readoldthings | Entries tagged with art of war

Sun Tzu closes out Chapter 11 with a few principles, starting with the following:

When a warlike prince attacks a powerful state, his generalship shows itself in preventing the concentration of the enemy's forces. He overawes his opponents, and their allies are prevented from joining against him.

Hence he does not strive to ally himself with all and sundry, nor does he foster the power of other states. He carries out his own secret designs, keeping his antagonists in awe. Thus he is able to capture their cities and overthrow their kingdoms.

Regarding the first part, the later commentator Mei Yao chien says,

In attacking a powerful state, if you can divide her forces, you will have a superiority in strength; if you have a superiority in strength, you will overawe the enemy; if you overawe the enemy, the neighboring states will be frightened; and if the neighboring states are frightened, the enemy's allies will be prevented from joining her.

One of the ideas that I keep returning to in meditation is the difference between desires and choices. Desires, in general, come from the body-- we want food, we want a nap, we want a drink, we want to have sex. At higher levels, where the body interfaces with the mind, we want comfort, money, or power. But choice is something else. Choice doesn't come from the body, and it isn't the same as desire; choice comes from the will. Someone who chooses to become a priest chooses to forgo their desire for food during fasting seasons, for money and comfort if their order includes a vow of poverty, and for sex during either certain prescribed times or for good. Someone who chooses to join the military might forgo any desire, even the desire for life itself, for the sake of choice.

Sun Tzu's warlike prince isn't looking for allies-- he has chosen to forgo the all too human need for friends and companions. The warlike prince has a goal: to conquer a powerful enemy to enlarge his own kingdom. To do so, he starts by dividing the enemy's forces. In the same way, we can accomplish large goals by breaking them up into smaller increments.

On yesterday's Magic Monday, JMG recommended to one reader a recent book entitled F*ck Your Feelings by Ryan Munsley. I don't usually like contemporary motivation-psychology books, but I had a look at this one, and I'm enjoying it a great deal so far. Munsley shares this approach to large goals. Borrowing an image from American football, he uses the concept of "moving the chains."

In case anyone here isn't familiar, in football, a team has 4 tries (downs) to get 10 yards. Most of the time, you punt the ball on 4th down, so that really only means 3 tries. A football field is 100 yards long, but 10 divided by 3, rounded up, is 3.4-- so all a team has to do to retain possession of the ball is to get 3.4 yards every down.

(As an aside for football fans, the best example of this I've ever seen was the 2007 playoff game between the Steelers and the Patriots. The Patriots were unbeatable that year, on account of they're cheaters. But the Steelers had the ball to start, and the game began with an 8-minute long, yard-by-yard opening drive to the endzone. The Steelers lost in the end, but that game has always stuck in my mind.)

In the same way, even the largest goals can be broken into small pieces-- small enough that we can take a single action toward their accomplishment every day. Do this, and be willing to forgo the desires of the flesh and the need for companionship, and you will accomplish much.

Let's move on to Chapter 9 of The Art of War. I'm going to take the rest of the book somewhat quickly.

We come now to the question of encamping the army, and observing signs of the enemy.

Pass quickly over mountains, and keep in the neighborhood of valleys.

The heading of this chapter is The Army on the March. Sun Tzu gives us details specific to actual military maneuvering, here. But are there general principles that we can tease out and apply to our own lives?

Let's see.

The point of telling us to "pass quickly over mountains," our translator notes, is that we need to not "linger among barren uplands, but keep close to supplies of water and grass."

Water and grass are fuel for men and horses. We can say for the soul generally, keeping in mind Plato's image of the soul as a winged chariot, pulled by two horses. "Barren uplands," then, are all those places in which the soul can find no nourishment, no water for the men nor grass for the horses.

What is it that nourishes the soul?

This varies from person to person, of course, depending on our individual needs and desires. There are some constants, though. Every soul is nourished by vital energy: Real food, fresh air, sunlight, the presence of other living beings. Every soul is nourished by beauty: In music, art, architecture, and stories. Every soul is nourished by purpose: By fulfilling that charge or set of charges which is its own to dispatch upon the Earth.

And every soul without exception is nourished by Love. Love for God; for one's parents or mentors, one's children or students, one's friends, one's lover; for one's town and country, for a forest or mountain range, for one's own animals and plants-- relationship is another way to say this.

Let us recall Plato's words in the Phaedrus:

Ten thousand years must elapse before the soul of each one can return to the place from whence she came, for she cannot grow her wings in less; only the soul of a philosopher, guileless and true, or the soul of a lover, who is not devoid of philosophy, may acquire wings in the third of the recurring periods of a thousand years; he is distinguished from the ordinary good man who gains wings in three thousand years:-and they who choose this life three times in succession have wings given them, and go away at the end of three thousand years. But the others receive judgment when they have completed their first life, and after the judgment they go, some of them to the houses of correction which are under the earth, and are punished; others to some place in heaven whither they are lightly borne by justice, and there they live in a manner worthy of the life which they led here when in the form of men. And at the end of the first thousand years the good souls and also the evil souls both come to draw lots and choose their second life, and they may take any which they please. The soul of a man may pass into the life of a beast, or from the beast return again into the man. But the soul which has never seen the truth will not pass into the human form. For a man must have intelligence of universals, and be able to proceed from the many particulars of sense to one conception of reason;-this is the recollection of those things which our soul once saw while following God-when regardless of that which we now call being she raised her head up towards the true being. And therefore the mind of the philosopher alone has wings; and this is just, for he is always, according to the measure of his abilities, clinging in recollection to those things in which God abides, and in beholding which He is what He is. And he who employs aright these memories is ever being initiated into perfect mysteries and alone becomes truly perfect. But, as he forgets earthly interests and is rapt in the divine, the vulgar deem him mad, and rebuke him; they do not see that he is inspired.

Stay close to the air and the sunlight; don't linger in catacombs, even if they're well stocked with groceries. Find time every day to do the things that you are meant to do on this Earth. And abide not long in a life devoid of love!

Today a short selection from Chapter 4 of Sun Tzu:

The consummate leader cultivates the Tao, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success.

We keep returning to this idea, don't we?

Cultivate the Tao by:

1. Connecting with the Divine.
2. Establishing a goal.
3. Focusing on that goal with all your faculties.

Adhere to method and discipline by:

1. Establishing a spiritual practice, so that you can come to know yourself and to know God, and also to cultivate your will.
2. Having cultivated a strong will, direct it toward your chosen goals by the same method of incremental, daily action, proceeding step by step toward victory.

