Lesson #2: A warrior goddess chooses to believe.

One of the most difficult spiritual lessons to learn is about “choosing to believe.” In Tales of Power, don Juan taught Carlos Castaneda that a warrior chooses to believe. According to this teaching, a warrior goddess is capable of holding all possibilities in her mind at once, then choosing one to believe and acting as if it were true. He also taught that a warrior goddess lets go of attachment to outcome. All outcomes are equal for a warrior goddess.

For someone who is not yet a warrior, or who has just stepped on the path, this paradox can be mind-bending. How do I choose to believe in a specific outcome and act as if it’s true and at the same time let go of my attachment to that outcome? It sounds like a contradiction.

I think of it sort of like a bell curve with the chosen outcome at the top and all other possibilities as a range, like a bell-curved spectrum.

The reason why this seems to work best for me is because I can hold in mind my ideal or “chosen” outcome and move toward it, believing in it, and acting as if it’s true, while at the same time, entertaining other possibilities, especially the ones closest to my ideal outcome on the bell curve.