How can you be a commander in your marriage and in your daily life as a homemaker? How can husbands and wives both find their commander selves within? And how can you be the commander in your writing?
This Sermon’s for Pagans segment is all about what it means to be the commander in your life. And we are relying on the ancient voices of our ancestors in order to explore what the commander means.
In the Art of War, Sun Tzu lists five constant factors that you can use in your commander strategy. They are: Moral law, heaven, earth, the commander, and method and discipline. Let’s find out what that means.
Sun Tzu’s Five Factors to command your life
Sun Tzu’s passage appears at the beginning of the Art of War and reads:
“The art of war is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one’s deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field: These are 1: the moral law 2: heaven 3: Earth 4: The Commander 5: method and discipline.”
– Sun Tzu, The Art Of War
How can the words of this ancient war philosopher inspire you in your life? Do you feel you struggle to maintain a coherent home? What struggles does your husband face in his role as a husband?
Ancient philosophers are important voices for pagans looking to follow a moral path. They provide guidance and wisdom as we navigate through life. Their words can be implemented in your life in order to find the commander in you and take control of your circumstances.
The commander in you: Sun Tzu’s Five factors for homemakers
A moral foundation is like the foundation of a building. It holds the entire structure together. A building cannot begin without foundation. Using these five factors provided by Sun Tzu, we can establish the foundation for ourselves and our families as pagan homemakers.
Moral Law
A moral law begins with establishing what values you hold dear. As a homemaker, you are the commander within the home. As a pagan, your morals center on nature. That means living by the seasons, always keeping the magic of each season etched within your home.
Establish daily routines, seasonal and environmentally friendly practices, and mindful and spiritual living practices early in your family life. Even before your first child is born, if possible.
Align your family with pagan values like a respect for nature, balance, and nature. Check out my article on Aztec morals for a place to begin.
Heaven and Earth
For pagans, heaven and earth means a connection to nature and to the divine. Whether you worship a god pantheon, your ancestors, or the spirit of the universe itself, it’s important to keep them in your life. Maybe you honor a combination of all three. Either way, practicing rituals is essential for maintaining that connection with your family and spiritual practice.
Check out my blog about Demeter on how to honor the harvest goddess.
One way to be a commander of your spiritual life is to understand symbolism. Maybe by studying elemental magic or perhaps divination and astrology. Connect with the moon phases.
Include your children and your husband in your rituals whenever you can. As a homemaker, you are the commander of your family’s spiritual health. You take the lead in these matters. You, as a woman who is in tune with emotions, endued with the divine feminine, are in tune with the spiritual nature of the earth.
The Commander of the Home
As a homemaker, you are the commander of the home. You lead with compassion and purpose. This can look like creating and maintaining a structured home school schedule for your children, organizing daily tasks, and taking charge of the mental and emotional health of everyone in your household, including yourself.
Method and discipline of the commander of the home
Being the commander of the home requires you to be disciplined. Create a routine and stick with it. But be flexible enough to flow with the moment. Think of yourself as the general manager of a store. It’s your job to make sure that your employees function well and are treated well.
The Commander for Husbands
As a homemaker, you are the commander of your home. But what about your husband? He is the commander of the structure of the home. He goes out into the world and brings back the resources you need to do your job. And he protects you and your children. You command within and he commands outside the home. How do Sun Tzu’s words apply to him?
Moral Law
Moral law, as the foundational establishment of a home and family, is a team effort. You and your husband need to be on the same wavelength in this. Take each other’s values into consideration. It doesn’t matter, in this case, if you don’t share the same beliefs in religion. If you are pagan and he is Chistian, for instance. What’s important is that you have shared morals. This will help establish morality for your children.
If you want to see how to connect Christian and Pagan morals, check out my blog post.
Heaven and Earth in Marriage
A husband handles the safety and security of his home. While you establish the household’s spiritual essence, he enforces it and builds it up.
The Commander of all that is outside the home
To implement the commander as a husband, his job is to provide and protect. He leads in these matters. Think of a family of birds. While the mother sits on her eggs, the father brings her food and the things she needs to keep herself and her chicks alive.
But a commander must be worthy of the trust and devotion of those he leads. A husband should be someone who can communicate well with his wife. He can work together with her and trust her to do her job as she trusts him to do his.
The method and discipline for husbands
In order to be an effective leader, the commander must have discipline. This means getting up and going to work every day, even when you’d rather not. This means allowing no outside forces to threaten your family. This includes temptations that might arise from working away from home. Establishing your own daily rituals for your workday as your wife establishes hers.
Sun Tzu’s Five Factors: The commander in creative writing
Sun Tzu’s five factors can apply to your art as a creative writer as well.
Moral Law in Storytelling
This means exploring different themes and tropes for your story. What drives your characters to do what they do? What is the moral of your story? All stories must have a lesson within their pages. This keeps human literature alive and keeps it relatable and relevant throughout the centuries.
Heaven and Earth in world building
Be the commander of your world-building journey by taking a page right from Sun Tzu’s book and establishing a foundation. Check out my articles on Stars and Planet formation for lessons on how to develop worlds for your stories.
The Commander of storytelling
Just as a commander leads troops, the writer leads the plot of the story. You must lead your characters through the things they face throughout the course of your writing. Create an outline with a clear sense of direction and always know where your characters are heading.
Method and Discipline in writing
It takes discipline to be a writer. Establishing routines, being consistent, never quitting. Set word count goals for yourself. Divide your story into small pieces you can easily accomplish. Don’t allow doubt, writer’s block, or a lack of motivation hinder your goals.
Conclusion
Sun Tzu’s Art of war is an important guide that is very much still relevant in modern life. Sun Tzu provides in his five factors a strategy to use in your homemaking and creative writing goals.
How have you established the commander in your daily life? Do you find Sun Tzu’s method helpful and relatable? Let me know in the comments.
And check out my articles for further reading:
