War has always expressed two conflicting emotions within every human being: fascination and repulsion. This was exemplified in 1862 when Robert E. Lee wrote during the Battle of Fredericksburg, “It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it” (Blount, 2003). It is undeniable that, for better or worse, war has shaped human history as we know it for the past five thousand years. As explained by Saul David, “In truth, war brings out the best and worst of people. It mobilizes our resources of love, compassion, courage, and self-sacrifice, but also our capacity for hate, xenophobia, brutality, and revenge” (David, 2009, p.8). Some people have asked me how my interest in military history aligns with my interest in spirituality. To answer this question, I would like to quote a passage from the book Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung. He writes:
“In wartime…one finds increased interest in the works of Homer, Shakespeare, or Tolstoi, and we read with a new understanding those passages that give war its enduring (or “archetypal”) meaning. They evoke a response from us that is much more profound than it could be from someone who has never known the intense emotional experience of war. The battles on the plains of Troy were utterly unlike the fighting at Agincourt or Borodino, yet the great writers are able to transcend the differences of time and place and express themes that are universal. We respond because these themes are fundamentally symbolic” (Jung, 1964, p.99).
In other words, in great works of art with war as their theme (including works of fiction, such as Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings), battles symbolise archetypes in the collective unconscious, representing the internal struggle between one’s higher and lower nature. In Medieval Europe, these archetypes were exemplified through the chivalric and grail romances, with the knight representing the higher self and his steed symbolising the body and its associated energies and emotions. As stated by Julian Scott, “Chivalry was not only about external battles and adventures, but also, and perhaps more importantly, about the inner battle between the higher and lower selves of the human being” (Scott, 2018). Often, these stories involve a woman who becomes the object of a knight’s quest. The woman represents “some higher element of the soul, a spiritual element which can help us in our hour of need” (Scott, 2018). Carl Jung called this archetype the anima, which is the feminine component in men, while the animus is the masculine component in women. It is important to understand that the male and female characters in fairy tales and other works of art are symbolic of the masculine and feminine within every one of us, in accordance with the Law of Gender.
At the soul level, the divine masculine embodies archetypes that find expression in the arts: that of fighting for those that he loves. The divine masculine thus represents the spiritual warrior archetype who, in the words of Sarah Elkhaldy, “does no harm but takes no bull” (The Alchemist, 2022). In The Kybalion, it is stated that while most people are subject to the wills and desires of those stronger than themselves, certain individuals can use their innate faculty of willpower to “dominate their moods, characters, qualities, and powers, as well as the environment surrounding them, and become Movers instead of pawns” (Three Initiates, 2012, p.20-21). In principle, the divine masculine, “thinks for himself and shows others what true sovereignty looks like” (The Alchemist, 2022). This is what is known as self-mastery and is exemplified in the film Waterloo when the Duke of Wellington (Christopher Plummer) tells one of his officers, “I do not intend to run around like a wet hen” (Bondarchuck, 1970). This is after he receives a report that Napoleon Bonaparte (Rod Steiger) is attacking his right flank at Hougoumont, intending to draw soldiers away from Wellington’s centre so he can attack it.
Of course, historical wars and battles were not always fought for those ideals: Many were fought for resources and power. However, as Oscar Wilde once said, “No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If they did, he would cease to be an artist.” (Wilde, 2024). What Oscar Wilde is saying is that all artists are idealists, and according to the Concise English Dictionary, one definition of an ideal is “existing in the mind or as an idea” (Geddes & Grosset, 1996). As I have stated in past reports, the soul can express itself through art and imagination, with Victor Hugo stating that “The human soul has still greater need of the ideal than of the real. It is by the real that we exist; it is by the ideal that we live” (Hugo, 2024). In other words, the ideal (as expressed through the arts) allows us to enjoy life, while the real allows us to exist in the first place. I believe this is why both war and love are popular themes in art, literature, and cinema.
Bibliography
Blount, Roy. “Making Sense of Robert E. Lee.” Smithsonian Magazine. July 2003.
Bondarchuk, Sergei. Waterloo. Italy & Russia, Columbia, 1970. BD.
The Concise English Dictionary. Victoria, Geddes & Grosset, 1996.
David, Saul. War: The Definitive Visual History. New York, Dorling Kindersley, 2009.
Hugo, Victor. “The human soul has still greater need of the ideal than of the real.” Good Reads. Accessed March 17, 2024. www.goodreads.com/quotes/80304-the-human-soul-has-still-greater-need-of-the-ideal
Jung, Carl G. Man and His Symbols. London, Dell Publishing, 1964.
Scott, Julian. “The Esoteric Order of Chivalry.” New Acropolis. Last revised April 2, 2018. www.library.acropolis.org/the-esoteric-aspect-of-chivalry/
The Alchemist. “The Divine Masculine (Awaken Sacred Masculinity).” YouTube video, 10:42. May 4, 2022. www.youtube.com/watch?v=74lw7rdUtyE
Three Initiates. The Kybalion: A Study of The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece. Las Vegas, Rough Draft Printing, 2012.
Wallace, Lachlan. “Psyche and the Self.” Truth North. Last revised October 11, 2019. www.lachiewallace.com/journal/2019/10/11/psyche-and-the-self
Wilde, Oscar. “No great artist ever sees things as they really are.” Good Reads. Accessed March 21, 2024. www.goodreads.com/quotes/7150948-no-great-artist-ever-sees-things-as-they-really-are