The Magus’s Patience
Because a Magus must overcome countless obstacles on his Way — and sometimes even deprivation — it is easy to assume that one of the required qualities of a magical wayfarer is patience.
Yet the magical understanding of patience differs sharply from the ordinary human one.
Patience is often defined as enduring what is unpleasant. People say that, for a person, patience is the ability to restrain the soul and subordinate it to the demands of one’s intelligence.
But should a Magus restrain himself? We have already said— categorically no.
Therefore, the Magus’s patience is not restraint or suppression, but the ability to wait.
One of Confucius’s sayings is well known:
“Sit patiently on the riverbank, and the corpse of your enemy will float by.”
Patience is usually counted among a person’s virtues. Yet within the notion of “patience” two completely different facets can be seen. On the one hand, patience is the ability to wait without losing persistence, steadily continuing the Way toward the intended goal.
On the other hand, “patience” is often used to mean an inability to resist: enduring every insult and offense, slavishly submitting to circumstances.
The first is a sign of strength; the second, of weakness.
A Magus does not “endure.” He does not yield to problems. He remains a warrior, and his life is battle. Patience is the lot of the defeated and the captive, whereas the Magus knows: so long as he lives, he is not defeated.
For a Magus, the concept of “patience” is replaced by the notion of steadfastness. The Magus is not patient; the Magus is steadfast. That means he remains himself — a wayfarer on the Way from infinity to infinity — regardless of what troubles and obstacles he meets on his Way.
A Magus is flexible enough not to rush headlong into danger, and agile enough not to attack an enemy who vastly surpasses him in power. Yet he is absolutely unbending in his aims and intentions. Nothing — absolutely nothing — can deprive a Magus of faith in himself and confidence in his Way.
If circumstances of irresistible force knock the Magus off his feet, then the moment he is able, he rises again and stubbornly continues forward.
People often think they are patient enough. Then a more or less serious trial arrives, and they immediately exclaim: “That’s it — my patience has run out!” For a Magus, steadfastness is his quality as an individual: the capacity to overcome the negative manifestations of the outer world and inner experience, while adequately and timely responding to such influences, preserving his initial key characteristics — and responding in a way that advances the development of mind both in the Magus himself and in his surroundings.
Ancient wisdom says that a true warrior is one who conquers, first and foremost, himself, and keeps his feelings and passions under control. Precisely keep under control— without suppressing them — since to endure means to want to avoid, yet not avoid. The warrior does not avoid obstacles not because he merely displays stubbornness and endurance, but because his desire to walk the Way is greater than the fear of defeat. We have said more than once that Magic is not the art of winning, but the art of being a victor. A Magus masters himself, masters his desires; which means he knows how to wait when he must wait, and he knows how to hurry when delay is unacceptable.
The Magus’s Tension
Thirst for Life
Apprehensions and Warnings
Magi on Guard
The Burden on One’s Shoulders
The Intensity of the Way
Power and Violence
Hopes Sustain the Young
A significant difference: ‘to endure’ and ‘to persevere’. Unwillingness or inability to resolve a situation or to escape from it contrasting with the ability to endure temporary hardships in the process and for their overcoming. One can persevere, but cannot merely endure; in a word.
In general, thank you and I agree, Enmerkar.