Lesson #3: Acting Without Expecting Anything

This is one of the teachings that is very difficult for many people to grasp, especially in our culture. Living in a capitalistic economy we tend to turn everything into a commodity. Labor is a commodity, so when we do anything, we Americans want to feel we've gotten our money's worth. The idea of acting without expecting anything in return is a foreign concept and yet it is essentially the warrior-sorcerer's way of life.

Only when you act without expecting anything in return are you free. If you are attached to expectations of a return, you become a slave to that expectation and to whomever has the power to fulfill that expectation.

Now, if you're not yet an impeccable warrior-sorcerer, then I'm not suggesting that in the course of ordinary transactions and relationships you should never expect anything. The irony is that one who has stored up personal power never seems to have problems with this. That's one of the mysteries of the sorcerer's power.

It has to do with a deep knowing. For example, if you know you deserve to be treated with respect, somehow it just happens. But if you're not yet a sorcerer, then you can clearly state your expectations and call on intent.

Let's say you're engaging in any kind of relationship; if you aren't yet a sorcerer and you meet someone who doesn't treat you with respect (see, if you were a sorcerer, this would never happen), then just state your expectations clearly. Intent requires that we make a clear statement. By standing up for your rights, you empower yourself. This is the same as storing up personal power. The more personal power you store up, the more you become an impeccable warrior-sorcerer.

Most of the time when people expect things, they are just being narcissistic and self-absorbed, playing the victim, not taking responsibility, feeling self-important, and hence "slighted," and in this way they leak personal power. An example might be getting cut off in traffic and seeing yourself as a victim, wasting enormous amounts of energy telling yourself and anyone who will listen about how you were victimized.

Why not just give it up and save all that energy? There are always going to be rude people in the world, including rude drivers, those petty tyrants. When you get into a situation, take responsibility for everything that goes with it, including rude drivers. If you waste any energy getting upset over it, you're draining away your personal power, making yourself weak. It's not worth it. Storing personal power and becoming an impeccable warrior-sorcerer is far more important. Then when you really need that power, when it really matters, it will be at your fingertips, and you will be astounding.

In other words, pick your battles very carefully. If you can always act without expecting anything in return, and take 100% responsibility for everything that happens to you, you will store up immense amounts of energy that would otherwise be drained out through agonizing, feeling angry and confused, feeling like a victim, telling your story to whomever will listen, feeling self-important and righteous. Complaining is one of the worst energy drains ever created by humankind. If there's a problem, don't complain. Take action.

Start by getting over yourself. Lose your self-importance. That's the first step to becoming a warrior-sorcerer. And the more personal power you store up, the more you become an impeccable warrior-sorcerer. Then you discover something truly amazing: you never get cut off in traffic anymore; you never get disrespected. I can't explain how it works. It just does.