Robert has some great posts and wanted to share his site on Substack. His work fits right in with Castaneda and don Juan. Here's a bit from his profile:
Robert Moss is the creator of Active Dreaming, an original synthesis of dreamwork and shamanism. He is a bestselling novelist, poet and historian. His books include Conscious Dreaming, The Secret History of Dreaming and Dreaming the Soul Back Home.
Warrior of Lite
Living free from bitterness is a journey that requires honesty, action, and dependence on the Warrior’s Way. To start, we must fully acknowledge and confess our bitterness to ourselves. See it for what it is – self-importance that has no place in the life of a Warrior. Bring it before yourself and perform recapitulation. Then, as you clear out one ‘bitter’ event at a time, you will taste freedom sooner than you think!
Next, take action in your relationships. If you’ve hurt someone, seek their forgiveness and then recap that person and event. If you’ve been hurt, extend forgiveness - even if they haven’t asked for it, and then recap them and that event. By doing this, you make room for more energy in your being. We do what we can to make things right, even if the other person doesn’t respond as we hope. Our motivation is to get that lost energy back, not to seek a particular egoic outcome.
Remember, bitterness has a way of resurfacing. You might think you've let go, only to be reminded of past hurt by a word or action. When that happens, choose recapitulation again. Continue to forgive as often as necessary, but let the strength of recapping sustain you. Also, you can surround yourself with people committed to this warrior’s journey - those who inspire you to walk in freedom rather than encourage resentment. Bitterness is contagious, but so is the grace that comes from a forgiving heart.
Put away all bitterness and fly on the wings of a warrior’s intent.
Today, ask yourself: Are you holding onto anger or a grudge? Will you bring it forth, recap it and let go of the burden? Then, reconcile those relationships with recapitulation, as far as it depends on you, trusting the great Spirit with your heart and your future.
Warrior of Lite
Bitterness can take root in our hearts, subtly influencing our thoughts and actions, and distancing us from the freedom. But the Warrior’s Way offers a clear path to freedom - one rooted in impeccable actions, such as recapitulation, thus losing self-importance and ending in controlled folly. (And then ultimate freedom, joining the physical body with the energy body and burning from the fire from within.)
When we truly understand the enormity of our own impeccable work-on-self, there is no debt so large that we cannot forgive others. In the Warrior’s Way, our immense debt of self-importance has been wiped away, compelling us to extend the same behavior to those who wrong us.
This realization is foundational to overcoming bitterness. Forgiveness is evidence of a heart transformed by the Warrior’s Way. Our kindness, compassion, and willingness to forgive reveal that we’ve internalized the warrior’s path that we’ve worked so hard to reach. (Then, the real Work begins!)
So, how do we live out this forgiveness practically? It begins by acknowledging any bitterness in our hearts. If the Spirit is bringing to mind a person or situation where forgiveness is lacking, that’s an opportunity for surrender; make your recap list and go to work. Recognize that holding onto bitterness not only grieves the Spirit but also keeps you from experiencing the full joy of your new life in freedom.
Now, consider who in your life you need to forgive. Is there someone whose debt you’ve been holding onto? Meditate for the strength to release them. Reflect on the Warrior’s Way and what it has shown you, and let that soften your heart. Choose today to replace bitterness with kindness.
Doesn’t freedom sound, and feel, more positively energetic than bitterness? Do you want to fly on the wings of intent, or be stuck on the ground with a bunch of turkeys? :0
Let me be quiet now.
Warrior of Lite
Bitterness stands in direct opposition to the future we have with the Warrior’s Way. As warrior’s, we are called to live in impeccability in regards to the promise that one day we will stand before ourselves and the Spirit, complete and fully transformed. The Warrior’s Way points us toward a future where our own tonal work is complete - where bitterness has no place in our hearts.
One day, each of us will stand before the great Spirit. What will we say about the anger we’ve held onto, the fractured relationships we never tried to mend, or the forgiveness we refused to extend? It’s a sobering thought. We’ve struggled to recap in this here and now - how will we explain our unwillingness to love and reconcile on earth? Our future within eternity and the second and third attentions should motivate us to pursue peace and wholeness within, right now.
How do we start living this way? It begins with a visualization of the moments of bitterness, making a list of all the bitter moments and then recapping them. We recognize that bitterness is completely out of line with our identity as followers of the Warrior’s Way. It’s not enough to recognize bitterness; we must eliminate it. The great Spirit gives us a roadmap for this transformation: letting go of bitterness through impeccable recapitulation and then embracing controlled folly.
Kindness and a light heartedness are a couple of the clearest indicators that bitterness has been rooted out. It’s impossible to act kindly toward someone when our heart is still hardened against them.
Next, we are called to be tenderhearted through controlled folly. This means that we genuinely care about others, even those who have wronged us. Tenderheartedness replaces the hardness that bitterness brings, allowing us to understand others. It acknowledges that everyone should be treated light-hearted through controlled folly. Even those who have hurt us deeply. Then, we can extend compassion instead of resentment, once we are ‘clean.’
Finally, forgiveness is the ultimate test of a bitterness-free life. True forgiveness means letting go of the desire for retribution, releasing the debt owed to us. It’s a willingness to wipe the slate clean. Ask yourself: Is there someone I’ve struggled to forgive, someone I’ve refused to show kindness or compassion toward? Could that be the bitterness I need to address?
Take a step toward the freedom that aligns with your future in the Warrior’s Way. Think of the relationships where bitterness has lingered, where forgiveness has been withheld. Choose to release that anger through recapitulation to extend kindness and to be tenderhearted. As we grow in this, we prepare our path with heart for the day when we will see fellow warrior’s in the third attention, face-to-face, knowing that we’ve lived an impeccable life.
Warrior of Lite
Bitterness is a destructive force, a subtle poison that seeps into our hearts and settles in like a heavy fog. It begins with anger - perhaps legitimate, perhaps imagined - that lingers. We feel wronged and mistreated. Gradually, we nurse that wound. Bitterness takes root, as we tell ourselves we deserve more, better, or different. It ultimately transforms our outlook, making us resentful toward our circumstances, others, and even life itself.
This corrosive mindset isn’t limited to one area of life. Bitterness doesn’t stay confined; it infiltrates our relationships, our spiritual walk, and our sense of purpose. Bitterness can manifest as dissatisfaction and a relentless sense of entitlement. It distances us from the Spirit and disrupts our peace, making us prone to tremendous amounts of self-importance - not just in our relationship with the Spirit, but also in our commitments to others. It creates a wedge that separates us from living an impeccable life.
How do we free ourselves from the grip of bitterness? Make a list of what is ‘bitter’ to you, (people, situations, places, circumstances, etc.,) and recapitulate it. Thus, putting away bitterness completely - along with every other expression of anger. This command may seem daunting, but the key lies in recognizing the incongruity between bitterness and the Warrior’s Way of living. Living in bitterness is inconsistent with our new identity in the Warrior’s Path. It contradicts everything we’ve experienced through impeccability and recapitulation, everything that the Spirit works within us. There is nothing in bitterness that reflects the nature of a warrior, nothing that echoes love, grace, or forgiveness.
