The Magus’s Respect

As we have said many times, the Magus’s Way has two components – the Battle for one’s authenticity and the Hunt for Power.

In this regard, a realistic appraisal of the way traveled so far and the victories won seems important.

In other words, a traveler in the world of Magic must be able to assess the “weight” of what has been achieved along the Way. The accuracy of that appraisal determines the assessment of one’s own strengths, resources currently available, and awareness of inherent limitations.

Therefore it is very important for a Magus to be able neither to overvalue nor to undervalue what he and other travelers have gained.

The ability to correctly estimate the size of the resources a person or an object possesses, and to act on that estimate, is called “respect” for a person or an object (from the Slavic word “vaga” — that is, “weight“). In other words, the more we respect someone or something, the greater the value or “weight” we attribute to that object.

The converse is also true – the higher the value of an object in our eyes, the more respect we feel toward it.

From the above it is clear that for a Magus the ability to respect the Power and its manifestations, teachers, and companions is inseparably linked to accurately evaluating the Way already traveled, and therefore is extremely important for mapping one’s progress.

More precisely, respect is the recognition of the Authority of someone or something on our Way. At the same time, by failing to acknowledge the Authority of someone or something, a Magus risks losing his own Authority and suffering a crushing defeat.

Respect, like honor, is not among the values cultivated by the Parasite of consciousness since it is inseparable from recognizing the uniqueness and individuality of people, whereas the Parasite thrives on fostering conceit and intolerance, the flip side of which is always fear. “Respect is not fear or reverence; it is the ability to see a person as they are, to be aware of their unique individuality,” to acknowledge the value of the path he has walked. Thus, respect implies the absence of exploitation. Stepping out of egocentrism makes it possible to accept that others differ from you and even to rejoice in those differences.

Nevertheless, in the modern world displaying or even feeling respect is considered indecent; instead, obsequiousness is cultivated toward those above you in the social hierarchy and the humiliation or derision of those lacking direct power.

A Magus who strives for authenticity cannot afford inaccurate assessments. If he sees that someone or something possesses Authority, there is no shame in feeling respect for it. A Magus respects the Power in all its manifestations; a Magus respects freedom and Prav; a Magus respects other travelers regardless of how closely their Way aligns with his own.