DARK KNIGHT ACADEMY THE PATH OF LEGENDS

DARKKNIGHTACADEMYTHE PATH OF LEGENDS
The Dark Knight Mind
The Dark Lords
The Dark Knight MindTABLE OF CONTENTSPREFACE............................................................5INTRODUCTION................................................. 6Dark Knight Training: Overview...................................6DARK KNIGHT MIND ........................................8The Nine Maxims of the Dark Knight...........................8Philosophy.................................................................... 15Psychology....................................................................20Dark Knight Quotes......................................................22THE DARK KNIGHT BODY...............................28THE DARK KNIGHT PERSONA........................29Elements of Your Identity.............................................29The Sanctum................................................................. 30THE DARK KNIGHT'S JOURNEY.....................35The Nine Summits........................................................ 35Building the Will..........................................................41Conquering Fear........................................................... 44Nighttime Worlds..........................................................46Developing the Persona................................................49THE NINE TRAINING HALLS...........................52DARK KNIGHT TRAINING ..............................55Physical Training.......................................................... 56Special Skills Training..................................................58Spiritual Training.......................................................... 59.
Page 5Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsDark Knight Yoga......................................................... 60“Superpowers” Training............................................... 61Master-Apprentice Training.........................................63BASIC SKILLS TRAINING................................64DARK KNIGHT TRIALS....................................68THE LEAGUE OF DARK KNIGHTS...................75About Us....................................................................... 75Hierarchy...................................................................... 77Oaths and Initiations.....................................................77Dark Knight Clans........................................................ 80TALES OF THE DARK KNIGHTS......................82Real Life Dark Knights................................................82Fictional Dark Knights................................................. 88EPILOGUE........................................................99APPENDIX A: RECOMMENDED READING.....100Comic Books.............................................................. 100Thriller Fiction............................................................101Esoteric Fiction...........................................................103Non-Fiction.................................................................104NOTES............................................................ 106DARK KNIGHTS.............................................111Page 6PREFACEThis book describes a new way of life, a new breed of men,and a new organization that is being born in our time. It is apath inspired by fictional superheroes, but which is verypractical and real. It is the way of those who pass through thedark night of their souls and emerge stronger; who conquertheir fears and master their will; who become more than men inservice to an ideal. It is the way of the Dark Knights.Dark Knight Academy was founded to bring this way oflife to all who are ready for it, and to establish it as a legitimatelife path. Dark Knights may hail from any religion, culture orland, for every culture has a tradition of dark warriors whoconquer their fears and serve something greater thanthemselves. ...The Dark LordsPage 7INTRODUCTIONDARK KNIGHT TRAINING: OVERVIEWWHAT ARE DARK KNIGHTS?Dark Knights are a different breed of human being, who do notfear the darkness like other men, or flee from their ownshadows. They are creatures of the night, who have faced thedark nights of their own souls and been awakened.Dark Knights are not evil, but they aren’t exactly good.They are laws unto themselves. They dispense nighttimejustice when the daytime justice system fails. They prey uponpredators and criminals, and act as models of courage for thosewho live in fear. They are men of strength and integrity in aworld drowning in weakness and corruption.Dark Knights live for an ideal, in order to become morethan ordinary men. They are the type of beings many of us longto be, deep within our souls: freer, braver, darker, greater –heroes!...Think of this book as a blueprint or roadmap to a more heroic,authentic and meaningful life – the life of the Dark Knight..
...Why do we call them “Dark” Knights?
What distinguishes them from “white” knights, or just plain knights?Dark Knights take the “darker”, negative emotions, such ashatred, fear and anger, and transform them into somethingpositive. They don’t deny these emotions, or consider theminherently evil, but use them as a source of motivation andpassion. They learn to control and channel their passions intosomething beneficial, rather than being consumed anddestroyed by them. This is what the Dark Knight Path isdesigned to do.IS THIS ABOUT BECOMING BATMAN?You may be wondering if the purpose of this book is to showyou how to become Batman, or to idolize Batman. The answeris: definitely not! This is not a role-playing or cosplayingmanual, or a bible of “Batmanism”. The Dark Knight Path isstrongly inspired by Batman, along with other fictional andnon-fictional characters, but it is meant to be a general path forpeople who seek a more heroic and exceptional life. Each DarkKnight disciple must develop his own unique persona, with hisown name, symbolism and purpose, unique to his lifeexperience. Your goal should be to develop your authenticmore powerful Dark Knight self; if you find yourself trying toimitate or idolize Batman, you are missing the main point ofour path!Nor do aspiring Dark Knights have to be superficially similarto Bruce Wayne. They may come from any national, ethnic orreligious background or gender. Some will be more intellectual,others more physical, others more spiritual. Some will bepsychologically darker, others lighter. Some will be materiallymuch wealthier, more educated or from a more privilegedbackground than others. But all Dark Knights will share acommon ethos and spirit, gained from walking a common pathand having a similar inner transformation. We are thus aBrotherhood of Dark Knights, united not primarily by our lovefor a fictional character, but by our dedication to the way of lifedescribed in these pages.Page 9DARK KNIGHT MIND.