Breaking free from bitterness requires a shift in our thinking, a renewed mindset that aligns with our identity in the Warrior’s Way. If we are truly impeccable, we must acknowledge that the Warrior’s Path transforms us, leading to a new way of living. We cannot cling to the attitudes and behaviors that characterized our old life. We are called to throw off the old self - marked by deceit and corruption - and to embrace a new self, shaped by the principles of the Warrior’s Way and renewed in the spirit of our daily work. (Impeccable behavior, losing self-importance, recapitulation, etc.)
Right now, consider where bitterness might have settled in your heart. Is there a relationship or situation where you’ve been holding onto anger, feeling justified in your resentment? Bitterness is out of place in the life of a warrior. Acknowledge the dissonance between bitterness and your calling in the Warrior’s Way. Recapitulate and cut the internal dialogue for the strength to release the grip of bitterness, to put it away as you would a burden too heavy to carry.
Begin with a simple action: Meditate and recapitulate to help you let go of this bitterness and live in the freedom of the Warrior’s Way. Let this be the day you choose to walk in the new life you’ve received, leaving the old behind.
Warrior of Lite
Waiting can be hard.
Most of us would prefer quick, efficient, and - when possible - instant results and answers.
But waiting is a part of life.
We must wait for seeds to grow into food, for one season to fade into the next, for babies to mature into adults, and for trees to stand tall enough to finally offer shade. Not to mention waiting in line at stores and waiting on the phone for customer service. The list goes on and on…
Like it or not, waiting takes patience.
We can wait days, months, years, or even decades for an answer, for an overdue apology, for the timing to be right, or for a dream to finally come to pass.
Waiting requires courage.
But waiting patiently isn’t an excuse to do nothing.
In the books of Carlos Castaneda, his mentor/teacher don Juan wrote about waiting several times:
"You must wait patiently, knowing that you're waiting, and knowing what you're waiting for. That is the warrior's way. And if it is a matter of fulfilling your promise then you must be aware that you are fulfilling it. Then a time will come when your waiting will be over and you will no longer have to honor your promise.”
"It is up to us as single individuals to oppose the forces of our lives. I have said this to you countless times: Only a warrior can survive. A warrior knows that he is waiting and what he is waiting for; and while he waits, he wants nothing and thus whatever little thing he gets is more than he can take. If he needs to eat, he finds a way, because he is not hungry; if something hurts his body, he finds a way to stop it, because he is not in pain. To be hungry or to be in pain means that the man has abandoned himself and is no longer a warrior; and the forces of his hunger and pain will destroy him."
Just because a specific door isn’t opening, or a particular opportunity isn’t available at this moment doesn’t mean that the great Spirit or life isn’t moving.
Even when we are waiting – the Spirit is working.
So, no matter what you’re facing today, you can ask the Spirit for patience and trust that it is in control of your future. No matter what uncertainty lies before you, when you rely on the great Spirit, you can be someone who waits well.
Warrior of Lite
One of the hardest things to do in life is to examine yourself. In my experience, it is not easy.
Let me encourage you to dive deep into your heart. If you are, or have been angry, ask yourself today, “Why is it that I am angry? What has been the result of my anger? Who has been hurt because of it? Have I been allowing the ego to run my life?” If so, begin the journey of the Warrior’s path and become impeccable.
Meditate: Today I lay down my hurts and fears. Help me understand why I am really angry. Help me to see the result of my anger, if it has been helping or hurting others. If I have hurt others, I ask for the Spirit’s forgiveness. I confess my sin against you, help me to forgive those who have hurt me. I do not want to give the ego an opportunity to hurt my relationship with you great Spirit, nor with others. Help me to forgive, I choose forgiveness. Spirit, teach me to understand your purposes, show me when your original intents are being challenged, and give me the strength to recapitulate the problem righteously. Spirit, please remind me not to let the sun set on my anger. Search me and if there is any offensive way in me, lead me in the Warrior’s Way.
Thought of the Day: I can forgive others because I have followed the Warrior’s Way. I have recapitulated. I can now use controlled folly. I am, once again, whole and free.
Warrior of Lite
Have you ever had revenge conversations going on in your mind? Do you go back to discussions and ‘rewrite’ the scene according to what you should have said instead of what you did say? That is an unsettled moment.
When we do not deal with anger and when we carry it into the following day, we are giving the ego and self-importance a foothold, an opportunity to make things worse. Self-importance gets a hold of us when we do not deal with anger as soon as possible.
When we give ego an opportunity, it can expand small things and make them big. Remember that ego is the father of lies, and can manipulate, steal, kill, and destroy. When we choose to carry our anger into the following day, we allow ego and self-importance to hurt others, and ourselves.
What is the impeccable advice on the matter? First, daily, make it right! Write down the who, what when, where and why, of your anger, then…guess what? Recapitulate!! Do not let the day end while you are still angry. Get it over as soon as possible. Small bricks build big walls. It separates us from our energy bodies and others. Secondly, choose to forgive. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another and forgiving each other. As my aikido sensei says, “Just. Let. Go.”
Thought of the Day: Choose to forgive daily! Recapitulate these ‘angers’ daily!
Warrior of Lite
In the past few days, we have seen that getting angry is a common human reaction. We have considered the root of the problem, the reason behind anger that triggers this emotion. Today, we are going to reflect on the second question we should ask ourselves when considering if our anger is something the Spirit has manifested. What has resulted from our anger? Hurt or help?
When anger is the result of the Spirit’s purposes being challenged, the result of it will be to help. When William Wilberforce saw how slaves were being treated, his anger resulted in the abolishment of the slave trade in the United Kingdom. Jesus got angry when He saw that the Pharisees lacked compassion for someone in need. His anger resulted in a leper being healed. When the Spirit’s intent (purpose) is being challenged, we see the reestablishment of the Spirit’s original purpose, in help for those in need.
On the contrary, when anger is the result of our preferences or the expression of hurt and pain, we will end up making matters worse. Either our health or our relationships will get hurt. Long-term anger has been linked to: high blood pressure, heart conditions, skin disorders, and digestive problems.
Behind the reason (why) and the result (what) of our anger, there is always a who (the recipient of our fury), and most of the time they are disconnected. For example, you are mad at your boss, and your kids get unjustly reprimanded when you arrive home. When we do not address the root of the problem and deal with it as soon as possible, it results in two issues instead of just one. One problem because of the wrong why (the cause), and another problem with the who (the recipient of our anger, our health or our relationships).
We must pay attention to the fruit of our anger. If it does not result in us helping others, then we must address it “before the sun goes down.” The Spirit is more than willing to forgive us and purify us from all anger, yet, only if the recapitulation is completed to cleanse the tonal and drain all energy out of anger, thus transforming anger into controlled folly.