Whether you want to get married, buy a house, or become an exorcist, the process is the same.

My apologies for the light posting lately. I've been feeling very unwell.

As The Art of War continues, it becomes increasingly technical and increasingly focused on very specific military matters, such as the employment of spies or of fire in warfare. It would be tempting to leave it for that reason, and let this series of posts end with a conclusion about the first few chapters of the book. But I don't want to do that. If for no other reason than to exercise the will in seeing the entire effort through to its conclusion, I want to follow this book to the end.

Chapter 4 continues:

Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.

Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.

The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven.

In order to make sense of this passage, I want to return to something that we discussed earlier. On February 3rd, I wrote that we should:

Be aware of psychic currents, and don't set yourself in opposition to a current that you can't resist. Whether it's a new trend in politics, religion, art or culture, psychic currents have a force behind them. That force is by definition easy ground for the powers behind that current, and if you set out to directly oppose that force, you will lose-- unless you have a superior force. Right-wingers and Christian pastors may have railed against the hippies in the middle of the '60s; it did no good, and in fact strengthened the hippie movement. Fifteen years later, the energy of the hippie movement was exhausted, and the early punk movement was able to conquer most of its territory in the alternative cultural space. Fulton Sheen condemning hippies in 1968 only strengthened them; Joe Strummer publicly declaring that "Hippies can shove off" in 1983 had quite a different effect.

My current, overarching goal is to remain free of the demonic powers that are sweeping through American society. My view is that these powers manifest themselves in the collective delusions which constitute our politics. Although my own political views are more or less conservative, I don't view this as a right-left issue. Rather, the structure of the demonic delusion is the following formula:

1. Society is divided into two groups.
2. One of these groups consists of victims, who are always innocent.
3. The other consists of perpetrators, who are always guilty.
4. We must protect the victims from the perpetrators by any means necessary.
5. Since the perpetrators are always guilty, they have no rights; since the victims are always innocent, they have no responsibilities.

This simple formula, especially when combined with the constant bombardment of the senses with distractions, advertisements, memes, TV shows, blinking lights, and spells meant to draw forth the passions and silence the reason, is sufficient to drive people mad.

But how to fight it? Right now, these toxic ideas, dressed up in left wing or right wing packaging, are nearly ubiquitous; political disagreements usually take the form of identifying different groups as victims and perpetrators.

And the answer, of course, is quite simply that it can't be fought right now. Not openly. In the American collective psyche, the demons have the field and they rule the day. This is their hour; theirs is a superabundance of strength. Right now, it is necessary to remain on the defensive; to focus on yourself and your immediate acquaintances; and to build networks of spiritual resistance slowly, carefully, and, above all, secretly. Hide in the deep recesses of the Earth. The day will come when the Enemy has exhausted himself. Then we will flash forth, like thunder from the Heavens.

A blessed Calan Myri, Imbolc, Candlemas, and, most importantly of all, Groundhog's Day, to one and all.

Sun Tzu tells us:

There are five essentials for victory:

1. He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.

2. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.

3. He will win whose army is animates by the same spirit throughout all its ranks

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

5. He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

I want to take these one or two at a time, over the next few days.

Let's look at the first essential now.

He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.

To this, our translator appends the following commentary:

Chang Yu says: If he can fight, he advances and takes the offensive; if he cannot fight, he retreats and remains on the defensive. He will invariably conquer who knows whether it is right to take the offensive or the defensive.

Let's consider this with regard to the spiritual warfare we've been discussing. (I have half a mind to start describing this as a war against the Powers of Chaos, and I may start doing so. Why? Because it sounds cool. If I think something sounds cool, I'm going to want to keep doing it; in this way, the general inspires his army and unites their will to that of the sovereign.)

When and where are we able to take the offensive, and when should we retreat and take a defensive position? And what do these look like?

Someone mentioned on the Ecosophia blog that public places run by either the government or nonprofit agencies seem to be especially bad these days, in terms of hysteria around Covid. This is my experience as well. Last week, my wife and I went to a local thrift store run by members of the Episcopalian Church, a church which is, at this point, little more than the spiritual auxiliary of the Democratic Party. The energy was so bad I felt dizzy and nauseous and had to leave after a few minutes. A while later I went back in to check on my wife, and found her being lectured about Covid safety protocols by the woman behind the cash register. Both of us felt energetically drained and moody for the rest of the day.

The Powers of Chaos were strong in that place. Retreat was the best option, and in the future I will simply avoid going in that store.

On the other hand, in our own homes and personal spaces, fighting is nearly always the best option. And it can look like many things. The simple act of tidying up and sweeping the floor can do a great deal all on its own to purify the energy of a room. But there are many layers that can be added to this: Essential oils or a mix of salt and vinegar can be added to water to create a magically effective cleanser, incense and simmer-pots can be added to cleaning, and candles dedicated to saints or deities can be lit to bless a home. Of course, for those involved in ceremonial magic, a greater range of options exists.

Most physical spaces exist between these two extremes, and the balance of forces will vary depending on the presence of other people, ongoing news events and astrological phenomena. There is a time to fight and a time to take the defensive.

Regarding defense-- there are times when public places and energetically toxic spaces and people are unavoidable. Given this, it's very useful to have a basic knowledge of magical defensive techniques and the ability to apply them. More on this as we go on!

Let's have some more Sun Tzu.

It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army in two.

If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him.

Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force, in the end it must be captured by the larger force.

I want to think about this passage especially in regard to the Spiritual Warfare we've been discussing.

Three thoughts come to mind:

1. Have you ever tried to engage with angry people on the internet? If so, how did it go? Have you ever told yourself "I'm just going to check the news real quick," and then found yourself an hour later having ingested a dozen different articles on any number of random topics, most of which left you feeling at once angry and powerless?

This is an example of a small force succumbing to a larger force. The Internet is bigger than you are, it is infested with demons, and most of the people on it are possessed or obsessed to one degree or another.

2. Of course, the Internet isn't the only vector of demonic attack. These days, the astral environment generally is very bad. From what I can tell, it is much worse in the cities than in the countryside. That isn't an absolute rule, though. I've been in rural environments that were positively Lovecraftian in their overall feel. There does seem to be a difference though. Unwholesome places and spirits in the countryside, at least in my experience, feel like dangerous nature spirits. They're like sharks or mountain lions-- when you're in their territory, you respect them, and try to stay out of their way. The things that travel from mind to mind via the internet feel much worse to me.

