"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." ~ Sun Tzu
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Follow up: In last week's blog post, we discussed "Mulengro" as defined by Ly De Angeles in her book, "Witchcraft: Theory and Practice" (WT&P). In the interim, she has created a Facebook Page for those who have read the book and want to discuss with her and others. Just yesterday, she brought up the topic of Mulengro, and attached this link as a supplement. I'd highly recommend reading it, for those who really want to rid themselves of this villain in their lives.
This week, I want to talk about a lesson from one of the greatest military strategists of all time- Sun Tzu, and how that relates to a Spiritual Warrior's perspective, particularly in the Powers of the Sphinx maxim, "To Know. To Dare. To Will. To Keep Silent." We'll discuss the first, "To Know", in this segment, and look at the other three in future posts.
In Witchcraft, "To Know" is a significant part of our practice. For every book in which this is discussed, you'll find a variety of definitions as to what "To Know" is all about. In Thelemic or Hermetic teachings, it usually means "to know what needs to be done". In most books on The Craft, you'll find that it is about the accumulation of knowledge for the purpose of using that knowledge toward your personal growth and use of your birthright. For our purposes today, it's about studying one's self, one's enemy (in our case, we named it last week as Mulengro), and human nature in general.
In many spiritual and martial practices, the main focus is on introspection. For those who have practiced martial arts, you understand that each movement, each challenge is not about learning how to fight. It is teaching you about your self, your strengths and capabilities, as well as your weaknesses and growth opportunities. Meditation, yoga, tai chi.. all of these are also designed to teach us about ourselves. The more you are able to slough off the masks and self-deceiving images you have built within your psyche to keep you from acknowledging your true self, or to protect you from getting hurt, the more you are able to see who you really are, and accept then embrace that person. Once you are able to get a clear, solid look at this person and live genuinely, the stronger you become. Clear sight is important in battle. Once you can see yourself, you can clearly see the enemy.
As stated in WT&P, the seven faces of Mulengro are as follows:
1. Greed
2. Envy
3. Guilt
4. Deceit
5. Denial
6. Expectation
7. Assumption
Behind one of these faces lie the other six. To name the enemy is one thing, to understand his strengths and weaknesses is another. The first step in ridding one's self of this enemy is to study his traits. Start by taking each word, individually. Write down your reactions to each of these words, how they have affected you on both a large and small scale, and how you have displayed these traits in the past. Next, look up the etymology of each of these words, write down their origins and meanings. Have they changed over time? What are the symptoms of each of these faces? How can they be recognized? What are the weaknesses and strengths of each? When you have created a profile, you can then begin to create a strategy to eliminate these from your life. Compare your own personal profile to that of Mulengro's. Where are you most vulnerable? How can you fortify your own defenses?
Finally, a study of human nature is in order, as Mulengro will be evident in others. How has mankind displayed these faces in a general way? How do these manifest themselves in your everyday life? Then, you can plot a course of avoidance and eradication of it in your daily interactions.
Remember, no victorious commander goes into battle without a strategic plan. This is not an easy or quick exercise. The preparation alone will take you weeks, perhaps months, to accomplish. Creating your strategy and implementing it will take longer, and you will continually be on guard against this in your life. However, the rewards are tremendous. As Sun Tsu says, "If you know Heaven and you know Earth, your victory will be complete."
I would add to that that your skill and draiocht (magic) will be clear and strong, and your life will take on a much deeper meaning with the eradication of this enemy.
Next time, we'll discuss "To Will."
Sláinte,
Kallan