The Warrior...

THE WARRIOR

Hallmark - Endurance
Highest Duty - To Serve
Challenge - To Face Death
Attainment - Mastery of Fear

To the warrior is given the duty of unrelenting discipline of mind, body and spirit. The warrior metaphor teaches us all of the lessons required for dealing with our daily lives. Through the practice of the arts and ways of the warrior we develop an iron will and an indomitable Spirit.
JOL

THE WARRIOR TRADITION IN SOCIETY

In virtually every known human society there can be found a group of extraordinary people whose purpose it is to stand between the members of that society and the forces perceived as inimical to it. It is the duty of such men to face any and all threats to their community.

Each community will have it's own perception of the value of those who choose this path. Often they are revered and celebrated as persons endowed with special qualities and higher virtue. In other cases the perception may be quite the opposite.

Whether revered or disparaged by those whom they serve the members of such warrior bands usually develop their own ethos and value most the perceptions of their peers. It is those with whom they serve, those who face the dark forces alongside them, the danger, the fears, the sacrifices and, often, the prospect of imminent death, it is the judgement of their fellows in the great trials of this harsh life that they value most. For, who better to understand, who else know the truth, who else comprehend the inner compulsions and fears of such a life than another who lives it.

For this and other reasons the warrior is often seen as separate, aloof from society. "They are not like the rest of us." Stronger, harder, more disciplined certainly, capable of performing effectively under the harshest of circumstances, of maintaining their commitment over the longest journey and of enduring any hardship to fulfill their duty. The warrior archetype evokes images based on a set of attributes that are essentially the same in every culture no matter how he is viewed by that culture.

These attributes often evolve into beliefs and practices that take on dimensions beyond the purely physical necessities of the warrior culture. For, when one must face the forces of darkness with the very real possibility, indeed often the likelihood, of death, a profound inner journey must be taken. In some cases these practices or beliefs entail simple and, often, naturalistic concepts. In others they may develop into a profound and rich philosophy worthy of a lifetime of diligent study. It is thus that the warrior way begins to emerge as a path not only of the body, the heart and the mind but, also, of the spirit.

THE WARRIOR ARCHETYPE AS METAPHOR

Of the many images, the wide variety of icons we might choose to emulate in our quest for personal actualization, that of the warrior is one of the most powerful. The warrior represents, as much or more than any other archetype, the quintessential doer. "... to know and to act are one." This is a fundamental aspect of the warrior credo. He must "walk the walk" rather than merely talk the talk.

This, as we have seen, is the first and most fundamental requirement for anyone who chooses a path as their way of going through life. The first stage on the path requires that one take action, to live day to day in accord with its' principles. No image more clearly embodies the path of action than the warrior. Everything in the training and education of the warrior is based on the premise that he will someday have to use that training, to act on it in life threatening situations. To do so reliably, repeatedly, in the face of great adversity, requires qualities of heart, of will, of physical and mental strength and endurance that are unique.
The beauty and power of the warrior as metaphor however, lies not only in the attributes themselves but in the training that develops them. It may be that, of all the archetypes, the warrior is the one where the steps necessary to the actualization of the required qualities are most clearly outlined. Sadly, we humans have engaged in violent and aggressive behavior toward one another since time immemorial. In so doing we have developed reliable methods to turn our young into very effective soldiers.

The value of this is that the very same training can be used to develop the attributes required of the committed seeker of self actualization. Rather than focusing on violence and destruction the same qualities of endurance, courage, loyalty, perseverance, skill, dedication, attention to detail, service to the greater good and many others can be harnessed to serve on ones personal journey.

It is here that we must start our training if we intend to stay our course to the end. For the way is long and hard and the temptation to surrender is strong. Who better to prepare us to endure this journey than the warrior whose whole life and training is oriented to just that end. The very same tools and training methods that have evolved over, literally, thousands of years with the aim of destruction can now serve that of transformation. These methods are well known and, indeed, form one of the cornerstones of training for those who choose the path of the Savant.

FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTES

In considering the various attributes we have attempted to determine those that can be most strongly identified with their particular archetype. We acknowledge that all archetypes may, in some ways, demonstrate any or all of the attributes. However, there are those that are more prominently identified with one archetype more than the others. Certain of these may be said to be part and parcel of that archetype in training and in life. These are the powerful qualities by which we differentiate one archetype, indeed one path, from another. We term these the Fundamental Attributes. In the case of the Warrior they are:

The Hallmark - Endurance
The Highest Duty - To Serve
The Challenge - To Face Death
The Attainment - Mastery of Fear

Let us now examine these fundamental attributes as they relate to the warrior archetype and the Way of the Savant.

The Hallmark of the Warrior is Endurance.

This is the "sine qua non" of the warrior way, the most fundamental and most recognizable of the warrior attributes. From the most common soldier to the greatest of spiritual knights, the very first lesson that any and everyone must learn, who choose to undertake warrior training, is to endure. Without this utterly vital capacity, fully developed in mind, body and spirit, the warrior is certainly doomed to fail, to die.

For one who chooses to walk a path of any kind no attribute can be more necessary or more welcome. The reality of the day to day challenges of one who follows a way are such that without the warriors hallmark, endurance, one simply cannot see the journey through.

For the Savant this is more true than most. The Way of the Savant is essentially a choice of commitment and discipline, throughout ones entire lifetime, to study and training of the most rigorous kind. While there are many attributes necessary and certainly this lifestyle is not right for just anyone, those who do pursue the Savant way must assimilate this basic trait deep into their bones, into their blood, into the very essence of their being. Without the capacity to endure the long journey, to meet every challenge with the unwavering belief that, regardless of all else, one will never quit, one is entering battle unarmed.

This (along with instant obedience) is the main reason that the "basic training" of the soldier has evolved into the forms we see today. Centuries of hard lessons have taught the necessity for this lesson to be drilled deeply into the psyche of the warrior trainee. The path of the warrior, the daily hardship, the life and death struggle is such that nothing less than virtually limitless endurance will suffice to see the soldier through. For the warrior there is no saying more true than that "The race is not given to the swift, neither to the strong but to him that endureth to the end."

The Highest Duty of the Warrior is to Serve.

In every ancient tradition service is considered one of the highest forms of expression of personal commitment. To act with the intent to serve the needs of others is a fundamental aspect of higher consciousness and an integral facet of the practice of the Savant lifeway.

Service, of course, may take many forms. The warrior, who has attained a high degree of personal power through his training, offers to use that power in service to his community. The warrior willingly places himself between society and the forces that may endanger it. This act may be quite literal in the form of military, law enforcement, fire service or search and rescue, or in other forms such as political or social activism. In any case the warrior takes up the battle for those who cannot do so themselves and, in so doing, faces the hardships and dangers inherent in such acts of courage.

This process engenders many qualities conducive to personal growth. For there is no greater testing ground for the body, mind or spirit than battle. If the warrior can maintain personal integrity through truly selfless service regardless of the outcome or reward and often without even the appreciation of those he serves then a deep, unassailable awareness of self can emerge which will serve the warrior throughout the journey to self actualization. In essence, by giving service, it is the warrior who is ultimately served.

The Challenge of the Warrior is to Face Death

"The Way of the Samurai is found in Death"
Yamamoto Tsunemoto
HAGAKURE

The ultimate act of courage is to consciously and willingly face the possibility, even the certainty, of one's own death and still act with integrity. This is the true challenge of all who walk the warrior path. One must not however construe this to be concerned only with physical courage for this is not our meaning at all. Physical courage is admirable to be certain. However it is the heart and mind that we must concern ourselves with. This is the battlefield on which the greatest victories and defeats, the most heroic acts of courage and most craven acts of cowardice, will occur.

Every living entity fights to continue its' existence. This is true of all parts of the human psyche, those that serve us and are conducive to our growth and welfare, and those that do not and are not. One of the most difficult parts of the journey is to face those aspects of ourselves that dis-serve us and to take up the sword of discipline and commitment and engage those enemies of personal evolution in battle with the implacable will never to stop until they are, not only defeated, but utterly dead. To, in effect, kill a part of ourselves.

For many this is not just difficult but, indeed, impossible. However it is precisely this that the Savant intends. To seek out and destroy those enemies of self actualization that lie deep within all of us.

