Wisdom can come from various places, some of them from seemingly  respectable and wise sources and sometimes from the last place you’d expect as well as from places that are somewhat suspect or morally questionable. The practice of discernment is an important thing and we can never know when gems of wisdom or experience can be dropped in our lap or perhaps have been lying under or noses or collecting dust in our basements without ever realizing it.

This source is more in the first category. Miyamoto Musasashi is one of the most storied and skilled warriors in Japanese history with an undefeated recorded of 61 duels. This quality is not necessarily an indicator of wisdom or profundity of thought. There are plenty of men who were forces of nature on the battlefield but were otherwise reprehensible and degenerate individuals. Modernity is replete with elevating individuals who have accomplished things and achieved greatness but are otherwise lacking in spiritual depth. Nevertheless, as I’ve mentioned war is an initiatory experience and if you look at the writing Musashi left behind in his quest for martial prowess left him transformed into something altogether different. Aside from the Book of Five Rings, shortly before his death he wrote a short list of precepts for one of his students called The Dokkodo that roughly translates into the Path of Walking Alone or the path of Aloneness. One of the defining characteristics of the original Templars was their communal nature governed by their monastic rule created by St. Benedict and later modified by their patron St. Bernard of Clairvaux.

With whatever developments end up taking place with the Bernard Option each Templar will likely have to walk alone for protracted periods of time. One of the defining features of the Aryan hero in literature found in such writings as Beowulf, Gilgamesh, and the knights who seek the Holy Grail right up to examples in modern western films is the fact that they walk alone. Walking alone is both literal and figurative in that one may find oneself having to operate alone but also being alone and free within one’s own soul.

To this end Musashi gives us twenty one precepts to aid one in the lonely path with some short notes of my own added.

1. Accept everything just the way it is.

Far from being a passive resignation in the face of circumstances, seeing the truth means having the capacity to have an accurate judgement of the world around you as it is, rather than how you’d like it to be.

2. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.

The siren call of comfort will always be singing and chasing cheap thrills will deter your focus in following a path of a warrior monk. In eschewing pleasure, one retains a focus on what is truly important.

3. Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.

Necessity demands many things that we’d rather not do. However as one goes down their path if an option presents itself that not every fiber of your being calls you to follow, move on.

4. Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.

The templars demanded that one “despise your own will” rather than being a rejection of taking action but is rather a rejection of all element of the personality that drags one into the morass. Pride only hurt’s in the end, ask me how I know, so one must study and take seriously the highways and byways of the greater world while thinking of yourself as a humble servant.

5. Be detached from desire your whole life long.

On the subject of despising your own will, if your will is silenced you will be able to meet challenges much easier than you would otherwise.

6. Do not regret what you have done.

There is no rewriting the past but as it turns out we are all time travelers moving into the future one second at a time and rather than right wrongs done we can build a better future.

7. Never be jealous.

It is a fact of life that one will meet men who are more capable or possess more than yourself. Rather than resent what you don’t possess rather appreciate the virtues and fortunes of others and emulate what you find worthy of emulation

8. Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.

Nothing in life is permanent and people and things will come and go in our lives, even seemingly life sustaining relationships may be taken from us. Rather than be saddened at their passing be thankful for the moments you’ve had.

9. Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself or others.

Despite the poor cards we are dealt letting the toxic ruminations of how unfair a situation serves no purpose and only makes things worse.

10. Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.

Next to religious fulfillment, eros is one of our must fundamental drives, as one of the big dogs wrote” the whole power of magic is found upon eros”. I’ve mentioned this subject already but as an additional spiritual exercise consider how many people are six feet under or serving life sentences while being guided by the feeling of lust or love.

11. In all things have no preferences.

Life will take us to many different places that you don’t expect, and many you’d rather not spend any substantial time in. When prospects were received into the order they were admonished “For with great difficulty will you do anything that you wish: for if you wish to be in Acre, you will be sen t to the land of Tripoli…And if you wish to sleep you will be awoken; and if you sometimes wish to stay awake, you will be ordered to rest in your bed.” If your will is silenced you can adapt to whatever circumstances you find yourself in.

12. Be indifferent to where you live.

There is much talk of places to shelter and wait out whatever chaos this world will continue to ramp up in our lives. At the end of the day there is little one needs in life and the right person in the wrong place can make a difference.

13. Do not pursue the taste of good food.

With talk of lofty and at times abstract concepts it is easy to forget that we are constrained in the three dimensional realm with all that entails. No matter how much you read or contemplate your base desires will be assaulted by sundry treats in daily life as well as reliance on them as a crutch in the day to day. Having a handle on the diet that sustains you in your journey will always be a baseline for more elevated endeavors

14. Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need.

We tend to see our things as extensions of ourselves but with detachment we can find that we only can rely on our own virtues and that there is strength in letting go of anything unnecessary.

15. Do not act following customary beliefs.

Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of fire. We live in a time where following the status quo will only lead us to the abyss. The odd position men of Tradition find themselves in is in being considered heretics in a world where counter-Tradition reigns supreme.

16. Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful.

It’s easy to go overboard in many things but especially something as cool as weapons. Love and care for your weapons but keep things to a practical level.

17. Do not fear death.

We exist simultaneously as body, soul, and spirit. But the fear of death and coming to terms with it is always a struggle as we are bound by the vagaries of Malkuth. It takes being centered in the Spirit and it’s place in history to overcome this fear.

18. Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age.

With the out of character post war prosperity quickly circling down the drain in the West retirement probably won’t be an option anyway so consider this point moot.

19. Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.

God helps those who help themselves is nice and cringe inducing homespun wisdom but a man must be self sufficient and stand on his own two feet. Perhaps then when resolved to tackle things on your own you may find help from unexpected celestial places

20. You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honor.

To a knight honor was everything and was considered far more important than bodily integrity. Honor is something that is something that is misconstrued in modern terms and is a complex subject to be visited another time perhaps. The virtue of honor relates to the concept in the Aryan tradition as “imperishable fame” and it’s feared antipode “shame”. Value your reputation.

21. Never stray from the way

When you have committed to the path stay committed. There will be moments of divergence and failures but never straying means recovering from you missteps and continuing on the road you’ve chosen.