Spiritual Warfare

[Kavi]

I wrote quite long respond solely for soror Polyhymnia but eventually I erased it - I wanted to point out that maybe her (evangelic christianity?) background was influencing her writings about demons and spirits.
I come from the "same world" where children's toys are destroyed in fire because of demonic mana enchanted within, Harry Potter, Pokemon and so on..
These ideas do so biiiig contrast between saved people by blood of Jesus (except lo behold! Devil has paradoxically very powerful ways to lead astray and make believers go disarray and make them sin and lose their redemption) and "the world" run by Devil that it becomes, excuse my pathologization: paranoid-schizoid. Soror Polyhymnia, you have had something similar to this in your mind? This was emphasized a lot but then it's never clear what is "world" and how to interact with it when it's corrupting according to this view?
So sucking the redemptive breast of God but then there is also another breast that brings anxiety and it is not very redemptive one (Using Melanie Klein's definition here)

The infant splits both his ego and his object and projects out separately his loving and hating feelings (life and death instincts) into separate parts of the mother (or breast), with the result that the maternal object is divided into a ‘bad’ breast (mother that is felt to be frustrating, persecutory and is hated) and a ‘good’ breast (mother that is loved and felt to be loving and gratifying). Both the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ objects are then introjected and a cycle of re-projection and re-introjection ensues. Omnipotence and idealisation are important aspects of this activity; bad experiences are omnipotently denied whenever possible and good experiences are idealised and exaggerated as a protection against the fear of the persecuting breast.

https://melanie-klein-trust.org.uk/theo ... -position/

To anyone interested in khsattriya, I recommend Eiji Yoshikawa's book, Musashi. A Japanese Samurai legend, who lived in the 16th century. Aslo Musashi's own The Book Of Five Rings, which is a kind of Samurai dhammapada.

I read extensively Samurai oriented literature before, but I never understood what Musashi meant in his writings.
Later I read (I wish I remembered where exactly) that these writings are coded - we might read about fighting stances and tigers and monkeys and elements but because we are not pupil's of school of Musashi it is really difficult to KNOW what is meant and what is the practice and tradition.
Therefore we are left with interpretation and creativity and one might use this very same book in teaching business and economics.

I'd assume that for Samurai, learning the art is an honor and it's way should be respected. Lots of dojos competed also, so you wouldn't just handout everything written in piece of paper. What master wants is devoted pupils who learn directly from him everything and these manuscripts or writings could be used as an aid to re-memorize and review what has been learned.
Anyway reading them with critical sense is advised.

I have also Shoninki with funny subtitle: "the secret teachings of the ninja".
Supposedly 17th century manuscript about espionage and concealment with some elements of folkloric magic but then there are the aspects that AGAIN I read somewhere stating, that some of the stuff written was for propagandist purposes: Either portraying spies as criminals or with good intentions. Some ideas seem very much like popular culture spy-thrillers but definitely there were spies and eavesdroppers too and whatever one might expect.
Ninjas also became some kind of James Bonds during some period of time in Japanese puppet theater, but I have to stop rambling here because this stuff comes just from back of my head although I wish I had sources to show.

Anyway I might have to look for Eiji Yoshikawa's book if it lays down some background on the theme as well!

[Benemal]

Another great historical novel, about Muslim "ninjas", Alamut, by Vladimir Bartol. It's about the Hashishiin ( the hashis eaters, where the english language word assassin comes from). Trained in the fortress Alamut, they were feared across the middle east, around a thousand years ago. Not exactly warfare, but assassination.

[Kavi]

Another great historical novel, about Muslim "ninjas", Alamut, by Vladimir Bartol. It's about the Hashishiin ( the hashis eaters, where the english language word assassin comes from). Trained in the fortress Alamut, they were feared across the middle east, around a thousand years ago. Not exactly warfare, but assassination.

I have read it! Nizari Ismailism is fascinating topic at least on surface. Although in the book its take is more nihilistic and Marco Poloesque fantastic approach to discussing Hassan-i Sabbah and hashashiyaan.
And actual philosophical ideas of ismailism is not to my mind ever discussed?
I wish I had an opportunity to visit the actual ruins of that castle one day.

And I think assassination and suicide missions relates to warfare too, more horizontal and warfare based on flexible cells that can beat the stronger and better equipped army. How to apply this to esotericism? I can't now come up with any ideas... You can have all power and intelligence but if it's too solid and inflexible - former attributes can have lot of negative effects. Ability to re-identify, not having one identity but constant change of being no-one that floats like water yet turns into steam to disappear and later to appear again? Will to go on, not just years, but ages?

I don't want to spoil the book's ideas but at least for me as a teenager it was influential. Ubisoft later used this book in Assassin's creed re-located to Levant, Palestine and Syria.
But I find it little bit bastardized when they unironically state their creed: "Nothing is true, everything is permitted" and gamer should identify with this affiliation that morally is quite questionable.

[Polyhymnia]

I am so charmed that this question of mine has spurred such a vibrant discussion. There are concepts in here I couldn't have even begun to imagine in relation to this topic, and as usual, I am so grateful for the fruit of knowledge that comes from all this valued input.

I wrote quite long respond solely for soror Polyhymnia but eventually I erased it - I wanted to point out that maybe her (evangelic christianity?) background was influencing her writings about demons and spirits.
I come from the "same world" where children's toys are destroyed in fire because of demonic mana enchanted within, Harry Potter, Pokemon and so on..
These ideas do so biiiig contrast between saved people by blood of Jesus (except lo behold! Devil has paradoxically very powerful ways to lead astray and make believers go disarray and make them sin and lose their redemption) and "the world" run by Devil that it becomes, excuse my pathologization: paranoid-schizoid. Soror Polyhymnia, you have had something similar to this in your mind? This was emphasized a lot but then it's never clear what is "world" and how to interact with it when it's corrupting according to this view?

Yes, this is definitely the root to my initial understanding of "spiritual warfare." I had realized that though I have been steadily progressing on my occult path, there were these hooks still inside of me that subconsciously still divided many things in this way for me, and that I should ask for more perspective to help loosen this parasitic thought that is no doubt holding me back. Which, mission currently being accomplished.
And the way you describe this evangelical thought process is exactly how people related to me have always thought and still thought. I know there are a couple members in my family who think that the reason I've been "struck" with my physical condition is because I've "turned away from God." That I will be healthy if I turn back. But even that in itself is a problematic concept. Why would I want to serve a god who only allows me to be healthy under the condition I serve him? Gross.
And I can't help but feel like even as as child I could never feel true peace because I was brought up with the belief that forces were always after my soul.