The concept of death in all it's many aspects is an intimate acquaintance of the true follower of the warrior ways. He lives with it as a constant companion and comes to know it's many forms and guises. In time the warrior comes to a deep acceptance of his personal relationship with death. Not in a morbid or fatalistic way but rather in a centered understanding of its' essence. "If, by setting one's heart right every morning and evening, one is able to live as though his body were already dead, he gains freedom in the Way. His whole life will be without blame and he will succeed in his calling." Yamamoto – HAGAKURE

The Attainment of the Warrior is Mastery of Fear

Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Frank Herbert
Dune

The greatest impediment to accomplishment, to the attainment of success, to the fulfillment of dreams is fear. Fear runs so deeply in the human psyche that, in one way or another, it can affect every choice and action. The sources, the scope and range of our fears are, quite obviously, one of the most serious subjects in the study of human psychology and can hardly be adequately addressed here. Rather, we may touch briefly upon the effect of the practice of the warrior way in regard to fear.

The warrior arts require, as much as anything else, that we face ourselves. That we learn, on the deepest and most visceral level, certain fundamental truths about our nature. We must then find ways to act in accord with our highest understanding of the principles by which we have chosen to live regardless of the fears that such actions may evoke. In the practice of the soldierly arts this obviously entails facing the threat of death or injury and still doing ones duty. In the case of the warrior path this means facing all of the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" with integrity.

The Savant does not attempt to eliminate fear. We accept it as fundamental to human nature. Rather, through the study and practice of the warrior disciplines, we seek mastery of the affects of fear upon our thoughts, choices and actions. For it is the warrior arts that, through long experience, have most effectively developed clear and effective methods to deal with this most debilitating of emotions. In time the warrior may reach a stage where fear is transcended, transmuted into power and where the warrior no longer lives a life bounded, caged by primordial fears that no longer serve a true survival purpose but rather inhibit the process of evolution of consciousness and actualization of our true capabilities.

The Warrior archetype will be seen as containing many powerful and valuable attributes. Historically one only need look at such warrior societies as the Knights Templar, the Samurai, the Sundancer, the Zulu or any of a wide variety of others to find attributes such as loyalty, courage, integrity, discipline, perseverence and many others. Clearly these assert themselves in many forms. Nor are we so naive as to believe that all members of these groups were exemplars of the benevolent warrior. Still it cannot be denied that the qualities and training methods of the warrior offer many powerful and effective tools for those who would follow any path. It is the manner in which those tools are employed that determines their ultimate value to ourselves and our community.

WARRIOR/SAVANT

For the follower of the Savant lifeway the study of the warrior arts and disciplines forms a vital part of the backbone of our practice. The fundamental attributes of the warrior teach us not only the lessons necessary for continued progress on our journey toward self actualization but also for dealing with our daily lives. It is through the forge of intense warrior training that the profound strength of will, of heart and of mind intrinsic to the warrior way is deeply ingrained in the Savant. These attributes become the source on which we rely both in our daily practice and in the times of great difficulty that are sure to be experienced by any who choose to follow a path.

Further, there is an essential quality inherent in each of the archetypes that lies deeper than any specific attribute. This essence may, in fact, be thought of as the distillation of all the attributes into a quality of being that can be seen as the very heart and soul of the archetype. It is to this quality that we refer when we speak of the Warriors Heart or the Healing Heart.

As we study the archetypes it is important that we seek this essence and strive to assimilate it. The true value of the archetypes lies much deeper than any particular attributes. Yes, we work hard to discern the principles and disciplines that will allow us to absorb the various attributes. We emulate the methods and lifestyle of the Great Initiates in the belief that by following some of their ways we will attain similar results to those they achieved. Still, ultimately, there is something deeper and more profound that we seek.

The essence that fills the warrior or healer or artist with the power that creates their reality, their true being. All the training and study is intended to infuse this essence into our minds, bodies and spirits.
Any path ought to include in it's most basic indoctrination, methods to help the disciple develop the strength of body, mind and spirit conducive to continuing the journey. The training methods that develop the warrior attributes are well known and easily adaptable to almost any discipline. This is a perfect example of the Savant concept in action. Determine the attributes required to achieve ones aims and the study and training techniques that will engender those qualities. Make these practices a part of ones daily life so that, in time, the attributes become ingrained patterns. Eventually the patterns become indelibly etched into ones character and, sometimes slowly, sometimes more quickly than one might imagine, true and lasting change occurs. This process, extrapolated through the many attributes of all the archetypes is the essential basis of Savant training.

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