The Warrior

Hola brothers. It’s my birthday today. I’m on day 5 of a five-day fast. And I’ll sit in ceremony tonight. This year, my born day coincides with Mahashivaratri. The Feast of Lord Shiva, my chosen deity, and the very source of my initiation 18 years ago.

I bring it up here because it is of great meaning to me, and so are you, and this work we’ve been doing together over the years. 

Shiva embodies the masculine pole in the tantric tradition. There is endless revelation in his grounded, perfect stillness. And there is gorgeous bliss in the rhythm of his dance. There is much to learn in the way he loves the goddess.

As we prepare for next week’s gathering, read the opening section of the Chapter on The Warrior, pages 75 to 79 in King, Warrior, Magician, Lover.

We have to use our discernment to find the wisdom in this chapter. The text is dated, and this becomes painfully obvious as the authors write about the spread of “civilization.” But we can still find the gold here. We turn towards The Warrior as the world watches in bafflement at the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ugliness of war breaking our hearts and slapping us in the face.

But there is something to this warrior ethos. 

It is also true that this Warrior energy often goes awry. When this happens, the results are devastating. But we still have to ask ourselves why it is so present within us. What is the Warrior’s function in the evolution of human life, and what is his purpose in the psyches of individual men? What are the Warrior’s positive qualities? And how can they help us men in our personal lives and in our work?

Let’s dig in.

Abrazos,

Gibrán