Warrior of the Light

by Paulo Coelho

A Warrior of the Light values a child’s eyes because they are able to look at the world without bitterness.

“What is a Warrior of the Light?” “You already know that,” she replied with a smile. “He is someone capable of understanding the miracle of life, of fighting to the last for something he believes in—and of hearing the bells that the waves set ringing on the seabed.” He had never thought of himself as a Warrior of the Light. The woman seemed to read his thoughts. “Everyone is capable of these things. And, though no one thinks of himself as a Warrior of the Light, we all are.”

A Warrior of the Light knows that he has much to be grateful for. Angels help him in his struggle; celestial forces place each thing in its place, thus allowing him to give it his best.

A Warrior can distinguish between the transient and the enduring.

It’s odd,” the Warrior of the Light says to himself. “I have met so many people who, at the first opportunity, try to show their very worst qualities. They hide their inner strength behind aggression and hide their fear of loneliness behind an air of independence. They do not believe in their own abilities, but are constantly trumpeting their virtues.” A Warrior reads these messages in many of the men and women he meets. He is never taken in by appearances and makes a point of remaining silent when people try to impress him. He uses these occasions to correct his own faults, for other people make an excellent mirror. A Warrior takes every opportunity to teach himself. The Warrior of the Light sometimes fights with those he loves. The man who defends his friends is never overwhelmed by the storms of life; he is strong enough to come through difficulties and carry on. He does, however, often face challenges from those he is trying to teach the art of the sword. His disciples provoke him into fighting with them. And the Warrior demonstrates his abilities: with just a few blows he disarms his students, and harmony returns to the place where they meet.

A Warrior of the Light knows that certain moments repeat themselves. He often finds himself faced by the same problems and situations, and seeing these difficult situations return, he grows depressed, thinking that he is incapable of making any progress in life. “I’ve been through all this before,” he says to his heart. “Yes, you have been through all this before,” replies his heart. “But you have never been beyond it.” Then the Warrior realizes that these repeated experiences have but one aim: to teach him what he does not want to learn.

A Warrior does not spend his days trying to play the role that others have chosen for him.

The Warrior of the Light does not worry that, to others, his behavior might seem quite mad. He talks out loud to himself when he is alone. Someone told him that this is the best way of communicating with the angels, and so he takes a chance and tries to make contact. At first, he finds this very difficult. He thinks that he has nothing to say, that he will just repeat the same meaningless twaddle. Even so, the Warrior persists. He spends all day talking to his heart. He says things with which he does not agree, he talks utter nonsense. One day, he notices a change in his voice. He realizes that he is acting as a channel for some higher wisdom. The Warrior may seem mad, but this is just a disguise.

everyone has the necessary gifts for his particular path.

A Warrior of the Light does not waste his time listening to provocations; he has a destiny to fulfill.

The moment that he Begins to walk along it, the Warrior of the Light recognizes the Path.

The future has become the present, and every dream—except those dreams that involve preconceived ideas—will have a chance to be heard. Anything of importance will remain. Anything useless will disappear. It is not the Warrior’s responsibility, however, to judge the dreams of others, and he does not waste time criticizing other people’s decisions. In order to have faith in his own path, he does not need to prove that someone else’s path is wrong.

If he waits for the ideal moment, he will never set off. The Warrior requires a touch of madness to take the next step.

He tries to establish what he can truly rely on. And he always checks that he carries three things with him: faith, hope, and love. If these three things are there, he does not hesitate to go forward.

Every Warrior of the Light has felt afraid of going into battle. Every Warrior of the Light has, at some time in the past, lied or betrayed someone. Every Warrior of the Light has trodden a path that was not his. Every Warrior of the Light has suffered for the most trivial of reasons. Every Warrior of the Light has, at least once, believed that he was not a Warrior of the Light. Every Warrior of the Light has failed in his spiritual duties. Every Warrior of the Light has said “yes” when he wanted to say “no.” Every Warrior of the Light has hurt someone he loved. That is why he is a Warrior of the Light, because he has been through all this and yet has never lost hope of being better than he is.

A Warrior knows that his best teachers are the people with whom he shares the battlefield.

A Warrior knows that he has faults. But he knows too that he cannot do his growing alone, distanced from his companions. Therefore, he throws the two signs to the floor, even if he thinks they may contain a grain of truth. The signs crumble into dust, and the Warrior continues to encourage those nearest him.

