Embodiment
In this series, we look into the Being of a Spiritual Warrior. A Spiritual Warrior is one who embodies the characteristics of courage, determination, and love. According to Toltec wisdom, a Spiritual Warrior is one who “challenges the dreams of fear, lies, false beliefs, and judgments that create suffering and unhappiness in his or her life.” It is one that is rooted in courage–for the challenges that one faces in the quest for personal freedom is the battle that is fought and won within. [x]
The most important commonality of the men in this series is awareness, a state of consciousness that allows them to differentiate between the stories and what is. While the courage of the good soldier is to face a challenge, even at the cost that may bring physical harm, a Spiritual Warrior is one who has the courage to question, even at the risk of leaving one’s self-righteousness, the beliefs of this world. [x]
Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart….who looks outside dreams; who looks inside, awakens. Carl Jung
The Warrior Spirit
While the soldier has the commitment to defend his or her country, often times at a hefty price, the Spiritual Warrior’s commitment is to first defend his spirit–that which shows him the love for self. That way, the Warrior then may extend that love to humanity. This commitment isn’t easy because the journey comes with highs and lows, the Warrior will stumble and fall, but what’s important is that the warrior has the courage, discipline, and love to get back on one’s feet and continue. These men all share another commonality–the commitment to love beyond their own self-serving interests. This is how one becomes happy beyond the current paradigm. They have mastered the art of loving for the sheer enjoyment of expressing love for others. They nourish themselves with the love they express. Most importantly, these men hold most sacred, the inner authenticity, that resides through the art and discipline of their practice.[x].