Thought of the Day: When I get angry, I need to ask myself, “What is the result of my anger? Hurt or help?” Then, take the results of your anger and recapitulate them!
Warrior of Lite
As human beings, we can all relate to struggling with anger. It does not matter how patient, kind, and lovable we are. At a given moment, we all get angry. It’s a common reaction, yet it warns us about its consequences.
A survey shows that 70 percent of new American referees quit their jobs within the first three years of work. Based on the study carried out by the National Association of Sports officials, all referees agreed on their reason for quitting: pervasive abuse from parents and coaches. The question that arises from this survey is, why do we get angry at what is supposed to be a fun time? How is it possible that something that should be a pleasant and enjoyable time becomes a “war zone”?
Our culture is filled with movies that show us people getting mad and expressing their fury for different reasons and in different ways: Mad Max, Falling Down, Anger Management. Characters react with increasing violence facing their frustrations. It is very common; it is human. The well-known Latin saying states, “Errare umanum est, perseverare autem diabolicum” - to err is human, but to persist is diabolical.
If anger is so common among us human beings, what is the problem?
It is crystal clear that the reaction of anger is normal, but the problem is that it can become a habit. The results of anger can hurt us and our relationships. Through the next several posts, we will analyze the “why” behind our anger; we will go to the root of it, expose it, and get rid of all the hindrances that stop us from walking in the Warrior’s path.
Thought of the Day: It is ok to get angry; it is not ok to persist.
Warrior of Lite
In both gardening and spiritual (Warrior's Way) terms, planting and harvesting are exciting seasons. Planting is the start of an adventure; harvesting is the product of hard work. It’s easy to celebrate new beginnings and hard-earned completions - but one thing that’s not as much fun?
The pruning process. (Recapitulation.)
Who wants to acknowledge what’s dead and unproductive in their lives? Who wants to trim back what’s already blooming - leaving you smaller, awkward, and feeling extra weak and at a loss for energy?
But pruning is exactly what we need to keep producing fruit.
One aspect of the Warrior’s Way is the recapitulation and there are two separate actions in this process - cutting off what’s dead and pruning fruit.
Cutting out what’s dead makes sense. It’s extra weight, it’s unproductive, it’s blocking sunlight, and it’s stealing good energy from branches that could thrive. But without proper context, pruning fruit feels backwards.
However, the purpose of pruning isn’t to disable something, but to revitalize it.
If a branch is weak or diseased, it could not only damage itself, but the surrounding trees as well. Without pruning, both the tree and the life surrounding it can never reach full potential.
Pruning creates room for more growth.
Pruning stimulates production.
Pruning keeps the plant or person strong.
The Spirit through the Warrior’s Way and recapitulation is a good ‘gardener’. This process wouldn’t be a good ‘gardener’ if it left you to yourself - overgrown, ineffective, and full of dysfunction. So, through the Warrior’s Way process you cut off what’s dead for your benefit. Trim back ineffective things in your life to make way for more ‘fruit’.
You can trust the Spirit, including the Warrior’s Way and impeccable recapitulation with your life because only then can you see who you are and who you can become.
So what ‘dead branches’ are you dragging around? Is it possible that YOU are (finally!) ready for pruning you for future growth and preparing for more advanced tasks within the Warrior’s Way? (Dreaming, Stalking, Mastery of Awareness, etc.) Take a few moments and meditate on any areas in your life that you recognize need to change. (Beliefs, self-importance, personal history, ego, etc.)
Here is a link to the recapitulation page of this blog.
Warrior of Lite
Would you ever build a house without blueprints? Or assemble an airplane without instructions? Or conduct open-heart surgery without training?
Hopefully your answer is “no.”
If we want to know how something works, we should look to the expert for insight. In a similar way, if we want to know how the world works, we should look to the great Spirit.
The Spirit made the world and everything in it. It knows how life works best.
But too often, we look to ourselves or even to others to tell us who we are, what to think, and to explain to us how life works. The good news is:
Wisdom doesn’t begin with us - the created.
Wisdom begins with the Spirit - the Creator.
Are you interested in real wisdom? Genuine insight? True understanding? Look to the great Spirit, study the Warrior’s Way. Examine and walk the Warrior’s path closely and then find what you’re searching for with an impeccable attitude.
Real wisdom starts with a Spirit-centered foundation. Everything else is built on that rock.
But as we do that, we must first honestly ask ourselves some hard questions: Do I want to learn from the Spirit and the Warrior’s Way, or would I rather do my own thing? Do I want impeccable wisdom, or would I rather follow my own misguided beliefs?
So, right now, be real with yourself: Are you willing to surrender your way of thinking and genuinely look to the Spirit and the impeccable Warrior’s Way, or would you rather just do your own thing? If you feel a wall of pride going up within you, ask the Spirit to help you knock it down. Brick by brick, it can reestablish your foundation.
"It's possible to insist, to properly insist, even though we know that what we're doing is useless," he said, smiling, "But we must know first that our acts are useless and yet we must proceed as if we didn't know it. That's a sorcerer's controlled folly."
Warrior of Lite
"Once you decided to come to Mexico you should have put all your petty fears away," he said very sternly. "Your decision to come should have vanquished them. You came because you wanted to come. That's the warrior's way. I have told you time and time again, the most effective way to live is as a warrior. Worry and think before you make any decision, but once you make it, be on your way free from worries or thoughts; there will be a million other decisions still awaiting you. That's the warrior's way."
"A warrior thinks of his death when things become unclear."
"Why should we?"
"Very simple," he said. "Because the idea of death is the only thing that tempers our spirit."
"Those are the lights on the head of death," he said softly. "Death puts them on like a hat and then shoots off on a gallop. Those are the lights of death on the gallop gaining on us, getting closer and closer."
I told don Juan that the car must have stopped or turned off the road. He did not look back; he just stretched his arms and yawned.
"No," he said. "Death never stops. Sometimes it turns off its lights, that's all."
Warrior of Lite
We have reached the end of these 7 days, and I want to leave you with the best news of all. The root of lasting change in the way you speak is not a book, a reading plan, or your own willpower: It is your new awareness and continued practice within the Warrior’s Way!
If you have surrendered your life to just accepting your current status quo, your new acceptance of the Spirit and working the Warrior’s Way says you are in for some impeccable success. Your old way of thinking, reacting, and speaking is gone. You are no longer a slave to your bad temper, complaining, or gossip. You now have the Spirit living inside you!
Your tongue is now an impeccable tool of the Warrior’s Way. When you speak, even though you were offended, or when you encourage the one who is down, you are showing to the world that you are unflappable and that the Warrior’s Way has transformed you.
My desire for you is that you continue this journey, one day at a time, and that every word that comes out of your mouth is a clear reflection of your new identity. You can do this with impeccability and the Warrior’s Way!