“Accumulating love brings luck, accumulating hatred brings calamity. Anyone who fails to recognize problems leaves the door open for tragedies to rush in.”

The Warrior of the Light meditates. He sits in a quiet place in his tent and surrenders himself to the divine light. When he does this, he tries not to think about anything; he shuts himself off from the search for pleasure, from challenges and revelations, and allows his gifts and powers to reveal themselves. Even if he does not recognize them then, these gifts and powers will take care of his life and will influence his day-to-day existence. While he meditates, the Warrior is not himself, but a spark from the Soul of the World. Meditation gives him an understanding of his responsibilities and of how he should behave accordingly. A Warrior of the Light knows that in the silence of his heart he will hear an order that will guide him.

A Warrior of the Light sometimes thinks: “If I do not do something, it will not be done.” It is not quite like that: He must act, but he must allow room for the Universe to act too.

A Warrior balances solitude and dependence.

For the Warrior of the Light, there are no abstractions. Everything is concrete and everything is meaningful. He does not sit comfortably in his tent, observing what is going on in the world; he accepts each challenge as an opportunity to transform himself. Some of his companions spend their lives moaning about their lack of choice or passing comment on the decisions made by other people. The Warrior, however, transforms his thinking into action. Sometimes he chooses the wrong goal and pays the price for his mistake without complaint. At others, he swerves from the path and wastes a great deal of time only to end up back where he started. But the Warrior never allows himself to be discouraged.

A Warrior of the Light is in the world in order to help his fellow man, not to condemn his neighbor.

the Warrior treats each situation as if it were unique and never resorts to formulae, recipes, or other people’s opinions.

A Warrior of the Light always keeps his heart free of any feelings of hatred. When he goes into battle he remembers what Christ said: “Love your enemies.” And he obeys. But he knows that the act of forgiveness does not mean that he must accept everything; a Warrior cannot bow his head, for if he did he would lose sight of the horizon of his dreams. He accepts that his opponents are there to test his valor, his persistence, and his ability to make decisions. They force him to fight for his dreams. It is the experience of battle that strengthens the Warrior of the Light.

The Warrior of the Light sits around a fire with his companions.

A Warrior of the Light makes decisions. His soul is as free as the clouds in the sky, but he is committed to his dream. On his freely chosen path, he often has to get up earlier than he would like, speak to people from whom he learns nothing, make certain sacrifices. His friends say: “You’re not free.” The Warrior is free. But he knows that an open oven bakes no bread.

The Warrior of the Light pays attention to small things because they can severely hamper him. A thorn, however tiny, can cause the traveler to halt. A tiny, invisible cell can destroy a healthy organism. The memory of a past moment of fear allows cowardice to be reborn with each new morning. A fraction of a second opens the way for the enemy’s fatal blow. The Warrior is attentive to small things. Sometimes he is hard on himself, but he prefers to act in this way. “The devil is in the details,” says an old proverb.

The Warrior knows that no man is an island. He cannot fight alone; whatever his plan, he depends on other people. He needs to discuss his strategy, to ask for help, and, in moments of relaxation, to have someone with whom he can sit by the fire, someone he can regale with tales of battle. But he does not allow people to confuse this camaraderie with insecurity. He is transparent in his actions and secretive in his plans. A Warrior of the Light dances with his companions, but does not place the responsibility for his actions on anyone else.

In the intervals between battles, the Warrior rests. Often he spends whole days doing nothing, because that is what his heart demands. But his intuition remains alert. He does not commit the capital sin of Sloth, because he knows where that can lead—to the warm monotony of Sunday afternoons when time simply passes. The Warrior calls this “the peace of the cemetery.” He remembers a passage from Revelation: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot…. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.” A Warrior rests and laughs. But he is always alert.

The Warrior of the Light knows that everyone is afraid of everyone else. This fear generally manifests itself in two ways: through aggression or through submission. They are two facets of the same problem.

The Warrior of the Light recognizes the silence that precedes an important battle. The silence says “Things have stopped. Why not forget about fighting and enjoy yourself a little.” At this point, inexperienced combatants lay down their arms and complain that they are bored. The Warrior listens intently to that silence and understands that somewhere something is happening. He knows that devastating earthquakes arrive without warning. He has walked through forests at night and knows that it is precisely when the animals are silent that danger is near.

