The Burden on One’s Shoulders
The Way to Power is not a leisurely stroll through the park. Not only is every step accompanied by almost continuous battles, the Magus must also carry a heavy burden that hinders his progress.
The Magus does not follow well-trodden paths lined with campsites and hotels. His Way runs where only a few have passed, which means he must be adaptable and as independent as possible. Therefore the first part of the Magus’s “burden” is his knowledge, abilities, and skills, which he must preserve and, where possible, refine. Without regular practice and use the Flow of Power stagnates, turning into a barren swamp; consequently the Magus must continually exert enormous effort simply to remain on the Way, to remain himself.
Many do not endure the weight of this burden. The Magus’s Way demands constant exertion; the Magus cannot afford to simply “rest and relax”; the Magus’s rest is always only a short respite between battles, during which he must not only recover his strength but also analyze past battles and plan future strategy. There is no room here for “relaxation.”
However, as one advances along the Way other components of the Magus’s “burden” accumulate, which cannot simply be “shed”; the most significant of these is the burden of responsibility. This burden consists of two parts — responsibility for companions and responsibility for consequences of his actions.
Even Magi who choose a solitary Way cannot fully avoid interactions with others, and therefore cannot escape the burden of responsibility for those interactions.
Even more serious is responsibility for consequences of one’s actions. Whatever people may say, there are actions whose consequences one must “clean up” for a very long time — a whole lifetime, even several lifetimes. And however strong the urge to rid oneself of that trailing aftereffect, this is impossible within the Way of Power, because shirking responsibility implies a refusal of self-identity (refusing to own one’s actions), which means a rupture in the stream of consciousness — and that amounts to leaving the Flow of Power.
Finally, the third component of the Magus’s burden is wounds suffered in battle. It is well known that, unlike bodily wounds, soul wounds never fully heal, and any “nursing” of those wounds provokes new pain, which of course does not make progress easier.
Every traveler must understand that this burden is inseparable from the Way; the Way leads toward light and through darkness. And even when strength is nearly exhausted and the weight blurs your vision, you must summon all your strength, take a step, and another step, and yet another…
The Magus must be as internally light as possible — so as not to add to an already heavy burden; he must be firm yet supple, persistent but not stubborn, enduring but not indifferent. It is precisely the combination of inner harmony and lightness with the incredible weight of the burden that allows the Magus to prevail against far larger forces.
Only then can one move beyond the false world, and only in overcoming does the Magus acquire an invaluable skill — the ability to be oneself, not to copy others, not to feign uniqueness, but truly to be who he was born to be — a free creative mind.
Excellent article.
Everything is just so and all is correct. And about – efforts just to remain, and about Responsibility, and about Continuity, and about Extraordinary efforts.
Injuries from the distant past heal very slowly (especially injuries in magical battles)… not one incarnation goes away.
Many turn to “Magic” in search of “Easy Paths”, while here it is quite the opposite… very much the opposite.
It is all so. Responsible, lonely, and dangerous.