Defense and Protectedness
«Before you enter a house
examine all the entrances,
you look them over,
you glance around —
for who can know
whether in this dwelling
there are no foes.
…
to listen keenly
and look sharply
the wise one strives»
(Sayings of the High One)
Among modern Magi, a romantic notion persists: that stepping onto this Way automatically makes a person invulnerable, or at least protected. It is perfectly obvious that protectedness is far more effective than the tension of having to defend oneself.
Can the power of a Magus — many times greater than that of his surroundings — really fail to shield him from danger without special effort? The Magus’ state is complete confidence in his mastery over himself. Can such a state truly fail to confer protectedness?
Countless Magi have fallen victim to this illusion. The moment a Magus notices that his Power has increased, that the world is yielding, he stops defending himself — and perishes. He perishes for one reason: he believes he has reached protectedness long before he actually has. A Magus reaches protectedness when he stops moving, when he attains the goal. But the Way does not imply arrival; it is movement toward a goal that is infinitely far away.
One cannot speak of protectedness on the Way; more than that, they are direct opposites. The Way is movement and imbalance; protectedness is wholeness and peace.
In other words, a system is protected only when it is in equilibrium, and equilibrium is incompatible with movement. To move, one must leave equilibrium states — or, more precisely, pass from one conditionally equilibrial state to another.
Moreover, Magic demands receptivity. One cannot be a good Magus without looking around — without peering beyond the fabric of worlds. Yet by opening such “channels of communication,” the Magus once again strips himself of protectedness.
Paradoxically, the Way of Magic does not grant invulnerability; it exposes its adept to every wind that blows through the cosmos. It sets him face to face with predators once restrained by the solidity and unambiguity of the human myth. The belief that the Way itself provides protection is especially dangerous for those who have only just entered it. At the beginning, when Power intoxicates and new horizons beckon, the traveler is most vulnerable. That is why those with experience of the Way carry so many scars: they were beaten and gnawed at until they learned to fight, to defend themselves — to become warriors.
In reality, only two kinds of Magus can be protected: a blind and motionless Magus, or a Magus who has attained unity with the Flow of Power. Both mean the absence of the Way: in the first case, the Way is, at best, an illusion; in the second, a personal Way is replaced by the common Way of the Universe.
That is why a Magus in motion, who looks the world straight in the face, lives in a constant state of battle; that is why the Magus’ Way is the Way of the warrior. The warlikeness of the Magus is not born of aggression. It is a vital necessity, the condition that makes it possible to pass one’s Way.
Whoever enters the Way of Magic must understand this without illusion: to move, one must be open, and that means being vulnerable. So instead of entertaining fairy tales about one’s own grandeur and protectedness, study the strategy and tactics of magical battle. Otherwise, the Way of Magic will have to be abandoned — and you will be very lucky if you manage to leave it alive.
Battles of the Magus
Apprehensions and Warnings
When the Keepers Do Not Protect
The Magus’s Protection
Magi on Guard
Falls into Darkness
Blocking of Power
The Flow of Power and the Inertia of Movement
To somewhat soften the harsh truth of the text:), it can be added that progressing along the Path – you stop paying attention to the small predators, but larger ones start to take notice of you:)))) And it becomes very important to answer the question correctly and quickly ‘Are you hunting now or are you the prey?’:)
Please tell about the strategy and tactics of magical battles.
I am genuinely amazed by each of your articles, by the harmony and tranquility that you convey to the readers. There is much meaning everywhere, but I would love to see a little more specificity, for example, how should a beginner mage protect themselves?
I recently found this blog. I garnered a lot of useful information for myself. In each article, I can feel the power! Thank you, Enmerkar, for these articles!
Thank you!!!!!!