Daily Reflection 2.5.21

Sun Tzu's Fourth Essential for victory is as follows:

4. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.

How can we understand this in the context of life goals, magical operations, or spiritual warfare?

First, we once again see the importance both of goal-setting and of training. In our context, "training" means regular practice of any appropriate kind. These two together are preparation.  

Next, when we have our goal, we need to be vigilant for opportunities to achieve it. This is an issue we haven't discussed as much, but it's important. Just because you have a goal in mind and the ability to achieve it, doesn't mean that you have the opportunity to achieve it at any particular moment. And so you need to look for opportunities. This is "taking the enemy unprepared."

If you want a date, you need to be the kind of person anyone would want to date-- this is preparation. Then you need to seize the opportunity when it comes up, by asking someone on a date. (That's "regularly check your Tinder," for the under-30 crowd.) 

If you want a job, you need to have or to get the right experience and training for the job you want, you need to have your resume prepared-- and then you need to be on the lookout for job openings. 

People who practice astrological magic are probably more familiar with this idea than most. In order to consecrate a talisman of a particular planet, you need to look for times when that planet is dignified. Depending on the planet, this can mean a very long wait. Jupiter will be in Pisces, which he rules, for 2 months later on this year, and then for most of 2022; then he'll be in Cancer, the sign of his exaltation, in 2025. If you want to create a Jupiter talisman, you'll need to wait for one of these times and then make sure a number of other factors line up. As anyone familiar with astrological magic knows, it can be a very long wait! 

And what of the Spiritual Warfare? Here again, training is critical, as we've discussed at some length. But what of opportunity? Well, now it depends on what specific goal you're trying to achieve. We've defined the overarching goal of the Spirtiual Warfare as "to live in peace," that is, under the rule of the Divine and our own higher selves, and free of the influence of the demonic and the lower passions. 

The specifics of what that looks like are going to vary from individual to individual. But we can all benefit by staying focused on our goals and staying vigilant for opportunities. A year ago I found out at the last minute that a world-renowned taijiquan instructor was coming to town for a 3-day workshop. I had the money for the workshop, and because I was regularly training on my own, I was able to get the most out of it. 

It occurs to me, though, that the best application of this principle is to look at every situation we encounter as an opportunity for growth. This includes very difficult situations-- "Disaster is virtue's opportunity," as Seneca tells us. When the Covid Lockdown started, my wife and I were both bodyworkers, and so our places of employment were closed on Day 1. This was a disaster, but an opportunity too. For years we'd wanted to leave California, but we'd been unable to do so. With no work and no prospects of work in sight, it was much easier to move. Now we're happily settled on the East Coast.

That's a personal achievement, but this goes beyond that. We're facing hard times in the United States. Anger, hate, and fear are rampant. No, it isn't fun-- but it is an opportunity. Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those that curse us, that to do so is to become like unto God. Well, isn't it a lot easier to do that if we actually have enemies, and people that hate us?  

Give your lower self over to the Divine, focus on becoming the person you are meant to be, and look for opportunity in every situation. This is the way to victory!