Manual of Warrior of Light VIII - The Warrior and Risks
Category: Writing and Poetry

Before embarking on an important battle, a warrior of light asks himself: 'How far have I developed my abilities?'
He knows that he has learned something with every battle he has fought, but many of those lessons have caused him unnecessary suffering. More than once he has wasted his time fighting for a lie. And he has suffered for people who did not deserve his love.
Victors never make the same mistake twice. That is why the warrior only risks his heart for something worthwhile.

Translated by Margaret Jull Costa

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9:40 PM - 17 Comments - 38 Kudos - Add Comment

Manual of Warrior of Light VII - The Warrior and his fights
Category: Writing and Poetry

The warrior of light sometimes fights with those he loves.
The man who defends his friends is never overwhelmed by the storms of life; he is strong enough to come through difficulties and to carry on.
However, he is often faced by challenges from those to whom he is trying to teach the art of the sword. His disciples provoke him into fighting with them.
And the warrior demonstrates his abilities: with just a few blows he disarms his students, and harmony returns to the place where they meet.
'Why bother to do that, when you are so much better than they are?' asks a traveller.
'Because in challenging me, what they really want is to talk to me and this is my way of keeping dialogue open,' replies the warrior.

Translated by Margaret Jull Costa

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11:38 PM - 30 Comments - 53 Kudos - Add Comment

Manual of Warrior of Light VI - The Warrior and opportunities.
Category: Writing and Poetry

'It's odd,' says the warrior of light to himself. 'I have met so many people who, at the first opportunity, try to show their very worst qualities. They hide their inner strength behind aggression; they hide their fear of loneliness behind an air of independence. They do not believe in their own abilities, but are constantly trumpeting their virtues.'
The warrior reads these messages in many of the men and women he meets. He is never taken in by appearances and makes a point of remaining silent when people try to impress him. And he uses the occasion to correct his own faults, for other people make an excellent mirror.
A warrior takes every opportunity to teach himself.

Translated by Margaret Jull Costa

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11:33 PM - 24 Comments - 49 Kudos - Add Comment

EXPERIMENTAL WITCH WINNERS

Dear friends,

As promised, I am publishing today the provisory results of The Experimental Witch movie. We had over 6.000 subscribers. I would like to thank you all who participated and put the best of your efforts to transform my book into a movie.

PROVISORY

There are some items here that I want to single out (that is why I call it "provisory");

a) the participants selected (see the list below) still have to send us the material release forms (letters that all the casting and places have to sign, allowing us to use their images or music for the movie). They should send also the agreement confirming the terms of use of their materials, but this is essentially based on the general terms of use that are posted on my blog;

b) we still did not get all the high definition copies of all the selected users below. And Elisabetta Sgarbi, the director, cannot edit the movie without having first received the materials in that format;

c) if we do not receive these documents and materials till the end of September, the second place will substitute the currently selected winners. Therefore, if you got a letter from the Experimental Witch Team asking for some technical stuff, please keep an eye in this updating. If by the end of September you don't hear from my team, that means that we got all we need.

LENGTH

The total length of the movie, so far, is 380 minutes, which makes impossible to be distributed commercially (the distributors need 52 minutes for TV or 90 minutes for festivals and movie theaters). The terms of use allows us to edit, but before we go to a major festival, I want to show the full version in internet.

MUSIC

Some of you already included the soundtrack in their materials, using music that was submitted to us (meaning: they had a kind or agreement with the musicians). Elisabetta believes that people who choose "full soundtrack" stands a better chance. On the other hand, she is still listening to all submissions, and we are still in the first phase – in other words: a full movie, but without a final soundtrack. We shall get back to you once a final selection of the soundtrack has been made.

PROMOTION

If you are among the winners, and you complied with the items listed in "Provisory", please feel free to talk about it. From our part, we will start the real promotion of the movie as soon as we have the final cut (meaning, a movie that can be handed over to the distributors).

WINNERS

The list below is the Jury's first choice. Congratulations! Now please provide the material release forms and executed agreement (that will be forwarded to you during the first week of September) along with the HD material (if you still did not send it).

HERON RYAN: AARON J. MARCH
ANDREA MCCAIN: TAMSIN MCCARTHY
EDDA: ALEX JEHS
SAMIRA: ADRIANA GARZA
LUKAS: GEOFF STEWART
PADRE FONTANA: MICHAEL MYERS
PAVEL: JENNIFER BOLLINGER
PETER SHERNEY: CRAIG ARCHIBALD
NABIL: TADEH DASCHI
VOSHO: BAN LILLA
LILIANA: LINDA VAN DER STEEN
ANTOINE LACADOUR: FERNANDO DUPRAT
JOURNALIST: ALFONSO SUAREZ
SCOTLAND YARD AND LELLA ZAINAB: SYLVIA FODOR

PRIZE

When you send all the material required in "Provisory", please provide us with your SWIFT and bank details so as to allow us to make the payment of the Prize.

