"Contemplation of God in woman is the most complete and perfect, because in this way he contemplates God in both the active and receptive modes, whereas by contemplating God only in himself, he beholds him particularly in a receptive mode. Because of this the Prophet ﷺ loved women, because of the perfection of his witness of God in them"
- "Fusus al-hikam" (2 vols. ed. Abu ‘Ala ‘l-‘Affin. Beirut: Dar al-kitab al-‘arabi. 1:217), Ibn Arabi

Art: Delphin Enjolras (1857-1945), French

Remember

No matter what you do, you will always have your detractors. This will never cease to occur. Do not change your course to critics. Hear the constructive criticism from close friends, and take it under advisement. Even then, be prepared to walk alone. Be spiritually self-confident and, if necessary, charge alone as your own vanguard. Never doubt yourself or your cause. All there can ever be is the attack.

There are no non-combatants in the apocalypse.

“But, father, what would be the best way to gain an advantage over the enemy?”

“By Zeus,” said he, “this is no easy or simple question that you ask now, my son; but, let me tell you, the man who proposes to do that must be designing and cunning, wily and deceitful, a thief and a robber, overreaching the enemy at every point.”

“O Heracles, father,” said Cyrus with a laugh, “what a man you say I must become!”

“Such, my son,” he said, “that you would be at the same time the most righteous and law-abiding man in the world.”

“Why then, pray, did you use to teach us the opposite of this when we were boys and youths?”

“Aye, by Zeus,” said he; “and so we would have you still towards your friends and fellow-citizens; but, that you might be able to hurt your enemies, do you not know that you all were learning many villainies?”

~ Xenophon, Cyropaedia

"𝑷𝒐𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍" - 𝑱𝒐𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏 𝑯𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒏

Revolt against the modern world and join a cult. Today, do it right now.

https://youtu.be/tUfyGpxTzQE

"See that you never lose your sense of shame. A man without a sense of shame, what good is he? He lives in a molting state, shedding his honor, and with steps directed toward hell.

You have beauty and bearing, you may well be the lord of some people. If you are of high origin and rising still higher, bear in mind that you must have compassion on the host of the needy. Shield them from distress with generosity and with kindness, and strive for humility. The poor man of good birth may well wrestle with shame—it is a sour business-and you should be ready with help. When you lighten his load God's blessing is near you. He has it worse than those who come to the window for bread.

Be both poor and rich appropriately: if a lord squanders, that is not lord-like; if he hoards treasure too much, that is dishonor also. Make your rule the true mean.

I have observed that you are in need of advice.
Leave bad manners to their own quarrel.
Do not ask too many questions.
Do not disdain thoughtful answers that go straight to the question of one who is sounding you out with words. You can hear and see, taste and smell: these should bring you wisdom.

Let mercy go along with daring. There will be the test of my counsels. Once a man gives you his oath of surrender in battle, take his word of honor and let him live, unless he has done you such wrong as would burden your heart with grief.

You will frequently have to wear armor. As soon as it is removed, see that you wash your hands and around your eyes to get the iron rust off. That way you will be of love's color, and women's eyes will note that.

Be manly and cheerful of spirit: that is good for winning honor and praise.

Let women be dear to you, for that enhances a young man's worth. Do not waver a single day toward them: that is true manly conduct. If you choose to tell them lies you may deceive many of them, but in true love base deception does not enjoy honor
long. It is the prowler's complaint that the dry branches in the park snap and crack and rouse the watch. Pathless places and felled-tree barriers, there is where many a battle thrives. Measure this against love. Noble love has judgment with which to outwit sly deceptive trickery. If you incur her disfavor you will be dishonored and suffer painful shame forever. Take this lesson to heart.

I will tell you more about womankind. Husband and wife are one, as are the sun that shone today and the thing called day itself; neither can be separated from the other; they blossom from a single seed. Strive to understand this."

[from Wolfram's Parzival]

"The souls of the gods adapt their bodies, which imitate intellect, to their own intellectual essence; the souls of the other divine classes direct their vehicles according to their allotment in the cosmos."

Iamblichus