Monday, March 1, 2010

Trying To Be A Warrior

“You can become a horseman carrying your heart through the world like a life-giving sun, but only if you and God become sweet lovers,” Hafiz, a Sufi mystic and poet.

“The warrior is so much in touch with his heart that he can give it to the world. The warrior loves not only his nearest kin and mate but also the world and God. The warrior refers to God as a lover.”

---Matthew Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Spiritual Masculine. (2008), p. 78

I search for my warrior-ness. I want to lay down my arms as a soldier, and instead pick up the true weapons of the warrior: a well-explored and well-loved soul, a heart open to others and their experiences, the weapons of reaching out to others and seeking peace, a strong and open relationship with God. In doing that, I seek to be well-versed in my own spiritual journey, and in all the facets and ways of love and compassion. I seek to give blessings to others, for their goodness and wholesomeness.

Even though there are those who exude bitterness and anger, revenge and aloofness, each person has within them aspects which can be loved and need to be loved. It is my job as warrior to seek out the inner goodness of that person, and to find the healthy, the wholesome traits of their being. I need to honor and bless those traits, thereby showing my love for the good aspects of each person. In doing that, by focusing on good, the negativity is given less attention and will wither.

--Neal Lemery 3/1/10