Part 5 (1/2)

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

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.

The warrior of light is now waking from his dream.

He thinks: 'I do not know how 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 this means running risks.

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

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 from his spiritual master, the light of faith s.h.i.+nes in his eyes and he does not need to prove anything to anyone. He is not bothered by his opponent's aggressive arguments which say that G.o.d is a superst.i.tion, 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.

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. s.p.a.ce One does not fight in the same way in a mountain pa.s.s 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.

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 both 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 G.o.d'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.

Each warrior of light contains within him the spark of G.o.d.

His destiny is to be with other warriors, but sometimes he will need to practise 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.

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.

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 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 if he were 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 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 is 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.

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 salesmen.

'Use the breastplate of solitude,' says one.

'Use the s.h.i.+eld 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 sacred place and puts on the indestructible cloak of faith.

Faith parries all blows. Faith transforms poison into crystalline water.