The Apprentice Magician had almost reached the end of his training. Soon he would be traveling the paths of the world, sharing his knowledge and gifts with all who cared to learn the secrets of life. He began to feel the seeds of a deep discomfort stir within him.
He approach his Master and asked, “Master, soon I will have to communicate the learning you have given to me to other people. Sometimes to large groups, sometimes to just one person. What are the secrets of successful communication? What are the most effective ways to present my ideas to other people?”
“Wake up!” replied the Master not unkindly. “You already know these things for yourself. If you can recognize the difference between an excellent communicator and a poor one, you have the tools to work out what each is doing to achieve the results they are getting.”
“Master, I understand that I already know many things. I know that by discovering the qualities I have that match those of presenters I admire I will be able to reinforce my existing skills. And I also know that the external world also exists to serve me if only I will pay sufficient attention to what it is telling me. You yourself are accomplished as a communicator. What can I learn of presentation from you?”
The Master thought for a moment. “As a prelude to your next area of study, consider this. First, that the nervousness you are already feeling, the butterflies in your stomach, is a good sign. They show that you care, and caring is the essential ingredient of quality. You care about yourself, you wish to be the best you can. You care about your audience, you want them to understand, appreciate, enjoy, and know how to apply what you are sharing with them. Lastly, you care about your material. what it contains, and how it is structured. You believe it is important; it is important for you, and will be important for them when you put it across in ways that are appropriate for them.”
“But what can I do about the butterflies?”
The Master permitter herself a wry smile. “Perhaps you should learn the ancient Eastern art of stage flight.”
“What is stage flight, Master?”
“Stage flight,” said the Master with smiling eyes, “is the art of making butterflies fly in formation.”
The Master paused, allowing time for the Young Apprentice to appreciate humor and connect the visual image with his inner emotions. The she continued. “There are many aspects that make up the great arts of successful communication and effective presentation. The next step in your apprenticeship is to learn the arts of self-preparation and self-control. For if you are not centered in yourself, and with your material, you will lack the edge you seek. And for this you must study with the Warrior of the Shadows, the Master who taught your Master.”
“And where will I find the Warrior of Shadows?” inquired the Young One. “At the place you might most expect to meet him,” replied the Magician.
And so it was that later in the day the Apprentice Magician set off on the long journey to the place where the sun sets between the mountains, the place where the shadows are longest and deepest. He traveled for three days across broad plains, over ranging hills, through dark valleys, over deep rivers, until he arrived at the cleft in the mountains where the sun sets, and among the rocks he waited.
The Apprentice Magician waited and watched long into the night until sleep overcame him. He awoke early in the morning with the sun in his eyes, an ache in his back, and a pair of deep blue eyes penetrating deep into his soul.
“Wake up!” said the Warrior of the Shadows. “A Magician, even an Apprentice, should never be unprepared.”
“My Master sent me,” blurted out the Young One. “She said you would teach me how to prepare myself for presentation and communication.”
“I cannot teach you anything,” replied the Warrior gruffly. “Learning, on the other hand, is another matter. Learning is your responsibility. It will happen when you are ready for it. Are you ready?”
“I am, for most certainly I want to learn these things.”
“Then you will indeed learn, provided you pay close enough attention. Stay where you are. Keep quiet and watch with full attention.”
Before the Young Apprentice could think of something to say the Warrior of the Shadows was moving away among the rocks. He moved silently between the outcrops and open spaces, intently scanning the terrain. He examined the nature of each space and how it related to other spaces; he noted the places where access and movement were easy and where they were difficult. Finally he appeared to make a decision, for he ceased pacing and scanning the space he was in and stopped still.
It seemed to the Apprentice as he watched that Warrior of the Shadows became as one with the space he was in. The Warrior’s breathing shifted to a place deep within the center of himself, his upper body was motionless, and all that could be seen was a deep rise and fall in the area of his belly. Yet the breath seemed to fill the whole space he was in, and the Warrior’s presence seemed to make an impact even upon the rocks that walled in the open space he occupied.
After some moments in which, as it seemed to the Apprentice Magician, the Warrior of the Shadows was completely still yet filling the whole space, the Warrior moved suddenly and with purpose. He removed the pack that was slung across his back which was carrying his few belongings, and placed it carefully under an overhanging rock. He took from his pockets several pouches, artifacts, and other objects, and placed them carefully out of sight with the backpack. He removed his outer coat and the Young Apprentice saw for the first time the Warrior’s long elegant fighting stick gleaming dully in the early sunlight.
And only then did the Little Apprentice become aware of the danger the Warrior of the Shadows was in. From every angle the enemy was approaching. Shadow Warriors, sixteen in total, their swords drawn, their hostile intentions against the Warrior of the Shadows expressed clearly in their eyes and in every movement.
