The Way of the Warrior: Holding Space for The Fourfold Way

[Harrison Owen]

At 09:24 PM 9/23/01 -0400, you wrote:
>
>With regard to your post, mebbie so...  and on the other hand mebbie not.
>
>
>
>
>
>For instance, it is not obvious to me that Arrien speaks about the Way of
>the Warrior in the same way you are doing here - at least not in the piece
>below (ref. my underlined italics).
>

The capacity to take a stand, regardless of consequences -- I mean really
take a stand is core for me. But I think it is important to note that The
Way of the Warrior in not only found in the military -- although the
military without the Warrior Spirit is a sad thing, I think. Having worked
with a number of elite military units, I came to the surprising
understanding that even though I have never fired a gun in anger, or been
under (serious and sustained) fire we shared much. Anyhow, Angie and I
might quibble on the details -- but not on the essentials. The are Four
Ways. And one of them is Warrior. No matter how you spell it.



>
>As for the writer of Ecclesiastes, good on him/her; but as we all know one
>can find support for anything in the bible, including in the old testament
>some of the worst "terrorist" acts perpetrated on mankind (viz: the
>flood).  Perhaps the New Testament would be less supportive of a time to kill .
>

I'm not so sure. How about "I do not bring peace, but a sword" Serious
commitment and radical encounter always raise the stakes. It is never
comfortable. So --"whoever saves his life will loose it, but whoever looses
his life for my sake will save it.." I think the message may be that dying
in not the worst thing. But Dying without meaning is. As for the flood, and
all other such inconveniences -- I am reminded of The Perfect Storm.
Knocked the hell out of the East Coast, and blew away the Sword Fleet --
but it was just doing what a storm does -- perfectly. And if the storms of
our world did not carve out the sandy beaches, we would have no place to go
on a sunny day. Somewhere along the line Homo sapiens got the swelled ego
such that he/she/we come to the mistaken conclusion that this planet is
organized for our convenience. I don't think so.

>
>And is the Gita about war in the sense you infer? Or about war as a
>metaphor for the interior journey?
>

I don't know -- sounds pretty real. Maybe it is both. Or maybe there is no
difference?



>
>I am beset, as I expect many of us are, by conflicting feelings about the
>calls to rout them out etc.  But I remain unconvinced that the Way of the
>Warrior is the way of War.
>

I would certainly agree -- and for sure War, even for Warriors
(particularly for Warriors) is the ultimate last resort. That great
treatise "The Art of War" seems to me to be more about how to avoid it
(war). But if and when it comes, I want Warriors with Warrior Spirit. Folks
who manifest-

The Power of Presence--Charisma and magnetism.
The Power of Communication
The Willingness to take a stand --to stand up for oneself--to know what it
is we can stand up for.

>
>So let the great conversation , as you say, continue.  I tell my truth and
>remain open to outcome&
>
>

I am sure it will

Harrison


Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 USA
phone 301-469-9269
fax 301-983-9314
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh

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