagined them.

If his decision is correct, he will win the battle, even if it lasts longer than expected. If his decision is wrong, he will be defeated and he will have to start all over again – only this time with more wisdom.

But once he has started, a warrior of light perseveres until the end.

022. Warrior of Light

The warrior always listens to the words of certain thinkers, such as these by T.H. Huxley:

‘The consequences of our actions are the scarecrows of fools and the beacons of wise men.’

‘The chessboard is the world; the pieces are the gestures of our daily lives; the rules of the game are what we call the laws of Nature. The player on the other side is hidden from us, but we know that his play is always fair, just and patient.’

The warrior simply has to accept the challenge. He knows that god never overlooks a single mistake made by those he loves, nor does he allow his favourites to pretend ignorance of the rules of the game.

021. Warrior of Light

Every warrior of light has felt afraid of going into battle.

Every warrior of light has, at some time in the past, lied or betrayed someone.

Every warrior of light has trodden a path that was not his.

Every warrior of light has suffered for the most trivial of reasons

Every warrior of light has, at least once, believed that he was not a warrior of light.

Every warrior of light has failed in his spiritual duties.

Every warrior of light has said ‘yes’ when he wanted to say ‘no’.

Every warrior of light has hurt someone he loved.

That is why he is a warrior of light, because he has been through all this and yet has never lost hope of being better than he is.

020. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light knows that no one is stupid and that life teaches everyone – however long that may take.

He always does his best and expects the best from others. Through his generosity, he tries to show each person how much they are capable of achieving.

Some of his companions say: ‘Some people are so ungrateful.’

The warrior is not discouraged by this. And he continues to encourage other people because this is also a way of encouraging himself.

019. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light knows his own faults. But he also knows his qualities.

Some of his companions complain all the time that ‘other people have more opportunities than we do’.

Perhaps they are right, but a warrior does not allow himself to be paralysed by this; he tries to make the most of his virtues.

He knows that the gazelle’s power lies in its strong legs. The power of the seagull lies in the accuracy with which it can spear a fish. He has learned that the reason the tiger does not fear the hyena is because he is aware of hi own strength.

He tries to establish what he can truly rely on. And he always checks that he carries three things with him: faith, hope and love.

If these three things are there, he does not hesitate to go forward.

018. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light carefully studies the position that he intends to conquer.

However difficult the objective, there is always a way of overcoming obstacles. He seeks out alternative paths, he sharpens his sword, and he tries to fill his heart with the necessary determination to face the challenge.

But as he advances the warrior realises that there are difficulties he had not reckoned with.

If he waits for the ideal moment, he will never set off; he requires a touch of madness to take the next step.

The warrior uses that touch of madness. For – in both love and war – it is impossible to foresee everything.

017. Warrior of Light

From now on – and for the next few hundred years – the Universe is going to help warriors to light and hinder the prejudiced.

The Earth’s energy needs to be renewed.

New ideas need space.

Body and soul need new challenges.

This future has become the present, and every dream – except those dreams that involve preconceived ideas – will have a chance to be heard.

Anything of importance will remain; anything useless will disappear. However, it is not warrior’s responsibility to judge the dreams of others, and he does not waste time criticising other people’s decisions.

In order to have faith in his own path, he does not need to prove that someone else’s path is wrong.

016. Warrior of Light

The moment that he begins to walk along it, the warrior of light recognises the Path.

Each stone, each bed cries welcome to him. He identifies with the mountains and the steams, he sees something of his own soul in the plants and the animals and the birds of the field.

Then, accepting the help of God and of God’s Signs, he allows his Personal Legend to guide him towards the tasks that life has reserved for him.

On some nights, he has nowhere to sleep, on others, he suffers from insomnia. ‘That’s just how it is,’ thinks the warrior. ‘I was the one who chose to walk this path.’

In these words lies all his power: he chose the path along which he is walking and so has no complaints.

015. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light remembers a passage from John Bunyan:

‘Although I have been through all that I have, I do not regret the many hardships I met, because it was they who brought me to the place I wished to reach.’

