The Warrior knows that he is free to choose his desires, and he makes these decisions with courage, detachment, and – sometimes – with just a touch of madness. – Paulo Coelho, Warrior of the Light
Warrior of the Light is, as Paulo calls it, an inspirational companion to his bestseller, The Alchemist. It is a philosophical manual on how we can bring out the Warrior in us — the one who appreciates the miracle of being alive, the one who accepts failure, and the one whose quest leads us to become the best person we can be.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the book:
Lesson
A Warrior of the Light knows that certain moments repeat themselves… He often finds himself faced by the same problems and situations, and seeing these difficult situations return, he grows depressed, thinking that he is incapable of making any progress in life.
Then the Warrior realizes that these repeated experiences have but one aim: to teach him what he does not want to learn.
Karma, as explained in The Seat of the Soul, are experiences repeating themselves that aim to give us lessons, which bring us healing and wholeness. And we have to be aware of these experiences in our lives so we can consciously respond to them, so we can resolve the karmic obligations of our soul.
With this awareness, we wouldn’t resent any challenges that come our way. We could even be grateful to them for making us a better person. We become less judgmental, but instead more aware of our experiences in life and the lessons they teach us.
No Better or Worse
For the Warrior, there is no “better” or “worse”: everyone has the necessary gifts for his particular path. A Warrior of the Light does not waste his time listening to provocations: he has a destiny to fulfill.
Each of us is gifted with a unique set of talents that fit the path destined for us, so there is no point in comparing ourselves with another. We don’t become a better person by doing better than others just because they are not naturally good at what we do.
In the same way, we shouldn’t belittle our own capabilities too. Our task is to find out what are those areas in life we are naturally gifted at, and dedicate our lives to the fullness of our potential.
Intuition
The moment that he begins to walk along it, the Warrior of the Light recognizes the Path… Then, accepting the help of God and of God’s Signs, he allows his Personal Legend to guide him toward the tasks that life has reserved for him.
In recognition of your path in life, you also come to recognize that there is a greater intelligence at work you are a part of. You no longer solely rely on your own logic and reasoning. You become more intuitive. You start working with spiritual forces and acknowledge their divine guidance. You act on intuition and your actions are divinely inspired.
City of Angels
A Warrior knows that his best teachers are the people with whom he shares the battlefield… If he is in search of inspiration, he reads, on the lips of his neighbor, the words that his guardian angel is trying to say to him.
There’s a memorable passage from the book Conversations With God: “I have sent you nothing but angels.”
Because all of life is a learning experience, the people in our lives are both our teachers and students as well. We are all heaven-sent.
It is essential to listen to our inner guidance, the still voice within. But it is also important to heed guidance especially from people who have gone through similar experiences we have. If we are trying to reach a particular place, it will be helpful to ask someone who has already been there.
Meditation
The Warrior of the Light meditates… While he meditates, the Warrior is not himself, but a spark from the Soul of the World. Meditation gives him an understanding of his responsibilities and of how he should behave accordingly.
Ask anyone who is into personal development and you would find out that one practice they have in common is meditation. Even science has come up with studies that support the benefits of meditation. Those are actually side benefits. Because the main purpose of meditation is to connect and come into alignment with the higher version of ourselves — a spark from the Soul of the World.
If you haven’t started the practice of meditation yet, I suggest that you do as soon as you can and stick to it. There are so many guided meditations you can find on YouTube and other tools and references that can guide you. The Path to Awesomeness is one. Wink!
Non-judgmental
A Warrior of the Light is never indifferent to injustice… But even though he fights against oppression, at no point does he attempt to judge the oppressor… A Warrior of the Light is in the world in order to help his fellow man, not to condemn his neighbor.
Notice the distinction here: oppression is the doing part; oppressor, the being part.
The Warrior of the Light distinguishes the actor (being) from the act (doing). An act can be bad, but that doesn’t necessarily make a bad person. But from an ego’s perspective, which is always judgmental, a person will be condemned for his “wrong” doings. This is not an issue of morality, but more of consciousness.
Forgiveness, which is an act of love, comes from the recognition of the soul of the person, who has embodied an imperfect human vessel. This imperfection causes him to commit mistakes or errors that can always be corrected. It is from these that can make him a better person.
Childlike
The Warrior of the Light behaves like a child… People are shocked; they have forgotten that a child needs to have fun and to play… And they say, horrified: “So this is the spiritual path, is it? He’s so immature!”… The Warrior feels proud of such comments. And he remains in touch with God through his innocence and his joy, without ever losing sight of his mission.
There’s one more thing common we would observe from people walking the spiritual path — playfulness. Being spiritual does not exempt you from the troubles in life. In fact, the opposite could be the case, as you would find yourself in difficulties that provide more opportunity for your spiritual growth.
But the more you become aware (higher consciousness), the lesser you become attached to the circumstances happening around you. You learn to play with the illusion, so to speak.
Here’s a clue: If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right.
Believe in Yourself
A Warrior of the Light is not afraid of disappointments because he knows the power of his sword and the strength of his love. It is important to trust people… A Warrior trusts other people because, first and foremost, he trusts himself.
Trust is one key element in fulfilling our purpose in life. It comes from knowing that God created us to serve a purpose. And we have been given everything we need for its accomplishment.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Christ refers to the spiritual brotherhood/sisterhood you share with others.
Believing in yourself also means not blaming others (including you) for whatever the outcome may be. And you are not attached to the outcome either. You just do what needs to be done, and you leave the rest to God.
Thoughts Become Things
When somebody wants something, the whole Universe conspires in their favor. The Warrior of the Light knows this… For this reason, he takes great care with his thoughts.
The Universe does not judge; it conspires in favor of what we want. That is why the Warrior has the courage to look into the dark places of his soul in order to ensure that he is not asking for the wrong things… And he is always very careful about what he thinks.
Always careful about what he thinks is paying attention to the thoughts running in the mind, knowing that thoughts become reality. Where your attention goes, there the creative force flows.
It is the basis of the “change your thoughts, change your life” self-help quote.
The Universe does not judge whether we love or hate something. It does not know “good” from “bad”. Thoughts are formless. And the Universe always responds, through manifestation in form, to our most dominant thoughts, which usually reside in our subconscious. This is the dark place that we need to bring to light.
A Warrior is someone who has the courage to look into this dark place, so he can move from being an unconscious victim to becoming a conscious creator of the reality of his life.
NO
The Warrior knows that the most important words in all languages are the small words. Yes. Love. God… There is, however, one word – another small word – that many people have great difficulty in saying: no.
Paulo said that the small words — Yes. Love. God — are the most important ones, because they fill up the largest space in our lives.
But a Warrior is someone who also knows the importance of saying “no” so he can commit himself to those that matter most to him.
So let’s practice saying “no” to the old self and begin saying “YES” to the call of the Warrior within.
Warrior of the Light: A Manual
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PAULO COELHO is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist. He is the recipient of numerous international awards, amongst them the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum. His novel The Alchemist has been translated into 80 languages. Coelho has sold over 200 million copies worldwide and is the all-time bestselling Portuguese language author.
Other Books by Paulo Coelho
The Supreme Gift
Manuscript Found in Accra
The Pilgrimage (Plus)
The Spy: A novel