Reflect: How will your daily conversations change from now on as you constantly remember that you are an ambassador for the Warrior’s Way?
Meditate: Thank You, warrior’s path, because of you I am a new creation. May my tongue never again be a slave to the past, but an instrument that speaks life, love, and truth every single day.
Warrior of Lite
We have reached Day 6 and I want to be 100% transparent with you: taming the tongue with our own strength is absolutely possible. Although I have tried making promises like "I will never get angry again" or "I will never complain again," I often end up failing. Why?
Because I didn’t use the correct tools in my warrior’s toolbox. I just tried. This is why I love the honesty of being impeccable and the Warrior’s Way. Use your Will to direct Intent and truly focus. If you are impeccable in your ACTIONS regarding speaking, not just your thoughts, you will succeed.
Recognizing our weakness is not a failure; it is the place where Intent and the Spirit begins to operate. We need the Spirit to be that "guard" at the door of our lips when we are stressed at work, when we argue at home, or when we are tempted to judge. The victory over an uncontrolled tongue is always won first with focused Intent and living the Warrior’s Way.
Reflect: In what areas of your life (work, family, traffic, social media) do you desperately need the great Spirit to put "a guard" over your mouth today?
Meditate: I acknowledge that I can tame my tongue on my own. Set a guard with focused Intent and awareness, great Spirit, over my mouth, and keep watch over the door of my lips today and always.
Warrior of Lite
Today we are going to touch on a topic that is very difficult for all of us: forgiveness. I know how hard it is when someone has hurt you deeply. The offense buries itself in the heart and, as we saw on Day 2, begins to come out through our mouths in the form of criticism, passive-aggressive remarks, or a cold, cutting silence.
However, I tell you from experience that forgiveness is one of the most healing words a warrior can pronounce. By forgiving, you are not justifying what they did to you; you are using your tongue to release that person from a debt and, most importantly, you are freeing yourself from the poison of resentment.
Forgiveness is not based on whether the other person, or ourselves. deserves it. It is based on following the Warrior’s Way, being impeccable and those who looked at us in our worst condition and chose to forgive us.
Today I want to challenge you to use your voice to break chains. Don't let pride, ego and self-importance steal your peace.
Reflect: Is there someone you need to say "I forgive you" to? What is stopping you from letting go of that offense today?
Meditate: I confess that it hurts to let go of the offense. Help me remember the immense forgiveness the Spirit has given me, and give me the courage to use my mouth to forgive and release others.
Warrior of Lite
So far, we have talked a lot about the danger of speaking without thinking, but today I want to change the focus. I want to encourage you with the most beautiful purpose your voice has: to build up. Let us "encourage one another and build one another up."
To edify means to build. You and I have the privilege of being architects in the lives of others. In a world where it is so easy to tear down with criticism, mockery, and negativity, let us be builders of impeccable speech, action and the Warrior's Way.
Think about the power you have today. You can use your voice to remind your spouse how much you value them. You can use your words to tell your children that you believe in them and that the Spirit has a purpose for their lives. You can send a message to that friend who is going through a dark time and be the light they need. Don't hold back your good words; use them to lift someone up today.
Reflect: Who in your circle desperately needs to hear a word of encouragement today? What are you going to say to them?
Meditate: I want to be a builder, not a destroyer with my words. Put in my mind and in my mouth the exact words to lift the spirits of those around me today.
Warrior of Lite
Have you ever seen how fast a rumor destroys a reputation? The apostle James compares our tongue to a small spark that can set a huge forest on fire. It amazes me how a comment we thought was "harmless" can spiral out of control so quickly.
The problem with fire is that once it consumes the forest, you can't just undo the damage. The ashes remain. In the same way, you cannot take back words once they have left your mouth. How many relationships and families have been consumed by the fire of gossip, slander, or constant complaining?
Today I want you to stop and think before you speak. Ask yourself: Is what I am about to say going to put out a fire, or is it going to add more fuel to it? Recognizing the danger of our own tongue is the first great step to giving us self-control and impeccability. Don't underestimate the spark of your comments.
Reflect: Is there a "fire" in your current relationships that was started - or fueled - by a spark from your own tongue?
Meditate: Recall the times I have started destructive fires with my words. Give me the wisdom and self-control to put out the spark before I open my mouth.
Warrior of Lite
Sometimes we think our problem is simply that we "have no filter" or that we speak too quickly. I confess that for a long time, I tried to fix this by biting my tongue, counting to ten, and suppressing what I wanted to say. Yet, I needed to get to the heart of the issue; if the words are deep within, the mouth will speak.
Think of it this way: if you squeeze a lemon, you won't get orange juice; what comes out is what’s inside. In the same way, when life squeezes you through stress, exhaustion, or frustration, what comes out of your mouth is exactly what you have stored in your heart.
Your words are just a thermometer of your internal state. If there is hidden envy, bitterness, or anger, it will eventually come out as sarcasm, gossip, or criticism. To change what you say, you must first allow impeccable thoughts and actions, deep down, to change what you feel. The transformation of your vocabulary doesn't begin with a dictionary; it begins with impeccable surgery. Today, let's ask the Warrior’s Way to examine what truly abounds within us.
Reflect: Be honest with yourself: when you are under pressure, what hidden attitudes or feelings come to light through your words?
Meditate: Today I surrender my heart to the Warrior’s Way without reservation. I will use impeccable thoughts and actions to cleanse it of all bitterness, pride, and resentment. Fill me with the great Spirit so that my mouth can only reflect impeccable words.
Hello! I want to begin by asking you a very honest question: Have you ever said something in a moment of anger that you wished you could take back? I have. Many times, I’ve let words fly without thinking about the damage they would cause.
Don Juan said that words have power. This isn't exaggerated; it's a spiritually energetic reality. Every time you and I open our mouths, we are planting seeds. You are not just someone who "speaks their mind" or "is brutally honest"; you are a carrier of life or a carrier of death.
Your words can be the breath of fresh air that lifts your friends, peers or spouse out of a dark moment, or the sword that finally breaks your children's self-esteem. Today, I want to invite you to become aware of this power. From this moment on, I challenge you not to see your words as mere air, but as tools for impeccable building of the Warrior’s Way.
Reflect: Think about the conversations you’ve had in the last 24 hours: Did your words bring more life or more death to those who listened to you?
Meditate: Think of the times I have used my mouth to destroy. Help me to understand the true weight of my words. Starting today, let me be aware of the immense power words transmit, and may I always choose to speak positively.
Warrior of Lite
“There is nothing wrong with being afraid. When you fear, you see things in a different way.”
"He added that nothing in this world was a gift, that whatever there was to learn had to be learned the hard way."
"One can feel with the eyes, when the eyes are not looking right into things."
"Fear is the first natural enemy a man must overcome on his path to knowledge. Besides, you are curious. That evens up the score. And you will learn in spite of yourself; that’s the rule."