‘Now all I have is this sword and I give it to whom ever wished to continue his pilgrimage. I carry with me the marks and scars of battles – they are the witnesses of what I suffered and the rewards of what I conquered.’

‘These are the beloved marks and scars that will open the gates of Paradise to me. There was a time when I used to listen to tales of bravery. There was a time I lived because I wish one day to be in the company of Him for whom I have fought so hard.’

014. Warrior of Light

According to a Poet: ‘The warrior of light chooses his enemies.’

He knows what he is capable of; he does not have to go about the world boasting of his qualities and virtues. Nevertheless, there is always someone who wants to prove himself better than he is.

For the warrior, there is no ‘better’ or ‘worse’: everyone has the necessary gifts for his particular path.

But certain people insist. They provoke and offend and do everything they can to irrrate him. At this point, his heart says: ‘Do not respond to these insults, they will not increase your abilities. You will tire yourself needlessly.’

A warrior of light does not waste his time listening to provocations; he has a destiny to fulfil. 

013. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light does not worry that, to others, his behaviour might seem quite mad.

He talks out loud to himself when he is alone. Someone told him that this is the best way of communicating with the angles, and so he takes a chance and tries to make contact.

At first, he finds this very difficult. He thinks that he has nothing to say, that he will just repeat the same meaningless twaddle. Even so, the warrior persists. He spends all day talking to his heart. He says things with which he does not agree, he talks utter nonsense.

One day, he notices a change in his voice, He realises that he is acting as a channel for some higher wisdom.

012. Warrior of Light

Warriors of light always have a certain gleam in their eyes.

They are of this world, they are part of the lives of other people and they set out on their journey with no saddlebags and no sandals. They are often cowardly. The do not always make the right decisions.

They suffer over the most trivial things, they have mean thoughts and sometimes believe they are incapable of growing. They frequently deem themselves unworthy of any blessing or miracle.

They are not always quite sure what they are doing here. They spend many sleepless nights, believing that their lives have no meaning.

That is why they are warriors of light. Because they make mistakes. Because they ask themselves questions. Because they are looking for a reason – and are sure to find it.

011. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light is never predictable.

He might dance down the street on his way to work, gaze into the eyes of a complete stranger and speak of love at first sight, or defend an apparently absurd idea. Warriors of light allow themselves days like these.

He is not afraid to weep over ancient sorrows or feel joy at new discoveries. When he feels that the moment has arrived, he drops everything and goes off on some long-dreamed-of adventure. When he realises that he can do no more, he abandons the light. But never blames himself for having committed a few unexpected acts of folly.

A warrior does not spend his days trying to play the role that others have chosen for him.

010. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light knows that certain moments repeat themselves.

He often finds himself faced by the same problems and situations, and seeing these difficult situations return, he grows depressed, thinking that he is incapable of making any progress in life.

‘I’ve been through all this before,’ he says to his heart.

‘Yes, you have been through all this before,’ replies his heart. ‘But you have never been beyond it.’

Then the warrior realises that these repeated experience have but one aim: to teach what he does not want to learn.

009. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light respects the main teaching of the I Ching: ‘To persevere is favourable.’

He knows that perseverance is not the same thing as insistence. There are times when battles go on longer than necessary, draining him of strength and enthusiasm.

At such moments, the warrior thinks: ‘A prolonged war finally destroys the victors too.’

Then he withdraws his forces from the battlefield and allows himself a respite. He perseveres in his desire, but knows he must wait for the best moment to attack.

A warrior always returns to the fray. He never does so out of stubbornness, but because he has noticed a change in the weather.

008. Warrior of Light

Before embarking on an important battle, a warrior of light asks himself: ‘How far have I developed my abilities?’

He knows that he has learned something with every battle he has fought, but many of those lessons have caused him unnecessary suffering. More than once he has wasted his time fighting for a lie. And he has suffered for people who did not deserve his love.

Victors never make the same mistake twice. That is why the warrior only risks his heart for something worthwhile.

007. Warrior of Light

The warrior of light sometimes fights with those he loves.

The man who defends his friends is never overwhelmed by the storms of life; he is strong enough to come through difficulties and to carry on.

However, he is often faced by challenges from those he is trying to teach the art of the sword. His disciples provoke him into fighting with them.

