“Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempest.”
- Epicurus
To give ones Word, to Swear, to give an Oath is an act of dramatic consequences. It was dramatic in the past – as it is now amongst traditional faiths, cults and minds – to give ones word in oath binds one in a given way taking the spirits as witness of truth. We find contrasts in this ranging from Epicurus who held friendships to be a form of love that danced around the world and sustained our being. The betrayal of friendship (file) in the forms of harm, lies, deception or treason was for him viewed as the key to misfortune in its depraved lack of honour. For Epicurus it was better to end one’s life than to betray ones friend.
Modern man tends to not give the same value to oaths and promises anymore. Promises and vows are easily broken in reference to some strategy of self justification or the demonizing of the other. Curiously broken promises are often followed by punitive action upon the other by the one that feels guilty of breaking the oath or promise. This guilt take the shape of self justification. Instead of admitting guilt one seek to explain the reasons for ones broken promise and lie in the faults of the other, real or imaginary. The truth start to twist and be twisted into something the guilty one can condemn in an act of getting rid of the guilt that attaches like flies gravitating towards feces.
Another form of oath is the knight’s oath, where one swears to the Crown to be loyal, to be a servant – and to be true. The true knight would at all times be willing to give his own life in defense for the weaker or for the crown.
Any oath, it is in a marriage of whatever form – or to a family or conclave, spiritual, by blood or extended follows the same pattern. By intent and word we call upon our daimons to witness our oath. If this is done in a pure heart and with true and loving intent treason towards our word is bound to bring upon our words the cakodaimon – the spirit host that pulls us towards the world of appetites and soulful desires.
The cakodaimon is usually depicted in human form and is intimately connected to the concept of the evil eye. It is like the cakodaimon manifest in this particular bond born from envy and gluttony. The evil eye can turn into an addiction where one is constantly victimizing oneself by blaming whoever salient in the victims’ life for its misfortune. It is envy set in motion, because the victim is consumed with the feeling of being unjustly treated or not being given its proper share of whatever the world has to offer. Envy is not only about desiring what your neighbor has – it is also a feeling of the other people, those blamed for the victims misfortune being undeserving of their good fortune. The victim consumed by the evil eye of his or her own cakodaimon rapidly takes on the character of an ill guided knight in rags that seeks justice for his own self treason – and the lie is used as a veil for truth – in the name of justice. This is the kind of justice that seeks to blame others for one’s own misfortune. It is the kind of justice that seeks the scapegoat without. It is a justice that is blind for one’s one summoning of ones cakodaimon. Because justice, is as Epicurus said:… “a kind of compact not to harm or be harmed.”
A person being under the influence of its negative daimon will live in a hostile world and will see the well meaning actions and words of a friend as a provocation and often an attack upon the very soul and person of the one that decided to victimize oneself. The weaker a person is the more surfaces the need to be in control and to judge. One seeks to punish in the name of justice. It is a negative fire running wild that throws ashes and hot coals in the mouth of the weak one – and the judgments, the gossip and ill character builds and builds – until it justifies whatever evil action – because the weak one, the victim, will eventually find it to be in its right to punish one’s oppressors. And with oppressors I mean, those that were betrayed. Such is the ways of one’s own dark daimons roaming around in restriction and darkness. It is a suffering, a self hatred that is to heavy to carry and the weak one is under the belief that this burden must be given upon someone guilty of this self inflicted misery.
A wise person will at all cost strive to keep these forces imprisoned in favor of the spirit of understanding and tranquility. A wise person will never blame anyone – but realize that choices bring consequences and will approach this with interest. A wise person is always humble in all forms of storms and raging winds and will seek to understand by virtue of acceptance, because this will call upon upright character and the serpentine shine of the agathodaimon - our perfect nature that unfolds in love, compassion and understanding. There is no punitive justice where our perfect nature rests on wings of love in the eye of the storm – just peace and acceptance – so we can move on, wiser and more content with mastering yet another trial or obstacle.
The oath is a bond, and breaking it will give consequences. The more intimate the bond is the more pain and hurt rises from its breaking. To break ones word is like breaking blood vessels and nerves. If it meant anything when the word was given, pain will follow. The tendency is for the one who broke, it be by treason or lies to be consumed with the need of justifying ones lack of honor. But there is nothing to justify – just acceptance and truth will set the oath breaker free. It is a tremendous pain following the one who broke the word – quite different than the sorrowful pain left in the heart of the betrayed one.
This dynamic is in place in every situation where oath, troth and word are given – it is only mediated by degrees and proximity.
To give ones word is to invite ones daimons to witness truth. Treason will invite challenges that one can succumb to – or see as opportunities to rectify dishonorable steps. The oath names the truth and binds blood, heart and soul in a moment witnessed by spirits, elementals and angels. The oath is a token of love that kindles kindness and truth because this is the nature of the compact, not to harm or be harmed. And perhaps, in the long run, drops of bitter truth are better than gallons of sweet lies?