On the other hand, what is the internet but a sub-natural environment held together by the enslavement of natural forces? Perhaps we should expect that its native spirits are of the unsavory kind.

The point, though, is this: When we are on the enemy's ground, we are weak and outnumbered. But the same is true in reverse. Our first object in the Spiritual War should be to reconquer our own minds and our immediate psychic environment. And here there is a great deal that we can do, as we've discussed before.

3. Ultimately, what we want to do is to outnumber the enemy. We can do this in a few ways. If we learn to master our own mind, and if we spend our mental energy on devotion, charitable work, and self-development-- the gods, the other, the self, to say it another way-- then we will, in time, be able to overwhelm the Enemy Within. Our immediate environments can also be reconquered with a bit of effort. Pick up the clutter in your room, vacuum the floor, and place some purifying herbs in a simmer pot on the stove, and the astral environment in your home will improve markedly.

There is much, though, that we simply cannot do. Many of our fellow citizens are something close to insane. Confront them, and you won't win-- the madness will spread to you. The only thing to do is to avoid them. "If unequal in every way, we can flee."

Ultimately, as I wrote yesterday, we need to go beyond our own minds and personal spaces and network with others. Only in this way will we come to outnumber the Enemy-- at least some of the time.

More on this as we go along.

I want to talk a little more about walled cities. Sun Tzu says,

The rule is, not to besiege walled cities if it can possibly be avoided.

I call this the "Don't attack Minas Tirith" rule.

On the off chance that anyone doesn't know what that refers to, let me explain.

In the Lord of the Rings, Minas Tirith is the capital city of the human kingdom of Gondor. It's a beautiful, ancient city, and it's the supreme symbol of resistance to the Dark Lord, Sauron. For that reason, Sauron wants to destroy it. The only trouble is that Minas Tirith is also a nearly impregnable fortress. It's carved out of a mountainside and defended by seven rings of walls. Nevertheless, Sauron decides, as his opening move in the War of the Ring, to launch an enormous frontal assault on Minas Tirith. Of course, the defenders are able to hold out just long enough for reinforcements to arrived, and in the end Sauron's armies are caught between a cavalry force arriving from the west and an army of defenders arriving from the south and destroyed.

Gandalf and Aragorn, the leaders of the good guys, have clearly read Sun Tzu; Sauron has not. In Catholic moral theology, sin and evil are said to make you stupid, and maybe that's what Tolkien was thinking. Either way, let's talk about what this means for us.

First, why does Sauron want Minas Tirith? His armies are made up of orcs and trolls, who live in caves; Nazgul, who are dead; and allies from the East and South, who have their own homelands. It's not clear that any of them would need or want to live in the city of Minas Tirith in the first place. The appeal of Minas Tirith is entirely symbolic. To its defenders, it symbolizes hope and resistance; to Sauron, his past failures. So what it comes down to is: Sauron wants it because everyone else wants it.

Second, if he does want Minas Tirith, what does he gain from attacking it head on? His armies greatly outnumber those of his foes. He could have left a small force to keep the Gondormen bottled up in their city while the rest of his armies conquered the rest of the country. At that point all he would have to do is wait. Eventually the defenders would give up Minas Tirith voluntarily.

Now I'd like to suggest that this example can be applied to almost any situation.

Let's say you want a romantic partner. Well, who do you want?

"This girl, who looks like my favorite movie actress, is the only one who will do."

Are you sure?

"Yes. Out of all four billion women in the world, she is the only one for me; without her, I will die. Therefore I mean to ply her with entreaties, gifts and favors, in the hope that she will maybe some day finally take an interest in me. Maybe when she breaks up with that jerk she's always dating. Or maybe if she's drunk."

A lot of young men take this approach to dating. Of course, this approach always fails. Most guys eventually figure out that this isn't the way. Apparently, though, some never do, and there is a whole internet subculture of young men who call themselves "incels," for "involuntarily celibate." A lot of them then spend their time lashing out at women, modern culture, and everything in between-- anything to avoid taking responsibility for their own failures.

The problem, of course, is that they opened by attacking Minas Tirith.

If you decide that one, and only one, girl (or guy) is the one for you, you are setting yourself up for failure. And this is doubly, triply, quintuply true if the Only One For You just happens to be the type that everyone else wants, too.

If you really want a partner, then, there are two things to do.

First, be clear to yourself about what you actually want. Do you really want someone who looks like the women in the movies, or is that just what you've been told to want? I think for a lot of people it's the latter. Certainly that's true in my case. I've been with a lot of different types of women and I've found that the skinny, featureless ones simply do not appeal to me in any way. While I'm not a fan of the Rubenesque, I'll take Boticelli's Venus over Emaciated Hollywood Starlet any day of the week.

So clarifying what you want is extremely important-- as we keep saying.

But what if it turns out you do like the conventionally attractive? What if your ideal of feminine beauty is Scarlet Johannsen, and you quite simply can't get turned on by anything else? Is all lost?

Of course not.

The thing is, at the end of the day, every country has its capital city, even if it's not as heavily defended as Minas Tirith. Whatever person you do want to be with, whatever they look like, is Minas Tirith for you.

And the easiest way to take the capital city is still to get the defenders to surrender it voluntarily. Instead of pursuing the object of your affection, get her (or him) to pursue you.

How do you do that?

By working on yourself. If a young man came to me for dating advice, I'd recommend the following:

1. Take up some form of spiritual practice. I don't care what, but make sure it appeals to you and that it has a strong practical component. If you're going to become a Buddhist, meditate every day; if a Catholic, say your prayers; if a Hindu, do your puja (or whatever).

2. Learn a craft or art. Again, it doesn't matter what. Become a painter, a brewer, or a mushroom forager, as long as it's something you care about.

3. Take up some kind of physical exercise. This one will also be different for everyone, depending on body type. I love martial arts, like running, and hate weight lifting. You might be the opposite.

To the extent that you can, get involved with others who share your interests, whether offline (preferable) or online (okay). That shouldn't be the focus, though; the focus is to build up yourself.

4. To the extent that it's necessary, learn basic grooming, social, and financial skills. We can't all be fashion models, but we can all comb our hair and wear a shirt that fits. We can't all be master wits or players, but we can all learn the basics of reading body language. We can't all be millionaires, but we can all manage our money well enough that we're not living paycheck to paycheck.

For a year, just do these things, without pursuing any romantic partner. I promise that at the end of that time, you will have your choice of women. The gates of the city will be opened to you.

