We are talking about the Tyr rune, the sign of the warrior.

For those who have been to my earlier rune classes, I will say that as obvious as this may sound, it can still be of help to have a symbol to remind you of the warrior spirit. Each rune is a force in the world, a presence as well as a path, and as abstract as the runes appear to be visually, what they reflect tends to be very concrete and down to earth.

So far we have done the rune of the birch and the rune of the gate, and each is a big component of reality as we know it. Some would say that the way of the warrior is unnatural, that man made war and thus there is no real wisdom to be had in any ideas related to it. I will offer an argument to the contrary.

Conflict has always been as much an elemental force as any of the states of matter that we know. It can be said that our planet was born in a “war” between the elements, earth and air, water and fire, and the outcome of their conflict is what creates the livable world we know and can appreciate to one degree or another.

Nothing in conflict goes unchanged. Stone breaks down into mineral deposits to enrich the soil. Heat spreads to nurture the chemical processes we know to support life rather than consume those same materials. Air carries both the fuel and the very seeds of new life to new locations where they can have a hope of surviving and helping other things survive. The earth serves as a wind break. The water serves as a heat sink. With all this conflict, how is it we achieve harmony?

Balance of energies? Balance of tension? Can balance be achieved through passive acceptance? Sun Tzu speaks of war as being the field of life and death.

Like a tug of war, both sides pulling keep the ribbon on the rope in the middle. Yes, war is never auspicious, no one ever wins, but he said that we must understand it because others will take it up lightly. To relate this to the earlier topic, do we ever really succeed at anything? Do we ever really win at anything at all?

Ultimately, no, and ultimately, yes. Why is that?

Inside of every win lies a loss?

The Way wins and we win with it. The way of bushido taught warriors to see themselves as already dead. Why would they do that?

Remove fear. It didn’t succeed at that.

Remove attachment. If we see ourselves as already having failed, as being already dead, then we can commit to an effort whole heartedly and without hesitation.

Warrior spirit! Yes, every element in our world expresses the warrior spirit. It all behaves perfectly true to its nature.

“There’s a kind of freedom in being completely screwed.” Ferris Bueller. Actually, the funny thing is, it’s not about being completely screwed. It’s about being in touch with reality. The success we seek we can never create. You can never create your enemies defeat. You can only create your own victory.

The outcome, as far as human awareness goes, is never certain. In fact, the sign of a great warrior is not seeing victory when it’s possible, but seeing it well before it’s ever possible. They don’t know their enemy as well as they know war. Knowing the enemy is secondary, knowing your problems is secondary, and if that is all you understand, it’s even insufficient.

So “war” and “warrior” are paradigms. Yes. Sun Tzu likened the warrior to a carpenter, a tradesman. He even advised that generals have a good grasp of industry, because nothing happens without understanding that all outcomes stem from the same process, everything undertaken in its time with the right tools and trusting the right people. The Generals first virtue is wisdom, wisdom being synonymous with justice. When you turn against someone, he said to never do it in anger. Anger leads to foolishness, and sooner or later to defeat, short sightedness.

He also says that it is better to leave a force in tact than to destroy it. When you destroy something there is always loss, always misfortune, but you can make yourself unknowable, untouchable to the one who would oppose you. Accomplish your goal by being there before he even thinks to go there.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~