The Place of Warrior-Energy in the Spiritual Journey

We all know the tragic consequences of a competitive attitude in the arena of religion as evidenced by the bloodshed pervading world history.  However, warrior energy - viewed playfully - is absolutely necessary in advancing along our own personal spiritual journey, and in our quest for social and ecological justice.

Oftentimes, Life - the Beloved - will seem to oppose and fight against the spiritual vision we've been given as a means of developing our perseverance, courage, and a playfully feisty attitude. That is indeed the case in the ancient biblical story of Jacob wrestling for a blessing against God appearing in the form of an angel. Because of his perseverance in the fight, Jacob was renamed "Yisrael," which means "God-wrestler." This led, of course, to an entire culture - known for its delighful "chutzpah" or feisty attitude - being named after the incident. 

From a nondual perspective, this "fight" with our Source occurs WITHIN divine union. Thus, to speak mythically, it is as though a mirror-image - US! - while being gazed-upon lovingly by the One who stands in front of the mirror,  then suddenly begins taking on a life of its own, making flirtatious gestures which the One never made, and speaking in a completely different voice, thus shocking and surprising the One with the utter intrigue of it all! And that is precisely a Western mystical view of nonduality!

Photos: Bighorn Sheep rams doing head-butting as part of a mating competition in Big Thompson Canyon, CO, about 45 minutes from my home. (November 6, 2015).  The loud "CRACK" sound that occurred on impact was absolutely stunning!

I am available for one-on-one sessions giving instruction in Wilderness Insight Meditation, or for spiritual direction / mentoring via phone or Skype. You can contact me at canyonechoes@gmail.com if you are interested. The rate is $65 per hour-long session. You might also want to check out my Spiritual Direction with Stephen Hatch Facebook page.

Many of my photos are available as prints, either mounted or unmounted. Here is a link to the pricing and various mounts available:

http://www.stephenhatchphotography.com/#!mounting-prices/cpr6