An Album of Memorable Events

Every warrior, as a matter of duty, collects an album that reveals the warrior’s personality, an album that attests to the circumstances of his life.

Above all, it is like an album of pictures made out of memories, the recollection of memorable events as they arise.

They are memorable because they have a special significance in one’s life. Put in it the complete account of various events that have had profound significance for you.

Not every event has a profound significance for you. There are a few, however, that I would consider likely to have changed things for you, to have illuminated your path. Ordinarily, events that change our path are impersonal affairs, and yet are extremely personal.

Don’t think about this album in terms of banalities, or in terms of a trivial rehashing of your life experiences. Such an album is an exercise in discipline and impartiality. Consider this album to be an act of war. As such, it has all the meaning in the world.

My own album, being an act of war, demands a super-careful selection. It is a precise collection of the unforgettable moments of my life, and everything that led me to them. A warrior’s album is something most concrete, something so to the point that it is shattering. Sit down, alone, and let your thoughts, memories, and ideas come to you freely. Make an effort to let the voice from the depths of you speak out and tell you what to select.

I should tell you that the selection is not an easy matter. This is the reason I say that making this album is an act of war. You have to remake yourself ten times over in order to know what to select.

The memorable events of a shaman’s album are affairs that will stand the test of time because they have nothing to do with him, and yet he is in the thick of them. He’ll always be in the thick of them, for the duration of his life, and perhaps beyond, but not quite personally. The stories of a warrior’s album are not personal.

The memorable events we are after have the dark touch of the impersonal. That touch permeates them. I don’t know how else to explain this.