" A man goes to knowledge as he goes to war: wide-awake, with fear, with respect, and with absolute assurance. Going to knowledge or going to war, in any other manner is a mistake, and whoever makes it might never live to regret it." ~Teachings of Don Juan
Now I cannot understand what it is like to be in an actual war, like on the battlefield. However I do get the jist of the message that knowledge and power can be dangerous. Gaining the two changes your life and your world view. It can give you the tools to enter into the unknown. You can then lose your sanity in the face of it. I have met many people on a path like this one or others (as this path is not the only one with knowledge and power), who became unstable in the face of the unknown. Some may have attributed themselves to being more powerful than they were and ventured too far. Some began seeing things, hearing things, and lost all touch with reality. I have always said, the warrior needs to keep one foot in the tonal, and the nagual, at all times. Take a foot out of the nagual, and your life could be empty of spirit. Take a foot out of the tonal, and you can go completely mad.
To be grounded and alert is necessary. Anyone who has dreamed understands say the second attention, can be a bit strange. Definitely out of the ordinary. Sometimes we have to treat our minds like fragile crystal glasses. Because they are suceptible to being fractured. You don't want to lose your mind on the path (and I have come close). Your mind contains who you are, and your awareness. So when attaining knowledge and power, treat it like a lethal weapon. With great care and respect for what it can do. Like a sword, knowledge and power can cut through the brush on the path so you can keep going, or slice the mind to ribbons, and lose sanity.
This path does offer knoweldge and power. It can take you to other worlds, give a completely different view of reality, and eventually lead to the infinite. But it is kind of like the Kabbalah and the Angels guarding the Sephirot. You have to be worthy. You become worthy by being impeccable and losing self-importance. Becoming and authentic, real being. Then you can withstand the blows of the path when they come.
