Daily Reflection 6.03.21

 Chapter 12 of The Art of War discusses the use of fire in warfare:

There are 5 ways of attacking with fire. The first is to burn soldiers in their camp; the second is to burn stores; the third is to burn baggage-trains; the fourth is to burn arsenals and magazines; the fifth is to hurl fire dropping amongst the enemy.
 

I want to suggest that in our case, fire can be a metaphor for the passions. In many esoteric systems, the fire element has a kind of dual nature, ruling the will in the awakened individual, the passions in the unawake. 

Rather than talking about how to use fire to burn the enemy, then, I want to reverse the terms and talk about how fire may be used against us, and how to counter that.

First, a quick reminder about the passions. These are the simplest, and yet often the most powerful, drives in the human psyche. They are the rage that burns uncontrolled; the need for sex without regard to the object; the need for social acceptance that causes us to betray a friend in order to gain status; the desire for food or drink that pays no attention to the consequences of eating or of alcoholism; the terror of violence, death or rejection that overwhelms our courage and leads us to run from our duties. 

To attack an enemy by fire is to arouse his passions to the point that they consume him. Under the control of his passions, and not his reason or his will, he can then be directed toward anything you choose. 

This is the essence of evil magic. It is also the essence of advertising and political propaganda. As such, we are suffering under the attack by fire pretty much continuously in this culture. 

I'm not going to talk about how to use fire against an opponent. Rather, I want to talk about how to counter it.

The first thing to know about fire-- regular, physical fire-- is that it's both extremely useful and extremely dangerous. It provides light and heat and allows us to cook our food. There are no cultures without fire; lacking it, human beings literally could not exist on this planet. It's a raw, primal force, harnessed for specific purposes. And yet, out of control, it can destroy us, and for that reason it can be used as a weapon against us. 

The passions are the same. We need them-- without a desire for food, there is no life; without a desire for sex, there is no reproduction; without a desire for social acceptance, there is no society; without a fear of danger, there is no safety. And yet, out of control, they can destroy us, and for that reason they can be used as a weapon against us.

So how do we use our passions, without being destroyed by them?

The same way we use fire: First by containing it, and second, by limiting its fuel sources. We don't let fire burn just anywhere; we contain it within a hearth. And we don't keep feeding it wood without end; we give it just enough fuel to be useful. 

The first is obvious, or should be. Buy food that is good for you, learn to cook it properly, and eat at meal times. Don't drink alcohol before 5pm or after 9pm. Share your sexuality with one person only. Choose your friends and your social circles wisely. That's your hearth.  

And then, feed it only what it needs. The best way to do this is to create space. The classic piece of advice is to wait 24 hours before making any major purchase, and to wait 24 hours before saying anything in anger. This same idea works with any of the passions. If you want a drink, wait 10 minutes; if you still want it and it's after 5pm, go ahead and have one. When you finish it, you might want another one right away. That's a signal that you shouldn't have one. Wait 15 or 20 minutes, and see if you still want it. If so, go ahead. Then stop. You don't keep a fire burning all night.

Remember that fire-- that is, the passions-- is constantly being used against you. Know that, and be prepared to counter it.