"Whenever you look at things you don't see them. You just look at them, I suppose, to make sure that something is there. Since you're not concerned with seeing, things look very much the same every time you look at them. When you learn to see, on the other hand, a thing is never the same every time you see it, and yet it is the same. I told you, for instance, that a man is like an egg. Every time I see the same man I see an egg, yet it is not the same egg."
Warrior of Lite
When everything is overwhelming, it can feel like it will last forever.
It might seem like things will never be fixed. You could lose sleep because your mind is trying to solve problems. Without realizing it, you begin living in a constant state of pressure.
You may believe you have to keep holding everything together. Keep thinking it through. Keep managing, anticipating, and preparing for what might happen next.
What if you gave yourself permission to just be fully present in this moment with the Spirit?
Not just physically - but emotionally and spiritually too.
You don’t have to carry every outcome. You don’t have to solve every possibility. You don’t have to hold every “what if” all at once. Some of what you’re carrying belongs to the future. Some belongs to other people. And some was never yours because it's too much for any human.
The great Spirit along with the Warrior’s Way doesn’t ask you to control everything. Instead, they invite you to join the warrior’s path with all that concerns you.
You’re allowed to loosen your hold, even just a little. You can open your hands, even if it feels unfamiliar. You can let the impeccability solve the burdens that feel too heavy for you.
That doesn’t mean you stop caring; it just means the great Spirit invites you to cast your cares on the Warrior’s Way every day for a lifetime.
Meditate: I’ve been carrying so much. Great Spirit, help me release what was never mine to hold. I choose to cast all my cares away today.
What's one thing you can release right now?
Warrior of Lite
You keep going. You push through. You tell yourself; I just need to handle this. And over time, that can start to feel like the only option.
Maybe you’ve learned to rely on yourself because it felt safer that way. Maybe you’re used to being the one others depend on. Maybe you’ve tried opening up before and it didn’t go the way you hoped, so now it feels easier to keep things to yourself.
But the Spirit created you for connection - with fellow warriors and yourself. And often, the support we hesitate to reach for is exactly what helps us move forward.
Letting someone in can feel vulnerable. You may not know what to say or where to begin. You may worry about being misunderstood or becoming a burden.
But it doesn’t have to be everything all at once.
It can be as simple as saying, “I’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately.”
Or, “I don’t need advice - I just need someone to listen.”
The Spirit often meets us through fellow warriors - their steadiness, their care, and their willingness to sit with us in what feels heavy.
Sometimes what we need most isn't a solution to a problem; it's the presence of someone who loves us.
Meditate: Help me have the courage to let others support me. Show me who I can trust, as well as when and how to ask for what I need in this overwhelming times.
Who has helped you get through a challenging time?
Warrior of Lite
When you’ve been overwhelmed, it’s easy to feel like you need to catch up. To make big changes quickly. To prove to yourself that you’re doing better and won’t end up back where you started.
But that kind of pressure often keeps you stuck.
Because when everything feels urgent and important at the same time, it becomes hard to begin at all.
The weight of “doing it right” can actually keep you from taking any step forward.
What if, instead, you chose one small step?
Not everything. Not all at once. Just one.
Maybe it’s getting out of bed and starting your day slowly. Remembering and writing down your Dreaming from the previous night. Meditating for ten minutes. Sitting still for a few minutes of quiet.
Simply pausing long enough to remember that the Spirit is with you.
Small doesn’t mean insignificant.
Small steps are often how big change begins. They create movement without pressure. They build trust that things can be okay again. They remind you that you are not stuck - you are moving forward, even if it’s slowly.
The Spirit is not asking you to have everything figured out. It’s inviting you to walk the Warrior’s path - one step at a time.
Meditation: Help me release pressure and take one small step with the Spirit today. Guide me into the good plans the Warrior’s path has for me.
What is one small, impeccably - filled step you can take today?
When you feel overwhelmed, one of the hardest parts is how lonely it can seem.
Even if people are around you, your inner world can feel isolating. Your internal dialogue and thoughts may loop in ways you can’t easily explain. Your emotions may feel heavier than the situation seems to justify. And you might wonder why no one else seems to see what’s happening inside you.
That sense of being alone can make everything feel even more intense.
But what’s true, even when it’s hard to feel, is this: you are not alone.
The great Spirit is not distant from what you’re experiencing. It’s is not watching from afar, waiting for you to get it together or say the right words. The Spirit is present in your real, unfiltered experience - your thoughts, your feelings, your questions.
Right here. Right now.
Sometimes we imagine the Spirit only in peaceful moments, in quiet meditation times, or when we feel spiritually steady. But if you listen, stillness speaks; the Spirit meets people in uncertainty, in fear, and in overwhelm.
This moment is not outside of its reach.
You don’t have to clean anything up before coming to the Spirit. You don’t have to present a calmer version of yourself. You can simply be honest.
“I’m overwhelmed.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“I need you here.”
And the Spirit is. Always. Here. Right. Now.
Not after you fix it. Not once you feel better. But right here, in the middle of it.
Let’s Meditate: Great Spirit, thank you that I am not alone. Help me become even more aware of your presence with me today.
What’s one way you’ve experienced the Spirit, or the Warrior’s Way, for that matter, and how it cares for you?
Warrior of Lite
Does everything feel like too much right now?
Maybe your thoughts seem louder than usual. Your body is tense, like it can’t quite settle. Even small decisions are heavier than they should be, and you find yourself wondering why something that used to feel manageable now feels so hard.
Maybe you’ve told yourself...I just need to get it together.
Other people are handling more than this.
I don’t know what’s wrong with me.
But what if we paused before trying to fix anything and got curious instead?
Because there’s always a reason behind what we’re experiencing. Sometimes overwhelm comes from carrying too much for too long. Sometimes it comes from trying to hold things that were never ours to carry. And sometimes it’s simply our mind and body asking for care in a world that rarely slows down.
None of that makes you weak. It makes you human.
And more than that - it’s exactly the place where the Warrior’s Way meets you.
The Warrior’s Way isn’t waiting for you to be perfect before you embark on it. It’s already near. Steady. Present. Unhurried.
You don’t have to solve everything today. You don’t have to untangle every thought or fix every situation.
Right here, you can simply begin with one moment of stopping the internal dialogue (mind chatter), one deep breath, one simple act of impeccability.
Peace doesn’t always come by changing everything around you. Sometimes it begins by meeting impeccability and joining the Warrior's Path right where you are.
Let’s meditate: Everything feels like too much right now. Help me slow down and remember that the Warrior’s Way is here with me and will take care of me as long as I behave impeccably.
Think of another time in your life when you felt overwhelmed. What helped you get through it?
Warrior of Lite
Without love, we cope under conditions that the great Spirit never intended. Couples become roommates, or worse. Warm romantic feelings come after true love is put into action. When my own marriage was in trouble, each day I took a different angle about love and chose to live it out practically toward my wife.