The Dark Knight Path places great importance on cultivatingthe body, the will and a life of action, but it is ultimately aboutdeveloping a certain mindset, which we call Dark Knight Mind.Dark Knight Mind is a mentality that can only achievedthrough action; it is not something to be understood as anintellectual abstraction, but to be experienced as a lived reality.Most of this book is concerned with describing the practicesthat will help you experience Dark Knight Mind. We begin bydescribing Dark Knight Mind abstractly, by identifying itsmain principles.THE N INE M AXIMSOFTHE D ARKKNIGHTThe Nine Maxims of the Dark Knight are nine principles whichthe Dark Lords have identified as the most vital to success onthe Dark Knight Path. They are the basis of our Dark Knighttraining system, and they form the basic creed of every DarkKnight. Commit these Maxims to memory as soon as possible– print them out and pin them to your wall, chant them duringtraining, meditate upon them, write them out repeatedly – dowhatever it takes to ingrain them into your mind. Moreimportantly, begin to apply them in your life, by seeing everynew challenge as an obstacle which can be overcome byapplying one or more of the Nine Maxims.Page 10Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legends1. Strengthen the body; it is your foundation.2. To conquer fear you must become fear.3. The will is everything – the will to act.4. Seek the darkness and be silent.5. Devote yourself to an ideal; become more than a man.6. Controlled passion is power.7. Theatricality and deception are powerful agents.8. Always be mindful of your surroundings.9. Master the Way of Strategy.MAXIM ONE: THE BODYStrengthen the body; it is your foundation.The way of the Dark Knight begins with physical fitness –calisthenics, martial arts, yoga, weightlifting, hiking, sports,nutrition, etc. A fit body is the foundation your power, selfdisciplineand strength; it is a direct manifestation of your inner spirit.Your body cannot be fooled like your mind; it always tells thetruth.Your body knows what you fear, what you like, what you love, what you hate.But your body can be mastered, molded, made subject to your will, and this is the firsttask of the Dark Knight-in-training.MAXIM TWO: FEARTo conquer fear you must become fear.The path of the Dark Knight will bring you into intense contact.
with the evil that men do and the things you most fear. Tosurvive this contact, you must learn to face your fears andovercome them. As R’as al Ghul said to Bruce Wayne:“To conquer fear you must become fear.”Or as the Shadow’s motto goes:“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? TheShadow knows.”These two quotes capture the essence of Maxim Two: know theevil that lurks in the hearts of men, and conquer your fear ofPage 11Dark Knight Mindthat evil by becoming it.Does this mean that a Dark Knight must become a criminal tofight crime? In a sense, yes. For just as Bruce Wayne travelledthe world during his training, learning the ways of criminals inorder to get inside their minds, every aspiring Dark Knightmust awaken his own inner criminal and face his own worstfears in order to conquer them.MAXIM THREE: THE WILLThe will is everything – the will to act.To the Dark Knight, the will isMAXIM FOUR: DARKNESSSeek the darkness and be silent.The Dark Knight is a creature of the darkness. He goes into theunlit places where others fear to tread, and watches from theshadows. In this place, he can see more than those blinded bythe bright lights. In the night, the beasts of prey come out tofeed, and the darker truths are revealed. The Dark Knight ...The Dark Knight is a man of few words. He observes, hethinks, he acts. He does not waste energy on vain speech orwriting. He lets his actions do most of his talking. He stayssilent, so that he may better hear the approach of predators inthe night, and better hunt them without being detected. Whenhe does speak, his words carry weight, and strike fear in theheart of his enemies.Maxim Four means becoming a master of stealth andshadow. ...MAXIM FIVE: AN IDEALDevote yourself to an ideal; become more than a man.A Dark Knight is not merely a martial artist, a detective, acrime-fighter, an inventor or a businessman. He may be all ofthese things, but he is much more, for he has devoted his life toPage 12Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendssomething higher than fitness, fighting, law-enforcement,.
invention, etc. The Dark Knight is a man with a calling, on aquest for his own brand of justice and perfection. He is a rolemodel and an embodiment of integrity. He is not merely out tobetter himself, but to inspire others, and to bring hope andjustice where there is none.In this way, the Dark Knight becomes something more than aman; he becomes a living symbol of our highest aspirations andvalues. He becomes a Dark Knight, who achieves asuperhuman greatness and immortality that only comes to thosewho embody ideals higher than themselves....The Dark Knight must devote himself to an authentic ideal –i.e., one that is the result of his own experience and moralawakening. A person who lives according to a script handed tohim by society, who never truly questions the values and rolesexpected of him, doesn’t rise to the title of Dark Knight. Asoldier, a police officer, a teacher or a philanthropist doing hisduty may be a perfectly honorable person, but that doesn’tmake him a hero. The Dark Knight’s path must be individual, itmust challenge something about that person’s values and/or thevalues of his society, and it must go “above and beyond the callof duty”, as the saying goes....(How to find authentic ideal? From Dark Awakening. What isthe moral lesson of the Awakening? What reality does it forcethe victim to face? What ideal does it compel him to embrace?In the Batman stories, the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parentsforced to him face the reality of violent crime against theinnocent, and compelled him to fight back against criminals. ...MAXIM SIX: PASSIONControlled passion is power.The Dark Knight is driven by passion – rage against injustices,Page 13Dark Knight Mindlust for heroic experiences, fear of enemies, love of family,desire for power, yearning for knowledge, fervor for religion,etc. Each Dark Knight’s dominant passions are different, anddefine his persona and path. The point is to discover them, andto make them your source of energy, inspiration and power.Dark Knights do not subscribe to the view that their passionsare something to be eliminated or transcended, as someextreme rationalist or Buddhist devotees might hold. Rather,they cultivate their passions, as the legendary ShogunYoritomo-Tashi advised:“Why fear to reanimate ALL the possibilities that liedormant in our natures? Is it not desirable to cultivate allplants indiscriminately? There are those that arepoisonous, true, yet even these are indispensable in thepractice of medicine. Large doses of certain drugs causedeath; but, administered wisely with the hand of a skilfulphysician, they bring relief and very often a completecure. The same may be said of many forces that are evilonly because they are not disciplined.”.