Love
Paulo

2:15 AM - 58 Comments - 69 Kudos - Add Comment

Manual of Warrior of Light V - A warrior of light and his strategies
Category: Writing and Poetry

A wise Chinese has this to say about the strategies of the warrior of light:
'Convince your enemy that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm.'
'Do not be ashamed to make a temporary withdrawal from the field if you see that your enemy is stronger than you; it is not winning or losing a single battle that matters, but how the war ends.'
'Even if you are very strong, never be ashamed to feign weakness; this will make your enemy act imprudently and attack too soon.'
'In war, the key to victory is the ability to surprise one's opponent.'

Translated by Margaret Jull Costa

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11:09 PM - 36 Comments - 64 Kudos - Add Comment

Manual of Warrior of Light IV - A warrior of light knows what he wants
Category: Writing and Poetry

A warrior of light never resorts to trickery, but he knows how to distract his opponent.
However anxious he is, he uses every strategy at his disposal to gain his objective. When he sees that his strength is almost gone, he makes his enemy think that he is simply biding his time. When he needs to attack the right flank, he moves his troops to the left. If he intends beginning the battle at once, he pretends instead that he is tired and prepares for sleep.
His friends say: 'Look, he's lost all enthusiasm.' But he pays no attention to such remarks because his friends do not understand his tactics.
A warrior of light knows what he wants. And he has no need to waste time on explanations.

Translated by Margaret Jull Costa

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11:16 PM - 35 Comments - 57 Kudos - Add Comment

Manual of Warrior of Light III - The Warrior and enthusiasm
Category: Writing and Poetry

A warrior of light does not rely on strength alone, he makes use of his opponent's energy too.
When he enters the fight, all he has is his enthusiasm and the moves and strikes that he learned during his training. As the fight progresses, he discovers that enthusiasm and training are not enough to win: what counts is experience.
Then he opens his heart to the Universe and asks God to give him the inspiration he needs to turn every blow from his enemy into a lesson in self-defence.
His companions say: 'He's so superstitious. He stopped fighting in order to pray; he even shows respect for his opponent's tricks.'
The warrior does not respond to these provocations. He knows that without inspiration and experience, no amount of training will help him.

Translated by Margaret Jull Costa

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1:01 AM - 30 Comments - 49 Kudos - Add Comment

Travelling

I will be travelling from this Monday till the first week of September: San Sebastian, Sos del Rey Catolico, Saint Martin, Geneve, St Moritz. I will spend my birthday on the road, which is a great thing to do! My team will keep updating the posts (full edition of the Warrior of Light) and moderating friends and comments.

If you want to send a personal message, please put "Personal" in the subject, and I will read when I return. You can trust that the message  will not be read by the persons who are moderating the blog.

Love

Paulo

P.S. - I hope that the current music will not be deleted by the artist...

6:58 AM - 60 Comments - 72 Kudos - Add Comment

Manual of Warrior of Light II - The Warrior and choosing
Category: Writing and Poetry

All the world's roads lead to the heart of the warrior; he plunges unhesitatingly into the river of passions always flowing through his life.
The warrior knows that he is free to choose his desires, and he makes these decisions with courage, detachment and - sometimes - with just a touch of madness.
He embraces his passions and enjoys them intensely. He knows that there is no need to renounce the pleasures of conquest; they are part of life and bring joy to all those who participate in them.
But he never loses sight of those things that last or of the strong bonds that are forged over time.
A warrior can distinguish between the transient and the enduring.

Translated by Margaret Jull Costa

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11:52 PM - 26 Comments - 36 Kudos - Add Comment

Manual of Warrior of Light I - The Warrior and gratitude

From today on, and on the next posts, I will publish the full edition of "Manual of the Warrior of Light".

A warrior of light knows that he has much to be grateful for.
He was helped in his struggle by the angels; celestial forces placed each thing in its place, thus allowing him to give of his best.
His companions say: 'He's so lucky!' And the warrior does sometimes achieve things far beyond his capabilities.
That is why, at sunset, he kneels and gives thanks for the Protective Cloak surrounding him.
His gratitude, however, is not limited to the spiritual world; he never forgets his friends, for their blood mingled with his on the battlefield.
A warrior does not need to be reminded of the help given him by others; he is the first to remember and makes sure to share with them any rewards he receives.

Translated by Margaret Jull Costa

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The myspace blog will be updated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday

2:36 AM - 55 Comments - 83 Kudos - Add Comment