(Would this advice work for a young woman? I don't know, having never been one. I suspect so, though, as if I were single, I'd happily date a woman that followed it!)

So that's just one area of life. But Sun Tzu's advice is applicable to many others as well.

The last time I submitted a piece of fiction to a professional market it came back with a polite rejection. Later I found out that, during the brief window in which the editors were accepting submissions, they received 8,000 stories.

It's hard to think of a better example of besieging a walled city than that. Even if you're better than 99% of the competition, you've still got 80 competing stories, and they've only got room for 4. At that point, it's luck of the draw.

On the other hand, the most recent piece of fiction I wrote was greatly loved by its audience. Every year at Christmas, I write my stepson a little chapter book about his cats and their adventures. He loves them, I love writing them, and the annual reading of the Cat Book has become a family tradition. John Adams wrote that an aristocrat is anyone who can command two votes-- his own and one other. By the same token, an author is anyone whose stories are read by two people-- himself, and one other.

Eventually I'll get around to publishing fiction in "professional" markets, but when I do, they're going to come to me.

To pick a more brutal example, people who get into fistfights without much training or experience typically pick the wrong targets. Fighters on TV shows hit their opponents in the face with a big right hook, and their opponents dutifully respond by getting "knocked out" and falling to the ground.

In a real fight, this is the equivalent of the frontal assault on Minas Tirith. If you're much bigger, stronger, and faster than your opponent, it might work-- though that raises the question of what you're doing in a fight that unfair. A kick to the groin might be much less glamorous than a right hook to the jaw, but it works much better, I promise.

(Best of all, of course, is to be the kind of person who has sufficient training that would-be assailants leave you alone in the first place.)

Well, this post has gone on at some length, and I think I've made my point. See you tomorrow, everybody!

One last note from Chapter 2 of The Art of War. Sun Tzu concludes:

In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.

This might sound simple and obvious, but it is a call back to a theme that I want to keep repeating through all of these posts. What is your goal? When you undertake any particular thing, why are you doing it, and what do you hope to achieve?

This is especially the case when we enter into any kind of conflict, whether it's a political debate, an argument with a salesperson or a dispute with our spouse. Very often, interpersonal conflict is not honest and arguments between two people are not actually about what they are supposedly about. They are, instead, social games.

In Games People Play, Eric Berne described a social game as:

an ongoing series of complementary ulterior transactions progressing to a well-defined, predictable outcome. Desccriptively it is a recurring set of transactions, often repetitious, superficially plausible, with a concealed motivation; or, more colloquially, a series of moves with a snare, or "gimmick."

Berne then describes, as a typical example, a game called "If It Weren't For You." You've probably seen this game before. Maybe you've even played it yourself, without realizing it. (I have.)

In "If It Weren't For You," one member of a partnership (whether a marital relationship or not) discovers that there are many things they could have done in their lives if only the other member of the partnership hadn't held them back. Of course, the person does not actually want to do these things, because they are too afraid to. By playing If It Weren't For You, they're able to both not do the things that scare them and, often enough, to guilt trip the other party into doing things for them. "If it weren't for you," she tells him, "I'd have left this crummy town years ago!" And he feels terrible about this, and so buys her the new dress that she wants. "If it weren't for this job, I'd have fulfilled my childhood dream of traveling around Canada!" he tells himself. But he'd never go to Canada; he's too afraid of moose. By Playing If IT Weren't For You, he gets what he wants and he gets sympathy from others when he complains about it over drinks at night.

When we enter into any conflict, then, let us first make sure we're clear about what we want, and what it would be like if we were to get it. Let our object be victory, not lengthy campaigns; honest desires, not social games.

Today, more from Sun Tzu:

Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs.

Forage on the enemy. That is, an army should take what it needs from its enemy's store, rather than depleting its own country's resources.

How can we apply this idea to our lives in general, and to the Spiritual Warfare we've been discussing?

Let's take the second question first. When I feel pulled to look at political or news websites or to dwell on the horrifying state of our politics or to let myself spiral into emotion about these things, it feels like a psychic attack, and I think we should see it that way.

I wrote yesterday that the battleground in all of this is our own psyches. We aren't invading Demon Land to conquer-- although we can and should talk about what that might look like, too. One thing at a time, though. For now, we're fighting for our own minds. How can we use the enemy's strength to augment our own?

Yesterday I suggested tactics for dealing with psychic attack. Pray and meditate. Banish. Burn frankincense or benzoin, or their essential oils in a simmer-pot. Go outside and walk in the woods. Do something important to you. And I'm sure you can think of more.

Today I'd like to re-emphasize this, but from a different point of view. Don't just view these things as responses to a psychic attack. Let the attack provide you with the energy to do these things. Later on, Sun Tzu will talk about seizing the enemy's chariots and giving them to your own soldiers. Look at it that way. So your Social Justice Warrior sister-in-law just texted you some Facebook meme about white privilege. Great! Don't respond. Take the irritation that it provoked in you and use the energy to get yourself to take a walk in the woods or work on your novel. Or take the opportunity to pray and sit for a little while in meditation. Pray for your sister-in-law. Don't pray that she give up her stupid ideas. Just pray that God, or her god, will look after her, and that you can forgive her for being who and what she is. Be grateful for the chance to practice forgiveness. The time spent in prayer will improve you in every way, and if not for her, you never would have done it.

Taking this approach, it's easy to see how we can apply this strategy to other goals in our lives. Is it taking forever to finish your novel? Great. Don't bewail your fate, allow it to inspire you. Accept that you'll be at it for a while, and that every day you spend writing and re-writing just makes you a better writer. Are you trying to find a new job? Let the process of sending out resumes and going to interviews teach you things-- and not just how to write resumes or interviews. Go into an interview with the intention that even if you don't get the job, you're going to gain by learning by how people in this industry think, how they talk, and what they want. Forage on the enemy-- grow from the process, whatever it is.

There are really just two ways to win a fight. Method 1: Hit the other guy before he can hit you. Method 2: Let him try to hit you first; use his energy against him.

This is Method 2. What about Method 1? We'll talk about that tomorrow.

Let's look at The Art of War, Chapter 2.

Sun Tzu tells us:

When engaged in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, the men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength.

Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain.

Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue.

Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been associated with long delays.

There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.

Sun Tzu is certainly right that countries do not benefit from prolonged warfare. But it is worth noting that one side will invariably have the ability to prolong a war beyond that of their opponent, and that is the side that is going to win. This is why the North Vietnamese won the Vietnam War despite superior American firepower, and why the Taliban will ultimately win in Afghanistan.