Our relationship took a sharp turn. It took time, but when one person loves another with unbending intent, it’s nearly impossible for that other person to remain unchanged. We must stop fighting our husbands and wives and start fighting the real enemy, apathy. It’s a lazy indifference. It wants us to nag, ignore, bristle, and withdraw. We fight against that by doing the exact opposite. When we show unconditional love to our husbands and wives, we disarm the forces of apathy hellbent on destroying our marriages.
The Warrior’s Way is not empty dialogue; it’s an active instruction manual for our everyday lives. Here’s how we can apply it regarding demonstrations of love in our marriages: Take out the trash, in love. Compliment her dress, in love. Give him a kiss, in love. Call her on your lunch break, in love. Tell him you appreciate his hard work, in love. Approach your financial problem, in love. Invite her into the bedroom, make him his favorite meal, clean up another mess, settle the kids’ arguing, in love. Do everything from a place of love, being filled by the great Spirit, whether or not your spouse does the same.
Love is a holy equalizer, removing the record of wrongs from our memories. You and I both have committed a multitude of wrongs ourselves. We can keep track, or we can keep our marriages intact.
Acts of love create a breeding ground for feelings to germinate. Any reasonable spouse will respond to being loved well. Loving your husband breaks down his defenses. Loving your wife softens her spirit. Impeccable marital love begins with obedience and ends with blessing upon blessing.
If you love your spouse, you will actively look for ways to enhance his/her life on a daily basis. Like so many, I have been in a place of constant bickering and I’ve been in a place of cold indifference in my marriage. Neither of those conditions is worth settling for. Love is the answer and while it’s wonderful to be on the receiving end, be the great Spirit’s conduit, first and foremost. It’s doable if you’re available. Do you want to feel love in your marriage? Nothing will fill your heart more than mirroring the unconditional impeccable love toward your spouse. Love with everything you’ve got, and you’ll have everything to gain.
Let’s Meditate: Great Spirit, thank you for loving me. When I consider how much You have loved me, even at my worst, I am humbled. I believe that if I am impeccable, love will flourish in my marriage. Help us not to fly off the handle! Stop us from keeping a record of wrongs. Help us to always look for the best in one another! It hurts when I don’t feel loved by my spouse, but I refuse to give in to hopelessness. I picture our relationship as one where love cannot be contained!
Warrior of Lite
Our marriage triggers become marriage testers. The test of weariness and exhaustion makes or breaks us. If you feel this way, there is hope. We find help to go from triggered to triumphant with the Warrior’s Way.
Don Juan Matus in the Carlos Castaneda book series is our example. That’s a lot to aspire to, isn’t it? Nevertheless, don Juan doesn’t give us an “out” in times of weariness and exhaustion. When he was troubled, he complained like the rest of us, when he was younger, but the Nagual Julian taught him the Warrior’s Way. Once he learned and started to practice impeccability, he began to understand. When he suffered at the hands of the Nagual Julian, he kept the Warrior’s Way in mind. But, enough of that. Back to our relationships…
On our wedding days, we promised to love and cherish our spouses. In order to do that well, we can’t just pull ourselves up by our bootstraps when the going gets rough. Allowing impeccability and the Warrior’s Way to take over and assist us enables us to care for our spouses without constantly obsessing over ourselves.
Your burdens may feel anything but light today. The Spirit is not trying to make light of your circumstances. The Spirit wants you to see your circumstances through impeccability and the Warrior’s Way. We are not helpless or forgotten in our times of need. Don’t allow an hour to go by before taking your cares, concerns and complaints into the Warrior’s Way and examining them through that lens. Use impeccability for ego-busting, destroying personal history and eliminating self-importance. Because the Warrior’s Way is our ‘Daily Bread’, so to speak, and we become malnourished energetically if we neglect it. Spending time with the core teachings of the Warrior’s Way refreshes our spirit and strengthens us to face both our trials and our triggers.
If you feel triggered by the weariness and exhaustion of your circumstances, you won’t be able to combat your anger and frustration until you lay your burden down at the feet of the Warrior’s Way. Learn from Carlos and don Juan. Take note of how humble don Juan is. In the same way that our angry reactions typically spark even bigger angry reactions in our spouses, use don Juan’s humble spirit to rub off on us, producing a supernatural steadiness of heart and mind.
As we give our weariness to controlled folly, the Great Spirit’s gentleness becomes our gentleness. Soon, humility is reflected in our own actions. As we grow in character, exhaustion gives way to strength upon strength, equipping us with the ability to overcome the temptation to lash out in frustration.
The husband and wife who are followers of the Warrior’s Way never have to operate on empty or be quick to anger. We are promised the fruit of supernatural strength and given an example in the person of don Juan Matus. Who else do you know who is impeccable? Emulate them if you don’t care to use a fictional book character.
The heart filled with impeccable character has very little room for angry reactions. Let’s accept the invitation to “come” to the Warrior’s Way and find rest for our souls by demonstrating gentleness and humility in our marriages as trust in our path with heart.
Let’s Meditate: Give us a desire to put our husband or wife’s needs before our own. As we pour out selfishness and negativity, let us be filled supernaturally with powerful energy from the Great Spirit. Let us love one another deeply, letting go of anger and resentment.
Let me be quiet now.
Warrior of Lite
It’s important to ask ourselves some poignant questions when conflicts over finances (or any other issue) arise: What is my goal in dealing with this issue?
Am I opening my heart to understanding my spouse’s point of view? Can I let go of my need in this situation for the betterment of my spouse/marriage? Am I being humble? Is what I am saying and thinking, impeccable? If we don’t come to a place of agreement or understanding, am I willing to yield? Can I grace my spouse and give them what they don’t deserve, just as the Spirit does for me so often?
When peace rules our hearts, that is the moment to hash things out and set some specific plans in place. When emotions are high, few of us can become teachable or communicate in a way that has the other person’s best interest wholly in mind. Our emotions block us from thinking logically or responding gently and impeccably.
Certain moments in our lives can be triggering moments. Are financial discussions one of your trigger moments? Do you cringe every time the topic of money comes up? A good idea is to decide with your spouse that you will talk about finances only when you have the budget right in front of you or only on the weekend when your schedules are more “relaxed”. Coming to these kinds of agreements with one another is a proactive way to avoid the reactive disagreements we all want to avoid.
The key is to be inclusive of one another’s ideas and feelings, working toward a reasonable and impeccable practice of stewardship. It sounds simple enough, but we forget that money is never more important than the people in our lives. But what if your spouse refuses to collaborate with you? The Spirit is more interested in our own transformation than it is in fixing our circumstances so that we don’t have to change. When your husband disregards your feelings about spending, commit to being mindful of his feelings. When your wife forgets to balance the checkbook, be diligent on your end. You can never go wrong by doing what is impeccable!