The Warrior of the Light is a believer. Because he believes in miracles, miracles begin to happen. Because he is sure that his thoughts can change his life, his life begins to change.

For every defeat, he has two victories in his favor. All believers know this.

The Warrior of the Light has learned that it is best to follow the light. He has behaved treacherously, he has lied, he has strayed from the path, he has courted darkness and everything was fine, as if nothing had happened. Then an abyss suddenly opens up. One can take a thousand steps in safety, but a single step too many can put an end to everything. The Warrior stops before he destroys himself. When he makes that decision, he hears four comments: “You always do the wrong thing. You’re too old to change. You’re no good. You don’t deserve it.” He looks up at the sky. And a voice says: “My dear, everyone makes mistakes. You’re forgiven, but I cannot force that forgiveness on you. It’s your choice.” The true Warrior of the Light accepts that forgiveness.

The Latin root of the word responsibility reveals its true meaning: the capacity to respond, to react. A responsible Warrior is one who has proved able to observe and to learn. He is even capable of being “irresponsible.” Sometimes, he has allowed himself to be carried along by a situation, without responding or reacting. But he always learned his lesson; he took a stand, listened to advice, and was humble enough to accept help. A responsible Warrior is not someone who takes the weight of the world on his shoulders, but someone who has learned to deal with the challenges of the moment.

The Warrior of the Light is terrified when making important decisions. “This is too much for you,” says a friend. “Go on, be brave,” says another. And so his doubts grow. After some days of anxiety, he withdraws to the corner of his tent where he usually sits to meditate and pray. He sees himself in the future. He sees the people who will benefit or be harmed by his attitude. He does not want to cause pointless suffering, but nor does he want to abandon the path. The Warrior allows the decision to reveal itself. If he has to say “yes,” he will say it bravely. If he has to say “no,” he will say it without a trace of cowardice.

A Warrior of the Light accepts his Personal Legend completely. His companions say: “He has remarkable faith!” For a moment, the Warrior feels proud, then immediately feels ashamed of what he has heard because he does not have as much faith as he appears to have. At that moment, his angel whispers: “You are only an instrument of the Light. There is no reason to feel proud or to feel guilty. There are only reasons to feel happy.” And the Warrior of the Light, aware now that he is but an instrument, feels calmer and more secure.

Warriors of the Light never accept what is unacceptable.

Injustices happen. Everyone finds themselves in situations they do not deserve, usually when they are unable to defend themselves. Defeat often knocks at the Warrior’s door. At such times, he remains silent. He does not waste energy on words, because they can do nothing. He knows it is best to use his strength to resist and have patience, knowing that Someone is watching, Someone who saw the unnecessary suffering and who will not accept it. That Someone gives him what he most needs: time. Sooner or later, everything will once more work in his favor.

The true companions of a Warrior are beside him always, during the difficult times and the easy times.

There are moments when life leads him into a crisis and he is separated from things he has always loved; it is then that the Warrior reflects. He checks if he is fulfilling God’s will or if he is merely acting selfishly. If this separation is really part of his path, then he accepts it without complaint.

Yesterday’s pain is the Warrior of the Light’s strength.

A Warrior of the Light always has a second chance in life. Like all other men and woman, he was not born knowing how to use a sword; he made many mistakes before he discovered his Personal Legend. No Warrior can sit down by the fire and tell the others: “I always did the right thing.” Anyone who says this is lying and has not yet learned to know himself. The true Warrior of the Light has committed injustices in the past. But as he proceeds on his journey, he realizes that the people to whom he did not behave correctly always cross his path again. It is his chance to right the wrong he did them, and he always, unhesitatingly, seizes that chance.

when the Warrior speaks of his brother’s opinions, he imagines that his brother is there present, listening to what he is saying.

“This is the Path of the Knight: A path that is at once easy and difficult, because it forces one to set aside trivial things and chance friendships. That is why, at first, many hesitate to follow it. “This is the first teaching of the Knights: You will erase everything you had written in the book of your life up until now: restlessness, uncertainty, lies. And in the place of all this you will write the word courage. By beginning the journey with that word and continuing with faith in God, you will arrive wherever you need to arrive.”