And the warrior demonstrates his abilities: with just a few blows he disarms his students, and harmony returns to the place where they meet.

‘Why bother to do that, when you are so much better than they are?’ asks a traveler.

‘Because in challenging me, what they really want is to talk to me and this is my way of keeping the dialogue open,’ replies the warrior.

006. Warrior of Light

‘It’s odd,’ says the warrior of light to himself. ‘ I have met so many people who, at the opportunity, try to show their very worst qualities. They hide their inner strength behind aggression; they hide their fear of loneliness behind an air of independence. They do not believe in their own abilities, but are constantly trumpeting their virtues.’

The warrior reads these messages in many of the men and women he meets. He is never taken in by appearances and makes a point of remaining silent when people try to impress him. And he uses the occasion to correct his own faults, for other people make an excellent mirror.

A warrior takes every opportunity to teach himself.

005. Warrior of Light

A wise Chinese man has this to say about the strategies of the warrior of light:

‘Convince your enemy that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm.'

‘Do not be ashamed to make a temporary withdrawal from the field if you see that your enemy is stronger than you; it is not wining or losing a single battle that matters, but how the war ends.’

‘Even if you are very strong, never be ashamed to feign weakness; this will make your enemy act imprudently and attack too soon.’

‘In war, the key to victory is the ability to surprise one’s opponent.’

004. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light never resorts to trickery, but he knows how to distract his opponents.

However anxious he is, he uses every strategy at his disposal to gain his objective. When he sees that his strength is almost gone, he makes his enemy think that he simply biding his time. When he needs to attack the right flank, he moves his troops to the left. If he intends beginning the battle at once, he pretends that he is tried and prepares for sleep.

His friends say: ‘Look, he’s lost all enthusiasm.’ But he pays no attention to such remarks because his friends do not understand his tactics.

A warrior of light knows what he wants. And he has no need to waste time on explanations.

003. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light does not rely on strength alone, he makes use of his opponent’s energy too.

When he enters the fight, all he has is his enthusiasm and the moves and strikes that he learns during his training, As the fight progresses, he discovers that enthusiasm and training are not enough to win; what counts is experience.

Then he opens his heart to the Universe and asks God to give him the inspiration he needs to turn every blow from his enemy into a lesson in self-defence.

His companions say: ‘He’s so superstitious. He stopped fighting in order to pray; he even shows respect for hi opponent’s tricks.’

The warrior does not respond to these provocations. He knows that without inspiration and experience, no amount of training will help him.

002. Warrior of Light

All the world's road lead to the heart of the warrior; he plunges unhesitatingly into the river of passions always flowing through his life.

The warrior knows that he is free to choose his desires, and he makes these decisions with courage, detachment and - sometimes - with just a touch of madness.

He embraces his passions and enjoys them intensely. He knows that there is no need to renounce the pleasures of conquest; they are part of life and bring joy to all those who participate in them.

But he never loses sight of those things that last or of the strong bonds that are forged over time.

A warrior can distinguish between the transient and the enduring.

001. Warrior of Light

A warrior of light knows that he has much to be grateful for.

He was helped in his struggle by the angles; celestial forces placed each thing in its place, thus allowing him to give of his best.

His companions say: ‘He’s so lucky!’ And the warrior does sometimes achieve things far beyond his capabilities.

That is why, at sunset, he kneels and gives thanks for the Protective Cloak surrounding him.

His gratitude, however, is not limited to the spiritual world; he never forgets his friends, for their blood mingled with his on the battlefield.

A warrior does not need to be reminded of the help given him by others; he is the first to remember and he makes sure to share with them any rewards he receives.

Prologue

‘Just off the beach to the west of the village lies an island, and on it is a vast temple with many bells,’ said the woman.

The boy noticed that she was dressed strangely and had a veil covering head. He had never seen her before.

‘Have you ever visited that temple?’ she asked. ‘Go there and tell me what you think of it?’

Seduced by the woman’s beauty, the boy went to the place she had indicated. He sat down on the beach and stared out at the horizon, but he saw only what he always saw: blue sky and ocean.