When anger fills our hearts, search within to guard us against the co-mingling of unrighteous anger. If our spouse resists change or carry on unwisely in financial decisions, respond with loving-kindness and discernment. When worry and discontent threaten to discourage us, be ready to offer peace and satisfaction. When everything and everyone seems unstable, remain impeccable and do your best. Put your trust in the warrior’s way, impeccability, to both refine you and meet your needs and you will find a security that is far more valuable than money.
Warrior of Lite
"For me there is only the travelling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worth-while challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly."
Warrior of Lite
A Man of Knowledge does not have anything to teach in the conventional sense of the word, does not have anything to give or add to you, such as new information, beliefs, or rules of conduct. The only function of such a Man of Knowledge is to help you remove that which separates you from the totality of yourself, as well as the truth of who you already are and what you already know.
The Man of Knowledge is here to uncover and reveal to you that dimension of yourself that is infinite. If you come to a Man of Knowledge searching for books or blog posts, etc., looking for stimulating ideas, theories, beliefs, intellectual discussions, then you will be disappointed. In other words, if you are looking for food for thought, you won't find it. And you will miss the very essence of the teaching, the essence of the warrior’s way, which is not in the words but within yourself. It is good to remember that, to feel that, as you listen to the great Spirit as it continuously whispers to you.
Words are no more than signposts. That to which they point is not to be found within the realm of thought, but a dimension within yourself that is deeper, and infinitely vaster than thought. A vibrantly alive internal silence and peace are a few of the characteristics of that dimension. So, whenever you feel inner silence arising, and a connection with the Spirit as you read, these posts are doing their work and fulfilling its function as your teacher. They are reminding you of who you are and pointing the way back home; your infinite connection with the great Spirit.
These Warrior’s Log posts are not to be read one after another and then be done with them. Live with them. Visit them frequently. And, more importantly, click-away from them frequently. Or, spend more time contemplating the posts than clicking through them. Many readers will feel naturally inclined to stop reading after each post, to pause, reflect, become one with the information the Spirit is pointing to. It is always more helpful and more important to stop reading than to continue reading. Allow the posts to do their work, to awaken you from the old grooves of your repetitive and conditioned thinking.
The form of these Warrior’s Log posts can be seen as a revival for the present age of the oldest form of recorded spiritual teachings, the sutras of ancient India. Sutras are powerful pointers to the truth in the form of aphorisms or short sayings with little conceptual elaboration. The Vedas and Upanishads are the early sacred teachings recorded in the form of sutras, as are the words of the Buddha. The sayings and parables of Jesus, too, when taken out of their narrative context could be regarded as sutras as well as the profound teachings contained in the Tao Te Ching, the ancient Chinese book of wisdom.
The advantage of the sutra form lies in its brevity. It does not engage the thinking mind more than is necessary. What it doesn't say, but only points to, is more important than what it says.
The sutra-like character, of the writings in these Warrior’s Log posts, is particularly marked in the first couple of posts, which contains only the briefest of entries. These posts contain the essence of the entire Warrior’s Log topic, and may be all that some readers require. The other posts are here for those who need a few more signposts.
Just like the ancient sutras, the writings contained within these specific posts are sacred and have come out of a state of second attention awareness we may call stillness of the Spirit. Unlike those sutras, however, they don't belong to any one religion or spiritual tradition, but are immediately accessible to the whole of humanity. Especially those interested in the warrior’s way or those just choosing impeccability.
There is also an added sense of urgency here. The transformation of human consciousness is no longer a luxury, so to speak, available only to a few, isolated individuals, but a necessity if human kind is not to destroy itself. At the present time, the dysfunction of the old consciousness and the arising of the new are both accelerating. Paradoxically, things are getting worse and better at the same time, although the worse is more apparent because it makes so much noise.
These Warrior’s Log posts, of course, uses words that in the act of reading, become thoughts in your mind. But those are not ordinary thoughts: repetitive, noisy, self-serving, clamoring for attention.
Just like every true spiritual teacher, such as a Man of Knowledge, just like the ancient sutras, the thoughts within these posts don't say “look at me", but “look beyond me.” Because these thoughts came from the great Spirit, they have power, the power to take you back into the same great infinity from which they arose. That energy of the Spirit is also inner peace; a silent internal dialogue. And that great Spirit and peace are the essence of your being. It is the great Spirit that will save and transform the world as well!
Warrior of Lite
The ancient Nagual warrior’s spoke about peace to candidates and possible warriors who did not have peaceful lives.
They lived with fear, loss, occupation, and uncertainty woven into everyday life. So, when warriors talked about peace, they weren’t offering comfort or escape. They were offering a way to remain living in impeccability and the great Spirit when nothing around them felt stable.
The Nagual warriors lived in that same reality. They knew violence, injustice, and division firsthand. Yet they consistently spoke about peace, not as denial of suffering, but as a way of living rooted in trust of impeccability. The peace the warriors were offering was different than what most were offering. It did not depend on circumstances improving or conflicts disappearing.
We often think peace comes after problems are solved. After things calm down. After life feels manageable again. But the warrior presents peace as something that sustains us while problems remain. The warrior’s peace does not pretend everything is fine. The warrior anchor’s themselves in impeccability when everything feels uncertain.
Many of us struggle with peace because we live surrounded by noise. Fear-driven headlines. Endless opinions. Pressure to react quickly and choose sides. In that environment, peace can feel passive or even irresponsible. Anger feels more powerful. Outrage feels more justified.
But the peace of the warrior is not passive. It is active and costly. It requires restraint when anger feels earned. Humility when pride wants control. Trust when fear demands certainty. Choosing peace often means resisting the urge to mirror the hostility around us.
Nagual warrior’s teach other warrior’s to be peacemakers, not peacekeepers. Peacemaking does not avoid tension. Warrior's step into it with wisdom, courage and impeccability. They refuses to dehumanize others, even when disagreement is deep. They chooses impeccability over retaliation and presence over withdrawal.
Sometimes peace looks like reconciliation. Other times it looks like holding your ground without hatred. Listening longer than feels comfortable. Refusing to let fear shape who you become.
In the way of the warrior, peace is not weakness. It is strength rooted in confidence that the great Spirit and the second attention are at work, even when the world feels broken. When we choose peace, we bear witness to a different Kingdom - one not built on fear, but on impeccability, intent and will.
Hello! I think I've posted enough about Christianity for now. I've spent a good three months immersed in Christianity, daily. Although it's a great system of belief, or faith, if you choose to label it that, and it's been a great learning experience for me, yet it's not right for me. I'm not going to go into a long dissertation in regards to WHY it's not for me; it just isn't. (At this time. Perhaps in the future. Who knows?) I've learned a great deal, and that's really what I set out to do. Learn about Christianity, and that's what I did.
Warrior of Lite - JoJo The Mystical Monk - Zamurito - Self-Healed Madman - Warrior of Dreams
After enough disappointment, hope starts to feel foolish.
