Symbols are all around us: brand logos, religious icons, flags, the stickers we put on our cars, the colors we wear, and the decorations in our homes. These things serve as visual reminders of some deeper meaning. Many of our symbols may be unconscious choices, just something we like. But we can also intentionally surround ourselves with keys to our ideals. For the knight, what better things to use as symbols than the tools of the trade?
Below are nine symbolic arms that will tie directly into the vigil.
Below are nine symbolic arms that will tie directly into the vigil.
Sword
I set double-edged judgment aside and wield understanding and compassion born in the acceptance of the unknowable unfolding reality. My peace does not come with conditions. I can be an island in the storm-tossed sea. I make Serenity my sword.
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Spurs
My purpose is not something I must rush off to find out there. It is right here in the present moment, and I have only to answer the call. When I walk in peace, meaning grows within me. With each step my heart grows more illuminated. I make Sobriety my spurs
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Breastplate
I take off the hard shell that surrounds my heart and guards my attachments. I become transparent to the True Source, that doorway to all possibilities, and nourish understanding and compassion. That is where growth takes place. I make Non-Attachment my breastplate.
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Gauntlets
I leave the realm of opposites, which gives rise to opposition. Light and shadow are one. Strife and peace are one. Light and peace arise within me, even as I stand in chaos. Seeing all things as facets of oneness, I lose my fear and become a source of empowerment and inspiration. I make Innocence my gauntlets.
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Surcoat
MI stop being a reflection of the expectations and opinions of others. I surrender, moment by moment to the greater I and go where I fear to go, do what I believe I cannot do. When others clash with me but I clash with no one, I will have found my Center and can ride the unfolding of the world. I make Humility my surcoat.
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Greaves
I find solid footing in this moment, on this ground. We all share this infinite moment. Through it, we are all connected. This is all the truth there is. There is nothing I cannot turn into something of value, but only here can I be a force for that transformation. I make Equanimity my greaves.
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Helm
I am mindful of the many masks I wear for others and learn compassion for others who must do the same. Through my masks, I glimpse my ever-changing True Self and find truth and unity in the pieces. I live from my Center and treat others with authenticity and graciousness. I make Truthfulness my helm.
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Shield
Grounded in this moment, seeing myself as part of the unfolding now, I relinquish the rigid inflexibility of certainty in favor of vitality. I become a channel for the Source of all things, able to respond freely to whatever emerges in the moment. I banish fear and trade fate for destiny. I make Courage my shield.
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Spear
I pierce the ego self and embrace the emptiness behind it, but what seems empty is a place of endless possibilities that unfold from this ground. The form and the warrior are one. The dance and the dancer are one. Doing without doing. Creating and letting go. I make Action my spear.
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When, finally, I lay aside all that I think defines and protects me, when I stand naked in the world and do not know fear, then I will be a knight fully armed and invincible.