How can we apply Sun Tzu's points both to (1) our personal goals and to (2) the spiritual warfare that we have been discussing?

I'd like to suggest the following for consideration.

(1) If you want to accomplish anything at all, persistence is critical. If you want to write a novel, the novel is your goal, and an unwritten novel is your enemy. (How many half-finished novels do you have stored on your computers, writers? I know I've got at least a half dozen.) The Enemy will use every device to outlast you, to damp your ardor and exhaust your strength. But every day that you outlast him, you weaken him and strengthen yourself.

On the other hand, when it comes time to publish your book, haste-- though not stupid haste-- is preferably to a long delay. A Christmas recipe book will not sell very well if its release is delayed until February.

Perhaps we should break our goals down into two types: Those that resemble training, and those that resemble combat. In those that resemble training, discipline, patience, and persistence are key. The head of the tai chi lineage that I've been training in for a number of years recently accepted me as an instructor. I was able to get to that point thanks to daily practice over the course of seven years. When I started, I was terrible, and I couldn't make it through a form without hurting myself. On the other hand, when I start teaching public classes, swiftness is preferably to delay. Hemming and hawing won't bring in any students!

(2) Applying these thoughts to the spiritual war, how can we make use of them?

One way to think of the ongoing crisis is as a build up of energy in the Lower Astral Plane. This happens from time to time. It dissipates when the pressures in the Lower Astral are discharged into the Physical Plane. Unfortunately, that discharge is never pretty; it takes the form of war, death, natural disaster, conflict, plague and so on. We're clearly in the middle of that phase right now.

Outlast the enemy. Demons may be smart, but Patience is a virtue, not a passion. When you find yourself pulled into the conflict, give the enemy nothing. Pray. Do a banishing ritual. Go outside. Work on something truly important to you-- something that expresses the highest part of yourself, not the lowest. Do it every time. And do it quickly. Don't linger over your anger; do something else right now. If whatever triggered it is actually important, you can come back to it later, when you are calm; chances are it isn't, though.

Remember that your psyche is your territory; the Enemy is an invader. Outlast him, and give him nothing that will feed him, and he will be forced to retreat in dismay.

Hi Everyone,

I'm out of town and won't be able to respond to comments for a couple of days. Let's have an extra post for 1.15.

Sun Tzu concludes Chapter 1:

Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.

This point seems critical to our ongoing conversation.

We've been discussing acting from the will, not the passions. Something that I only recently realized is that the word "passion" bears the same relationship to "passive" that "action" does to "active." If you are acting from your passions-- rage and fear in particular, in this case-- you aren't really acting at all. You're being acted upon!

Back to Sun Tzu.

The first chapter of The Art of War closes with several pieces of warfighting advice. One that I want to highlight is this:

All warfare is based on deception.

Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

How can we apply this advice to our lives at this time?

Most of the time, most of us aren't going into battle. The average, day-to-day goals that we are trying to accomplish don't require "deception," as such. What they do often call for, which is similar to deception, is silence.

Some goals can be achieved no matter how much you talk about them. This morning my wife and I planned what to have for dinner tonight; in an hour or two I'll get it started. Simple enough.

But other types of goals benefit enormously from simply not talking about them while you're pursuing them.

I've talked about writing a few times in these posts. Writing is very much one of these kinds of goals. If you want to take all the energy out of a writing project, especially if it's a fiction project, talk about it before it's finished.

Some people are exceptions to this. Mario Puzo's son recalled that while his father was writing The Godfather he used to shout at his kids "Be quiet, I'm writing a bestseller!" And he was right. But I'm not Mario Puzo and you probably aren't either.

Other types goals are like this. If you have a New Years resolution to hit the gym every day, just do it. Don't tell anyone about it. The more people you tell, the more likely you are to miss a day, and then to decide that since you missed yesterday, you might as well miss today, and tomorrow, too.

How to know which goals to shut up about? Well, you could play it safe and just not talk about any of them if you don't need to. This is usually what I do. I talk about my plans with people they directly concern, and that's about it. .

So that's how deception applies to everyday, non-warfighting types of goals.

On the other hand, related to what I posted yesterday, everyday life is feeling more and more like a battle. Political conditions and their reflection in the Astral Light are becoming increasingly toxic in the United States. If your goal is to join one or the other of the two sides lining up against one another right now, I'm sure you can figure out how to apply Sun Tzu's words on your own. On the other hand, if your goal is to weather the storm and to still be here once the demons of the Left and Right are done with one another, I want to talk about how we can apply Sun Tzu's advice.

All warfare is based on deception. Our war is the war of the spirit against the passions, God against the Devil, reason against emotion, peace against war. How do we deceive our enemy?

I suspect that silence is the key here, as well. In particular, there is no reason to engage in political arguments or discussions with those who are committed to one side of our political divide or the other. In certain situations, you may feel that you are forced to do so. Are you really, though? What is your motive?

We do not know where things are going. Everything could calm down after the Inauguration or we could be in a civil war by the summer. Right now, there is absolutely nothing to be gained by standing out, making noise, or rushing to judgment. Above all, avoid committed partisans. You can't reason with them right now; all you can do is have them label you "Enemy."

Beyond that, we just don't know yet. More will become clear with time.

Sun Tzu continues:

Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking to determine the military conditions, let them be made the basis of a comparison, in this wise:

He then gives us seven questions for comparison. I want to take a few at a time. The first is:

1. Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral Law?

To which our translator appends the note:

I.e., which ruler is in harmony with his subjects?

2. Which of the two generals has most ability?

All of these considerations apply whether or not there is any known competition for your goal-- although there often is. If you are applying for a job at a bank, the bank is the terrain of battle, the job the goal, and your competitors for the job the opposing sovereign. The job description and required qualifications are the Tao or Moral Law for this scenario. Your skills at managing an interview are your abilities as a general. Both are critical factors; if you are qualified, but come across as a total dweeb or psychopath, you will often be passed over in favor of a slightly less qualified but socially competent person. Ditto if your goal is a date.

It's worth considering your target itself as your opponent, as well. In this case the hiring agent is the opposing general. How does that change the way you think about things?

3. With whom lie the advantages of Heaven and Earth?

If you apply for a job at a ski resort in May, the advantage lies with the enemy. Apply in the Fall, and you've got a much better shot.

4. On which side is discipline most enforced?

5. Which side is stronger?

6. On which side are officers and men more highly trained?

7. In which army is there greater constancy both in reward and punishment?

All of these come back to what we talked about yesterday, method and discipline.