Disappointed, he walked to a nearby fishing village and asked if anyone there knew about an island and a temple.

‘Oh, that was many years ago, when my grand-grandparents were alive,’ said an old fisherman. ‘There was an earth-quake, and the island was swallowed up by the sea.

But although we can no longer see the island, we can still hear the temple bells when the ocean sets them swinging down below.’

The boy went back to the beach and tried to hear the bells. He spent the whole afternoon there, but all he heard was the noise of the waves and cries of the seagulls.

When night fell, his parents came looking for him. The following morning, he went back to the beach; he could not believe that such a beautiful woman would have lied to him. If she ever returned, he could tell her that, although he had not seen the island, he had heard the temple bells set ringing by the motion of the waves.

Many months passed; the woman did not return and the boy forgot all about her; now he convinced that he needed to discover the riches and treasures in the submerged temple. If he could hear the bells, he would be able to locate it and salvage the treasure hidden below.

He lost interest in school and even in his friends. He became the butt of all the other children’s jokes. They used to say: ‘he’s not like us. He prefers to sit looking at the sea because he’s afraid of being beaten in our games.’

And they all laughed to see the boy sitting on the shore.

Although he still could not hear the old temple bells ringing, the boy learned about other things. He began to realize that he had grown so used to the sound of the waves that he was on longer distracted by them. Soon after that, he became used to the cries of the seagulls, the buzzing of bees and the wind blowing amongst the palm trees.

Six months after his first conversation with the woman, the boy could sit there oblivious to all other noises, but he still could not hear the bells from the drowned temple.

Fishermen came and talked to him, insisting that they had heard the bells.

Some time later, however, the fishermen changed their tune: ‘You spend far too much time thinking about the bells beneath the sea. Forget about them and go back to playing with your friends. Perhaps it’s only fishermen who can hear them.’

After almost a year, the boy thought: ‘Perhaps they’re right. I would do better to grow up and become a fisherman and come down to this beach every morning, because I’ve come to love it here.’ And he thought too: ‘Perhaps it’s just another legend and the bells were all shattered during the earthquake and have never rung out since.’

That afternoon, he decided to go back home.

He walked down to the ocean to say goodbye. He looked once more at the natural world around him and because he was no longer concerned about the bells, he could again smile at the beauty of the seagulls’ cries, the roar of the sea and the wind blowing in the palm trees. Far off, he heard the sound of his playing and he felt glad to think that he would soon resume his childhood games.

The boy was happy and – as only a child can – he felt grateful for being alive. He was sure that he had not wasted his time, for he had learned to contemplate Nature and to respect it.

Then, because he was listening to the sea, the seagulls, the wind in the palm trees and the voices of his friends playing, he also heard the first bell.

And then another.

And another, until, to his great joy, all the bells in the drowned temple were ringing.

Years later, when he was a grown man, he returned to the village and to the beach of his childhood. He no longer dreamed of finding treasure at the bottom of the sea; perhaps that had been a product of his imagination, and he had never really heard the submerged bells ring out on one lost childhood afternoon. Even so, he decided to walk for a while along the beach, to listen to the noise to the wind and to the cries of the seagulls.

Imagine his surprise when, there on the beach, he saw the woman who had first spoken to him about the island and its temple.

‘What are you doing here?’ he asked.

‘I was waiting for you,’ she replied.

He noticed that, despite the passing years, the woman looked exactly the same; the veil hiding her hair had not faded with time.
She handed him a blue notebook full of bank pages.

‘Write: a warrior of light values a child’s eyes because they area to look at the world without bitterness. When he wants to find out if the person beside him is worthy of his trust, he tries to see him as a child would.’

‘What is a warrior of light?’

‘You already know that,’ she replied with a smile. ‘He is someone capable of understanding the miracle of life, of fighting to the last for something he believes in – and of hearing the bells that the waves set ringing on the seabed.’

He had never thought of himself as a warrior of light. The woman seemed to read his thoughts. ‘Everyone is capable of these things. And, though no one thinks of themselves as warrior of light, we all are.’

He looked at the blank pages in the notebook. The woman smiled again.

‘Write about that warrior,’ she said.