The songs of the birds stopped, and the chorus of the grasshoppers fell silent. A quiet tension hung over the battleground. The Warrior of the Shadows appeared attentive yet totally unconcerned. It seemed to the Little Magician as he crouched even lower in his hiding place that another transformation took place. Standing in the center of his chosen space, the Warrior of the Shadows stood completely still. Relaxed, flowing, yet completely still; his breathing deep and centered. He raised his fighting hand high above his head and, as if plucking something down from the sky, he slowly let his hand drop across his face, his breast, his stomach, until it rested at a point three fingers below his navel.
His breathing deepened, he seemed to grow in stature, and vibrate with a powerful energy. To the Young Magician it seemed as if the Warrior of the Shadows was transformed into something magnificent and untouchable. Indeed it seemed as if he was floating above the earth.
At this moment the sixteen warriors charged. Their weapons were drawn and their shouts filled the air. And yet the Warrior of the Shadows still had time to pause. He smiled, bent down, and from a small crevice among the stones beneath his feet he plucked a tiny scarlet flower. He took time to notice its elegant structure, the brilliance of its color, and to savor its delicate aroma even as the enemy bore down upon him. It was as if, time stood still and all energy was focused in one quiet place deep within him. And then…
Suddenly, in the time it took for the first enemy’s sword to strike down towards his skull, the Warrior of the Shadows was gone from that space, dancing lightly on the balls of his feet, his stick shimmering. Air, stick, sword, blood blurred to the Young Apprentice’s sight, crowns cracked, ribs wrecked, collars cut, necks gashed and, as it seemed to the Young One, the Warrior of the Shadows moved with the speed of lightning and the grace and ferocity of a panther. Seemingly slow yet deceptively fast, the Warrior of the Shadows appeared to have all the time in the world. And by now the enemy were fleeing in confusion, their attack thwarted, sixteen beaten Shadow Warriors melting silently back into the shadows from where they had come.
The Warrior of the Shadows collected his belongings and nonchalantly walked across to where the Little Apprentice was still collecting his breath and thoughts.
“So, if you are ready, tell me what you learned,” said the Warrior. “Are you ready to understand the structure of true warrior ship?”
The Little Apprentice gathered his thoughts. He took a deep breath, remembering the trick of breathing down to the center of his being, about three fingers below his navel and two fingers in.
“As I watched it seemed to me that the first thing you did was to search out a space that was suitable for you. You chose a place where you would have the advantage, in which you could move around in comfort and ease, and which would suit the purpose and style the engagement you had in mind.”
“Very good,” said the Warrior of the Shadows. “Choose your territory. This is the first rule of engagement.”
“Then, you paused and changed your breathing pattern. You became calm and still, and it seemed as if your presence and breath filled the whole space you had chosen.”
“You have observed very well. Take time to center yourself. This is the second rule of engagement.”
“You then took off you backpack, emptied your pockets, and removed everything from the arena that would not serve you.”
“Correct. Disregard all unnecessary things. This is the third rule of engagement.”
“The next thing I noticed what that you reached up and appeared to pull down something out of the sky and connect it to something in the very deepest part of you.”
“Indeed. Connect to a Higher Power. The Breath of Life resides in our inspiration. This is the fourth rule of engagement.”
“Then you did something really surprising. Even as all the enemy was rushing towards you, as if you cared nothing about this, you bent down, picked a flower, and took time to fully experience its beauty.”
“Excellent. Before engagement, free yourself from conscious thoughts for in moments of crisis your mind won’t help. This is the fifth rule of engagement.”
The Young Apprentice looked a little puzzled. The Warrior of the Shadows read his mind: “If you are not fully prepared before engagement begins, you will be unable to respond in the moment with the full array of your resources. Successful improvisation requires patterns and structure.“
The Apprentice nodded thoughtfully before getting back to the action. “And then in an instant you were present again and instantly moving. And it seemed to me that you were able to move twice as fast as each of your enemies and yet you appeared to have twice as much time to think, decide, and strike.”
“This is the sixth and last rule of engagement ,” said the Warrior of the Shadows. “You must learn to slow down time. And once you have learned to do that you will also know how to move and think faster in any moment of crisis and danger. And you will also learn to savor better moments of sweet pleasure.”
“But how do I learn to slow down time? How is that possible?”
“The answer is as simple as it is complex. You must practice the skill in the right way. Like any discipline, conscientious and enthusiastic practice will reward you.”
“But how do I do that? How do I slow down time?”
“Just follow your star.“
* * *
The Young Apprentice lay on his back in the sand. He could hear the stirring of the waves against the shore. He felt the warm breeze caress his body. The scent of the sea was in his nose, the tang of the salt on his tongue. He gazed up into the arched cobalt vault, and from many thousands above him, he chose his one true star. He focused his gaze upon it, with consciousness and enthusiasm, and gradually it seemed to him, that the longer and deeper he gazed, all the other stars began to disappear from sight, until only his remained in the firmament. His own true star that he was destined to follow, for now, for ever…
Source: Wyatt Woodsmall