Do You Have To Follow All Three Gates?

My son Jason said that he wants to help people, using the same tools I use. This forces me to reverse-engineer the processes off the wonderful men and women who have guided me, and try to see how they fit together. All of this is connected to the WARRIOR’S JOURNEY process, explicitly or implicitly, including but not limited to:

Three Gates

Three Centers

Hero’s Journey

M.A.G.I.C.

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Yesterday I saw someone misinterpret my statements on the Gates, so I wanted to be explicit for anyone who honestly wishes to understand. Here’s the implicit question

Does everything I do have to pass all Three Gates?

Practically? No. But breaking even one requires careful thought.

1. Honesty. If Musashi says “do not think dishonestly” he plausibly does NOT mean don’t lie, or deceive others as much as not being dishonest WITH YOURSELF. I don’t owe a mugger the truth about that hundy in my shoe. It is fun to play Santa Claus with your kids. But you want to be careful about the “lying for their own good” routine. With children it is plausibly your right and pleasure. But with adults..? Gets dicey. And that mugger? If you have to do that once, that’s happenstance. Twice…coincidence. Three times…you have a problem, and it is reasonable to suspect you are doing something wrong, or in circumstances where you cannot do the right thing. The pain, caused by the “gap” between…