I've been there. There was a season in my life that came after I left a job I had poured myself into. What I discovered afterward was that many of the decisions I had made, the way I had treated people, the direction I had led — all of it had been built on lies. My boss had been systematically lying to me, and I hadn't known it!
When I found out, everything I had trusted caved in at once. I was angry in a way that surprised me. I made it my personal mission to undermine everything that person tried to do. Whatever they wanted to succeed, I worked to make them fail.
One day, my closest friend sat across from me at our weekly coffee and told me the truth. He said, "Scott, you're so angry and bitter that you've become toxic. You can't see it, but it's affecting everyone around you. You're mad at one person, but you're taking it out on people who don't even know him." Then he said, "I'll be honest; it's really hard to be your friend right now."
That's what unprocessed hurt does. It doesn't stay where you put it. It leaks into everything, and you don't notice until someone who loves you is willing to say the hard thing.
I say all of this because I want to be honest about what resurrection hope is not.
Resurrection hope is not the decision to pretend that hard things aren't hard. It is not the spiritual discipline of faking cheerfulness when everything is falling apart. That's not hope, nor honesty. That's performance, and we talked yesterday about the cost of performance.
Jesus, on the night he was arrested, told his disciples: "In this world you will have trouble." (John 16:33 NIV) He didn't say you might. He said you will. He was not offering comfort by minimizing reality. He was offering something better.
He finished the sentence: "But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 NIV)
Resurrection hope doesn't deny that the world is broken. It refuses to believe that brokenness is final. Naïveté pretends the hard thing isn't hard. Hope looks the hard thing directly in the face and says, "This is not the end of the story."
Some of us have gone quiet in our faith because the gap between what we hoped for and what actually happened is too painful to keep revisiting. That's not a faith problem, though. That's a human problem. And it's exactly where resurrection was always meant to do its work.
Paul writes in Romans 5 that "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (5:3-4 NIV) The hope at the end of that chain is not wishful thinking. It's the hard-won conviction of someone who has watched God show up in places that looked finished.
The next section of this plan will ask you to act on that hope. Before we get there, sit with this question today: where has disappointment quietly turned into a decision that nothing will change? That's the place where resurrection starts.
Identity Statement:
“Because Jesus has overcome the world, I am not defined by my hardest season. I am anchored in a hope that defies reality.”
Reflect:
Where has disappointment hardened into a settled expectation that nothing will change? What would it look like to bring that specific place to Jesus today?
Prayer:
Jesus, I don't want to perform hope I don't feel. So I'm bringing You the real version — the places where I stopped expecting anything. Meet me there. Amen.
All of the above copied from: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/68058/day/7?segment=0
JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM
I think most of us have had some family conflicts and this is a great post in regards to that. Please feel free to visit Bible.com and click on this 'plan.' It's a good one!
LET GOD SHAPE YOUR RESPONSES, NOT YOUR REACTIONS
Family conflict often reveals what is truly governing our hearts. When words become sharp, attitudes grow defensive, or silence is used as a weapon, it is usually a sign that emotions have taken the lead rather than God.
When tension rises in your family, how does your response reflect your emotions or your walk with God? Scripture warns us to guard our inner life carefully: Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23). A guarded heart is not closed off from others. Rather, it is surrendered to God, allowing Him through the Holy Spirit to shape our responses.
Jesus modelled this dependence on the Father. Luke 5:16 tells us that He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. Jesus did not respond to pressure, misunderstanding, or opposition without first anchoring Himself in communion with God. If the Son of God needed regular withdrawal to remain aligned with the Father, how much more do we need time with God to respond wisely in difficult family situations?
Romans 12:18 challenges us with these words: If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Notice that peace is connected to personal responsibility. When we are at peace in our hearts and at rest in the Lord, it becomes easier to handle conflict. When our walk with Him is strong, we gain the self-control to pause, listen, and respond with grace.
God often uses family tension as a training ground for spiritual maturity. These moments reveal whether we are being led by the Holy Spirit or driven by emotion. Instead of asking God to change others first, He invites us to allow Him to change our inner responses. As we surrender our emotions to Him, He produces wisdom, restraint, and peace within us.
Pause and reflect
What recent family reaction revealed an area where you need God's guidance more deeply?
Practical application
Before responding in a tense family moment, pause and pray silently, inviting God to govern your words and tone.
Prayer
Lord, rule my heart by Your Spirit. Silence emotional reactions and shape my responses according to Your wisdom. Teach me to reflect my relationship with You in every family interaction. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM
When I was in seminary, I hit a wall.
I was trying to crank through nearly thirty credits in nine months while also learning how to be married. Things at home were good. But spiritually, I was in a dark place.
I had stopped having a personal relationship with Jesus and started having a professional one. I read the Bible for my classes and my sermons, not for myself. I prayed because that's what pastors are supposed to do. I was burning out, going through the motions, and privately wondering if any of it was real.
One day, in a class designed to be a safe space for honesty, I decided to tell the truth. I described the burnout, the emptiness, and the fact that I was writing sermons for other people while feeling nothing myself.
I looked around the room as I talked. Every face looked like a computer that froze. My professor said, "Scott, this doesn't make sense." The rest of the conversation made it clear that this was not, in fact, a safe space for that kind of honesty.
That was the last day I was vulnerable in seminary. Not the last day I told the truth in general, just the last day I let those people in. I learned that day that what the people in that classroom wanted from me was the performance of faith, not real-life reality.
Act 5 tells a story that makes a lot of people uncomfortable, and honestly, it should! The short version is that a couple named Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of land, kept a portion for themselves, and told the church they had given everything. Peter confronted them. Both of them died.
This is not a story about money. It's a story about hypocrisy: the decision to present a version of yourself that isn't true to receive credit you haven't earned. As one pastor wrote, “they wanted the credit and prestige of sacrificial generosity without the inconvenience.”
In Matthew 23, Jesus called people like this “whitewashed tombs.” They were beautiful on the outside, full of death on the inside. The gap between who we present ourselves to be and who we actually are is something Jesus takes seriously.
After all, hypocrisy destroys community. A community where people perform rather than live, where image matters more than integrity, cannot sustain the kind of trust that resurrection requires. God can't heal our masks. He can only work with what's real.
One reason I share honestly on stages and pages (including stories that don't make me look good) is what I expected that day in seminary. I learned what happens when people sense they're not safe to be real. They go quiet. And the quiet isolation is worse than the mess.
Identity Statement:
“Because Jesus is alive, I don't have to protect an image. I am free to live with authenticity and integrity.”
Reflect:
Where are you managing perception instead of living honestly? Is there a gap between who you are in public and who you are in private? What would it cost to close it?
Prayer:
Jesus, free me from the exhausting work of protecting an image. You already know the real version of me, and You came for that person. Help me live like that's true. Amen.
All the above copied from: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/68058/day/6?segment=0
JoJo The Mystical Monk - JJtMM