It's worth taking time and thinking about how to apply Sun Tzu's questions to any particular goal. What does training mean when your goal is making dinner for your wife and kids? What sort of discipline is necessary if your goal is the completion of a novel or the cleaning of your basement? How can reward and punishment be used in a personal context, if your goal is to train for a marathon or a boxing match?

Sun Tzu's 5th constant factor is Method and Disicipline:

By method and discipline are to be understood the marshalling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the gradations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure.

As always, we have to remember that most of us aren't fighting a war or applying this guide to warfighting. Method and Discipline are, of course, critical to any undertaking. To consider a few examples:

If your goal is to get a job, then you will need to set aside time every day to research job opportunities, call companies, and send out resumes. You will do best-- I think most of us know this-- if you treat your job search as a job in itself, and show up to your computer at 8:00, dressed for work.

If your goal is attainment in any sort of art, or craft, or for that matter any sport or skill of any other kind, you will need to set aside time to practice every day. We talked about writing a few posts back. For some reason, writers or would-be writers would bend over backwards in order to find excuses not to write. You've heard of writer's block. Have you ever heard of baker's block, runner's block, boxer's block or hunter's block? It's a good thing there's no construction worker's block, or no work would ever get done. If legislator's block exists, I've never heard of it; more's the pity. In any case, the point is this: If you want to attain anything, you have to work for it.

The reverse is also true. Whatever you are will be the sum total of whatever you do with your time. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Sun Tzu's next category is the General. He writes,

The General stands for the virtues of Wisdom, Sincerity, Benevolence, Courage and Strictness

In traditional cultures East and West, ethics consist of the practice of the virtues. The Catholic philosopher Alistair MacIntyre has discussed this issue at length, especially in his book "After Virtue," which is available for free online (legitimately, as far as I know). In short, the word "ethics" itself refers, not to a series of moral harangues, but to habits of behavior. Virtues, meanwhile are excellences in one area or another.

In Chinese culture, the traditional Confucian virtues are: Benevolence; Righteousness; Propriety; Wisdom; and Sincerity.* In a military context, Sun Tzu has exchanged Courage and Strictness for Propriety and Sincerity. The 4 cardinal virtues of the ancient Greeks were Wisdom, Justice, Temperance and Courage. Christianity kept these four, and added Faith, Hope, and Charity.

The point for us is that practicing any of these sets of virtues will lead to the production of a particular type of character.

Refer back to the first of Sun Tzu's 5 factors, the Tao or "Moral Law". We defined this as both goal-setting and as alignment with one's higher values and spiritual beliefs. The practice of the virtues is directly tied to this. We need both a general set of virtues to practice from one day to the next, and a specific set for our particular goal. Who do you want to be, and what do you want to achieve?

Persistence, Honesty, and Industriousness are virtues which will help you to get any job; if you are looking for a job with a bank, the virtues of Accounting and Professionalism will also be necessary. Charm, Wit, Confidence and Basic Hygiene are virtues to practice if you want to get a date; you'll need to add Fidelity, Courage, Endurance, Maturity and Industriousness if you also want to get married.

The practice of a specific set of virtues-- the Christian, the Confucian, the Greek-- will produce, in you, a character that is inclined toward virtue in general, which will make other virtues easier to pick up. It will also help to align your soul with the spiritual tradition you're working in, which will open you more to the aid of the powers of that tradition, incarnate or otherwise.

*The actual Chinese terms are not easily rendered into English. There is a useful discussion here.

Let's move on with some more Sun Tzu.

Our next two conditions to take into account are Heaven and Earth.

Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons. Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death.

We can say that Heaven refers to Time, Earth to Space. Or we can say that Heaven means Conditions, Earth, Locations.

If we take these things into account, we can help achieve our goals-- military or otherwise. July is a bad time to apply for a ski resort in the northern Hemisphere, but a good time for a beach vacation; November is a fine time to release a Christmas album, but a bad time to invade Russia. And everyone who has ever been in a romantic relationship knows that there are good times and bad times for any sort of conversation. If what you want is an affordable home to rent or buy, the Midwest is a good place to look; Manhattan is not. Social media is a good place to market products such as online classes, but a very bad place to resolve political disputes.

Those who practice spirituality or magic of any kind will know that there are esoteric dimensions to both of these. Astrological conditions and days of the week can be favorable or unfavorable for particular goals. Wednesdays, belonging to Mercury, are good for anything involving communication; Saturdays, belonging to Saturn, are good for settling debts. For Christians, the saints are traditionally evoked on their feast days, of course. Some also have days of the week or months of the year. In Western Christianity Saturday is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, for example, while Wednesdays are St. Joseph's.

In spiritual practice, "Earth" can refer both to the terrain, material or otherwise, that you wish to "occupy," or to places in which to do your work. That is: If you plan to petition St. Joseph to help you get a job at a construction firm, the terrain refers to both the company that you want to work for and to a nearby church dedicated to St. Joseph, where you might go and light a candle or make a donation to ask the saint's intercession. If you're hoping, on the other hand, to make contact with Earth spirits, a forested mountaintop or a deep cavern is your best bet-- not a skyscraper!

For any action that we undertake to further our goals, let us ask ourselves, "Is this the right time for this? Is this the right place and setting for this? If not, what might be "

Let's shift gears a bit.

Some time back, I began working on an occult version of Sun Tzu's Art of War. What I'd like to do now is basically that, except I want to explore the book from a broader perspective, not just from within the small subculture of people who practice magic.

The translation I'm using is by Lionel Giles and can be found on Google Books here. I like this one in part because it's straightfoward and readable, but mainly because of the author's hilarious footnotes, which include constant bitchy swipes at a previous English translator, a Captain Calthrop. After a brief introduction, Sun Tzu tells us that:

The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.

These are: 1. The Moral Law; 2. Heaven; 3. Earth; 4. The Commander; 5. Method and Discipline.

For the next few days, I want to go through these one by one, starting with the first. Sun Tzu writes:

The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.

Now, readers with any background in Chinese philosophy will already have guessed that the word being translated by Giles as "Moral Law" is, in fact, 道-- that is, Tao. At the time of the translation, Taoism and Chinese philosophy generally were, I think, far less known in the west than they are today.

Sun Tzu tells us that having the Tao "causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler."

Now, for most of us, in most cases, when we set out to achieve something, we do so by ourselves. Sometimes we have a group or a team. Most of us won't be governing any kingdoms any time soon. But the advice that Sun Tzu gives applies even when we are acting alone.

