Read Manual of the Warrior of Light Online
Authors: Paulo Coelho
Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Body; Mind & Spirit
That is why they are warriors of light. Because they make mistakes. Because they ask
themselves questions. Because they are looking for a reason - and are sure to find it.
The warrior of light does not worry that, to others, his behaviour might seem quite mad.
He talks out loud to himself when he is alone. Someone told him that this is the best way
of communicating with the angels, and so he takes a chance and tries to make contact.
At first, he finds this very difficult. He thinks that he has nothing to say, that he will
just repeat the same meaningless twaddle. Even so, the warrior persists. He spends all day
talking to his heart. He says things with which he does not agree, he talks utter nonsense.
One day, he notices a change in his voice. He realises that he is acting as a channel for
some higher wisdom.
The warrior may seem mad, but this is just a disguise.
According to a poet: 'The warrior of light chooses his enemies.'
He knows what he is capable of; he does not have to go about the world boasting of his
qualities and virtues. Nevertheless, there is always someone who wants to prove himself
better than he is.
For the warrior, there is no 'better' or 'worse': everyone has the necessary gifts for his
particular path.
But certain people insist. They provoke and offend and do everything they can to irritate
him. At that point, his heart says: 'Do not respond to these insults, they will not
increase your abilities. You will tire yourself needlessly.'
A warrior of light does not waste his time listening to provocations; he has a destiny to
fulfil.
The warrior of light remembers a passage from John Bunyan:
'Although I have been through all that I have, I do not regret the many hardships I met,
because it was they who brought me to the place I wished to reach. Now all I have is this
sword and I give it to whomever wishes to continue his pilgrimage. I carry with me the
marks and scars of battles - they are the witnesses of what I suffered and the rewards of
what I conquered.
These are the beloved marks and scars that will open the gates of Paradise to me. There
was a time when I used to listen to tales of bravery. There was a time when I lived only
because I needed to live. But now I live because I am a warrior and because I wish one day
to be in the company of Him for whom I have fought so hard.'
The moment that he begins to walk along it, the warrior of light recognises the Path.
Each stone, each bend cries welcome to him. He identifies with the mountains and the
streams, he sees something of his own soul in the plants and the animals and the birds of
the field.
Then, accepting the help of God and of God's Signs, he allows his Personal Legend to guide
him towards the tasks that life has reserved for him.
On some nights, he has nowhere to sleep, on others, he suffers from insomnia. 'That's just
how it is,' thinks the warrior. 'I was the one who chose to walk this path.'
In these words lies all his power: he chose the path along which he is walking and so has
no complaints.
From now on - and for the next few hundred years - the Universe is going to help warriors
of light and hinder the prejudiced.
The Earth's energy needs to be renewed. New ideas need space. Body and soul need new
challenges. The future has become the present, and every dream - except those
dreams that involve preconceived ideas - will have a chance to be heard. Anything of
importance will remain; anything useless will disappear.
However, it is not the warrior's responsibility to judge the dreams of others, and he does
not waste time criticising other people's decisions.
In order to have faith in his own path, he does not need to prove that someone else's path
is wrong.
A warrior of light carefully studies the position that he intends to conquer.
However difficult the objective, there is always a way of overcoming obstacles. He seeks
out alternative paths, he sharpens his sword, he tries to fill his heart with the
necessary perseverance to face the challenge.
But as he advances, the warrior realises that there are difficulties he had not reckoned
with.
If he waits for the ideal moment, he will never set off; he requires a touch of madness to
take the next step.
The warrior uses that touch of madness. For - in both love and war - it is impossible to
foresee everything.
A warrior of light knows his own faults. But he also knows his qualities.
Some of his companions complain all the time that 'other people have more opportunities
than we do'.
Perhaps they are right, but a warrior does not allow himself to be paralysed by this; he
tries to make the most of his virtues.
He knows that the gazelle's power lies in its strong legs. The power of the seagull lies
in the accuracy with which it can spear a fish. He has learned that the reason the tiger
does not fear the hyena is because he is aware of his own strength.
He tries to establish what he can truly rely on. And he always checks that he carries
three things with him: faith, hope and love.
If these three things are there, he does not hesitate to go forward.
The warrior of light knows that no one is stupid and that life teaches everyone - however
long that may take.
He always does his best and expects the best of others. Through his generosity, he tries
to show each person how much they are capable of achieving.
Some of his companions say: 'Some people are so ungrateful.'
The warrior is not discouraged by this. And he continues to encourage other people because
this is also a way of encouraging himself.
Every warrior of light has felt afraid of going into battle.
Every warrior of light has, at some time in the past, lied or betrayed someone.
Every warrior of light has trodden a path that was not his. Every warrior of light has
suffered for the most trivial of reasons. Every warrior of light has, at least once,
believed that he was not a warrior
of light. Every warrior of light has failed in his spiritual duties. Every warrior of
light has said 'yes' when he wanted to say 'no'. Every warrior of light has hurt someone
he loved. That is why he is a warrior of light, because he has been through all this
and yet has never lost hope of being better than he is.
The warrior always listens to the words of certain older thinkers, such as these by
T.H.Huxley:
'The consequences of our actions are the scarecrows of fools and the beacons of wise men.'
'The chess-board is the world; the pieces are the gestures of our daily lives; the rules
of the game are what we call the laws of Nature. The player on the other side is hidden
from us, but we know that his play is always fair, just and patient.'
The warrior simply has to accept the challenge. He knows that God never overlooks a single
mistake made by those he loves nor does he allow his favourites to pretend ignorance of
the rules of the game.