“I cling to nothing so that I will have nothing to defend.” Like so many lines from Carlos Castaneda’s writings, this statement attracts us with its poetic beauty. Applying it to our lives is another matter. What do you cling to? Family, job, opinions of others, self-image, identity, reputation, honor, the books, a leader or guide, a loved one, money, a project, etc.? As long as we are alive, we have relationships in the world that motivate us and make our time enjoyable. And yet an overriding theme of the warrior’s way is an acceptance that we are part of a sea of intent. Our circumstances are always changing, sometimes gradually, sometimes suddenly. Our only true guide is intent itself, an abstract force that cannot be defined or pinned down and often seems too vague to be of any use. Yet it can come to us unexpectedly at any moment, creating an impulse to act, to change course, to create new circumstances. The only way to embody intent in our acts is to be ready to let go of attachments. To love without clinging, to share experiences without pinning others or ourselves down, to grieve without losing ourselves in nostalgia and sadness, to be ready to start a new adventure without looking back. What all this means in each person’s life is personal, but our abstract purpose demands that we let go. Inner silence becomes real in the space between the fullness of life and the emptiness we feel when we let go of something or someone we love. For this, we need strength, guts of steel, and lightness of body, mind, and spirit.