Whenever we set out to achieve something, we need to know exactly what it is. We need to know that we really do want to achieve it, and that it is in alignment with our higher values-- whether we're Taoists or not.

That might sound obvious, but consider how often people publicly do things that are entirely contrary to their stated goals. Do you want to be a writer? Okay, great. Why are you spending your time reading books about writing, or hanging out with other writers, or drinking at-- God help us-- "writers bars"? Do any of those things accomplish your supposed goal, the writing of books for the enjoyment of readers?

Or consider the freakshow of our national politics. What goal were the protesters who stormed the Capitol building yesterday trying to achieve? Do you know? Whatever it was, was storming the Capitol going to achieve it? For that matter, what could storming the Capitol possibly achieve? In dumb TV shows (lookin' at you, Game of Thrones Season 6), if you kill the other guy's king, you automatically become the king. In real life, the king's followers get mad and fight you. Or ban you from social media.

So that's today's advice. Whenever you set out to achieve something, make sure it's what you really want; make sure it's in alignment with your values; and make sure that what you're doing can actually help you to achieve it. And if you do happen to have a team, this is where you make sure you're all on the same page-- whether your team consists of incarnate people, spirits of one sort or another, or a mixture of both!

Tomorrow: Heaven and Earth.

The following is the beginning of an analysis of the classical Chinese text The Art of War, reconsidered as a manual of practical magic.

Now, this is not-- or not primarily-- an attempt at discussing magical warfare. The focus, instead, is magical strategy as a whole. "The Enemy," in this case, will be the magician's goal, whatever that may be: a new job, a new lover, or a closer relationship with a deity, or anything else.

I've assumed that the reader either is, or considers themself to be, a practitioner of magic. But that need not be the case. A mystic who does not do practical magic (intended to achieve specific changes in the world), an ordinary religious believer, or even someone who thinks of themself as "spiritual but not religious"-- provided the "spiritual" part consists of an actual relationship with the divine-- will be able to apply the advice given here.

With all that said, let's get started!

Sun Tzu opens by giving us 5 considerations which determine victory in war. These are as follows:

1. The Tao

2. Heaven

3. Earth

4. The General

5. Organization and Discipline

Let's look at each of these one at a time, considering first what Sun Tzu has to say, and then reconsidering it from the perspective of magic and magical combat.

1. The Tao.

Sun Tzu tells us that the Tao "causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger."

Now, the great majority of magical workings are carried out, not by a group with a leader, but by an individual. Nevertheless, I view this verse as the sine qua non of effective magic. How does it apply to individuals? In three ways:

First, for the "Tao" or (as it is often rendered) "The Moral Law," substitute "God" or "the Divine." In other words, before undertaking a magical working, always invoke the Divine, and make sure that your will is in accordance with-- or, more appropriately, subordinate to-- the Divine Will. This suggests that, prior to any magical working, you need a spiritual practice which puts you in touch with the divine world. This is essential, and I'll talk more about it later.

If you want to accomplish something, first pray about it. Talk to God or the Gods, and to those saints and angels with whom you have relationships about it. Use divination to make sure that your goal and your approach are appropriate. Then act.

Second, and following from the first: Which spirits will you be working with? The truth is, unless you only plan on directing your personal life energy at the target, you will, in fact, NOT be acting alone, but as part of an army-- even if most of the participants are invisible. And, just as Sun Tzu says, you need complete accord between the members of that army. For the monotheist, God is God, but in magic there is an enormous difference between (say) Cassiel, the archangel of Saturn, and Hanael, the archangel of Venus! If you try to accomplish a love spell via Cassiel or a binding via Hanael, you can expect it to backfire. Your army does not have the Tao.

Now, there is a complicating factor here, which is this: Whether or not a spirit will work with you for a given purpose depends upon whether your purpose suits the spirit's nature, but also upon whether or not you have a relationship with that spirit. If you find yourself needing to do magic right away, it might be better to go to a general-purpose spirit with whom you have a relationship, rather than a being with a more specific focus with whom you do not.

The third consideration follows from the second. All magical workings gain strength through *unity of purpose.* You should be able to state, simply and clearly, what you are trying to accomplish via a given working. "This is a spell intended to get me ten thousand dollars while curing my aging mother of dementia and removing Donald Trump from office" is not going to work; you have too many different goals mixed into one. "This is a spell intended to bring peace and justice" is also not going to work; it's too vague for you to even know whether it has worked or not. ("Peace and justice" to whom, defined how, for what purpose?) "To get a job that pays at least $50,000/year and leaves me time for my family" is a clearly defined purpose. "To protect the president from hostile magic" is also an acceptable purpose.

To summarize: Begin by defining your purpose as clearly as possible. Make sure that your will is in alignment with the Divine Will, using divination to confirm. Then gather your spiritual army.

2. Heaven.

Sun Tzu writes that Heaven signifies "day and night, hot and cold, all times and seasons." This applies to magical workings in two ways: Magical and mundane.

The magical first. If you don't know anything about magical timing, now is the time to start learning. The very simplest method of magical timing relies on the phases of the Moon. Use a waxing moon for workings intended to increase something, and a waning moon for workings intended to decrease something.

More advanced and more useful are the planetary days and hours. These are also simple enough to learn. Every day is assigned to one of the seven classical planets; the one whose name it bears. Meanwhile, the days are divided into 12 day hours and 12 night hours, which are also assigned to the planets. A love spell will gain power from being performed on a Friday in the hour of Venus. A wealth spell will gain power from being performed on a Thursday in the hour of Jupiter. And so on.

The next level up is electional astrology. If all you're familiar with is the sort of sun-sign astrology that you see in newspapers, you may want to leave this alone for now; it's very complicated. At a minimum, if you're invoking the angel or god of a specific planet, you should learn whether that planet is in retrograde or in the sign of its detriment or fall; if so, wait until it moves into a better position to perform your working.

Now, there are other forms of magical timing beyond these. Christian magicians are likely to work with the saints, as well as, or rather than, the planetary angels. The simplest practice here, of course, is to pick a feast day or other day sacred to the saint in question to perform your working. For example, Wednesdays are sacred to St. Joseph, while Saturdays are sacred to the Blessed Mother. A working invoking them will gain power from being performed on their day. The months and the seasons of the liturgical year also have specific associations which should be taken into consideration

There is also mundane timing. Here, the consideration is more straightforward. If you are doing a working to find a job, you need to find out when the company is hiring. Do they have job fairs at a certain day of the month? If so-- this should go without saying-- that's when to do your working. If you're looking for an apartment, will it be easier in September (when all the college kids turn up) or May (when they leave)? And so on.

3. Earth.

Earth "comprises distances great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death." In war, that is, Earth refers to the physical terrain in which your battle will be fought.

All magical operations also have a terrain in which they will be conducted, and your next task is to determine what that is. What is your goal? Where is it located in physical and social space? If your goal is to get a job at a bank, the terrain is the bank, the application process, and the job interview. If your goal is to protect your house from malefic spirits, the house-- and in particular, the house's reflection in the astral worlds-- is the terrain. If your goal is to win the heart of a young lady or gentleman, they, their emotions, needs and desires, are the terrain.

Also: What is the space in which you will be doing your magical work? This is also part of the terrain. You might have a whole room or even a separate building dedicated entirely to magic, with altars set aside to various spirits, or you might have the corner of a desk on which you keep a rosary, some incense and a bit of holy water. This is your base of operations, from which you will plan and conduct your magical campaign. Whatever the size of the space, it's your job to keep it in good working order.

Finally: Given that magical forces are channeled by and through the magician, YOU are also part of the terrain! Especially, but not only, in cases of actual magical warfare, you need to keep up your physical strength, your energy purified and your spirit attuned with the divine. If you have a tendency to not eat and to fill your consciousness with-- say-- irate Facebook posts, you are not going to be in good condition to withstand any type of protracted magical operation, nor to hold up against any kind of hostile magic.

4. The General.

Sun Tzu tells us that the General must possess 5 virtues: Wisdom, Sincerity, Benevolence, Courage, and Strictness.

Now, these five are a variation on the standard list of the 5 Confucian Virtues, which are translated into English under various names. For our purposes, this list of virtues can be considered in two ways: as given, and as an example.

What do I mean by that?

First, as given. You can accomplish a great deal by taking Sun Tzu's list of virtues at face value and attempting to follow them to the best of your ability. In a moment, I will examine each of these five one by one, and discuss their meaning in a magical context.

Second, as an example. While the Five Virtues given here have a universal applicability, Sun Tzu is writing in a Chinese context, and his way of thinking is deeply rooted in traditional Chinese philosophy. If you are practicing magic in a different tradition, you may find that holding yourself to another set of virtues yields better results. The thing to keep in mind is the word "virtue"-- it means "excellence." A set of virtues is a set of excellences. If you practice them, you will shape your spirit in such a way as to excel in the particular field of which they are a part.

Merely by practicing a set of virtues, you will cultivate your Will, which is what will allow you to maintain the unity of purpose that translates, in Sun Tzu, to having the Tao. By practicing the virtues specific to your tradition, you will more deeply align yourself with that tradition.

So, if you are practicing Catholic magic, hoodoo, grimoire-purism, or any other type of Christian magic, you would be well to consider the Three Heavenly and Four Cardinal Virtues. That is: Faith, Hope, Charity; and Justice, Prudence, Wisdom and Temperance.

If you are working with the gods of the classical world, your list is Justice, Prudence, Wisdom and Temperance.

For a practitioner of any of the schools of modern magic that were influenced by Eliphas Levi, the four virtues are To Know, To Will, to Dare, and to Keep Silent.

For a heathen, Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Self-Reliance, Industriousness and Perseverance.

Any spiritual path worth following will have a similar list.

Now, let's return to Sun Tzu's virtues, and look at them one at a time.

First, Wisdom. Wisdom means both knowledge and the ability to use knowledge. Whatever magical system you are working in, you should know it inside and out. Of course, this means you need to pick a magical system to work with-- and you will do well to pick one system, learn it inside and out, and then start learning others. Whether's it's the Golden Dawn or hoodoo, traditional Catholicism, Taoist magic or Renaissance astrological magic, your job is to learn everything you can about how your magic works, what options you have in various scenarios, what spirits or deities you can call upon (and what they expect from you in return), and everything else imaginable. The day you stop learning is the day you start getting stupid.

Sincerity. This goes back to the very first thing we discussed, which is your intention. What are you trying to accomplish, and are you really willing to devote all of your faculties to accomplish it?

Benevolence. What does this mean in a magical context? Here I am going to depart a bit from Sun Tzu. I'm more than aware of the current popularity of curses, black magic, and demonolatry. If you have half a brain, you will avoid these, and focus on healing, blessing, and working with angels, deities, saints, and God.

Why? Consider that magic is, in a very real sense, the ordinary processes of consciousness, but expanded, focused, and concentrated. If you focus your magical work on healing, wisdom, renewal and success, you can expect these things in your own life. If you focus on cursing, harm, and destruction, you can also expect to experience cursing, harm, and destruction. You will reap exactly as you sew.

Courage. This one is obvious. If you want something, you must have the courage to see it through, no matter what the cost-- whether it's a new job or an exorcism. It may be worth mentioning as an aside here that, in the Republic, Plato describes "courage" as the capacity to maintain the awareness of the goodness of God through any danger or any pleasure. What this may mean is left for the consideration of the reader.

Strictness. We will get into this more in a moment. As a magician, the one you need to be strict with is YOURSELF. Magic requires daily practice and daily commitment. It's very common, these days, to find people who think that they want to be magicians, but who aren't willing to put so much as twenty minutes every day into spiritual practice. Don't be one of those. Don't make excuses. You have the time.

5. Method and Discipline.

In The Art of War, this refers to the organization of the army into its various ranks and subdivisions, the maintenance of roads, and so forth. If you've been paying attention, you probably know what I'm going to say on this topic with respect to the art of magic.

Magic requires discipline-- and, by the way, it also teaches discipline. Every school of magic without exception will be found to have a daily practice-- and daily means daily.

If you are a Golden Dawner, this means the lesser banishing ritual of the pentagram, followed by the middle pillar and meditation.

For a Taoist, a session of zuowang meditation and shengong followed by qigong and taichi.

For a Catholic, a rosary and other devotional prayers.

For all, daily prayer, divination, and the maintenance of altars and offerings.

This is true, by the way, even if your magic consists only of hoodoo and natural magic. A natural magician ought, at minimum, to have a garden and an apothecary, which will require daily maintenance. A hoodoo practitioner can take a hoodoo bath (cold water, vinegar, salt and hot pepper) followed by the Lord's Prayer and the psalms. And every practitioner of magic without exception should be practicing a form of meditation appropriate to their tradition.