In other words, the passions must becontrolled, to preventthem from becoming a source of evil that consumes anddestroys you. Prisons are full of men who acted on theirpassions impulsively, and thus threw away their lives.We see an illustration of the danger of passion inBatmanBegins, when Bruce Wayne, burning with rage at the release ofthe man who killed his parents, approaches him with a gunwith the intent to shoot him down. If luck had not intervened tostop Wayne from completing his act of vengeance, he mighthave spent many years in prison himself as a convictedmurderer. He might never have travelled the world,encountered his Dark Knight mentor, developed his DarkKnight skills, or become a symbol of justice, who did far moreto right the wrong of his parents’ murder than any act of swiftvengeance ever could.Ra's al Ghul notes the power of Wayne's passion when he tellshim:Page 14Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsWhat you really fear is inside yourself. You fear your ownpower. You fear your anger, the drive to do great orterrible things. You have learned to bury your guilt withanger. I will teach you to confront it, and to face the truth.You know how to fight six men. We can teach you how toengage six hundred. You know how to disappear. We canteach you to become truly invisible.Bruce Wayne’s life from that moment on under al Ghul'stutelage becomes a lesson in the power of self-discipline in theservice of great passion. The point is that a Dark Knight musthave both: passion and control of their passion; one or the otheralone will never make you truly powerful.MAXIM SEVEN: THEATRICALITY & DECEPTIONTheatricality and deception are powerful agents.One of the Dark Knight’s greatest powers is his ability to usehis persona to work his magic upon the minds of his foes, andupon society at large. He creates a larger than life persona, usesdramatic acts, deception and symbols to produce a much morepowerful impact than he would have as an ordinary crimefighter.In the Batman stories, the Caped Crusader made hispresence felt throughout Gotham City by having the policecommissioner summon him with a giant “bat-signal” in the skywhenever there was trouble. This wasn’t just a practical way tocommunicate, but a strong message to the citizens of Gothamthat Batman was on the beat, and all criminals should beware!Batman’s pervasive use of his bat symbol – on his uniform,vehicles, weapons, names, communications, etc. – was abrilliant way to advertise the “Batman brand” and create amystique that was much more powerful than a single man.Similarly, deception (example of deception) ...Therefore a Dark Knight should cultivate some of the skills ofthe stage magician and the actor – a flair for the dramatic, anability to deceive, to misdirect, to hypnotize, to entertain – and.
Page 15Dark Knight Mindto frighten. These methods work both to win allies andintimidate enemies – the methods a politician uses to win votesin an election campaign can also be used to demoralizeenemies in a psychological warfare campaign. The DarkKnight should understand how to do both to win his wars.This Maxim comes from Ra’s al Ghul’s statement toBruce Wayne inBatman Begins, that “theatricality anddeception are powerful agents.” But as Bane says to Batman inthe third film, Dark Knight Rises: “Theatricality and deceptionare powerful agents to the uninitiated... but we are initiated,aren't we Bruce?” In other words, these techniques work beston those who haven’t received Dark Knight training or someother initiation into the “dark arts”. If your target issophisticated – perhaps a former Dark Knight who has“turned” and become a Bane-like villain – you will need to upyour game or use other methods to gain a psychologicaladvantage over them.MAXIM EIGHT: MINDFULNESSAlways be mindful of your surroundings.Dark Knights walk a dangerous path, fraught with foes andpitfalls that threaten them with destruction. For this reason, theDark Knight must always be mindful of his surroundings, inboth the physical and spiritual sense.Physical mindfulness means developing a keen awareness ofall your senses, using mindfulness meditation, sensoryexercises, and … It means keenly observing everything andremembering important details.Spiritual mindfulness means being in tune to the minds ofothers – their feelings, thoughts, hopes and fears. It is whatJapanese martial artists callharagei: non-verbal, intuitivecommunication, anticipation and awareness of threats. It meansdeveloping a “sixth sense” for danger.Mindful of self, mindful of others, mindful of environmentPage 16Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsNo matter where you are, you are always “surrounded byyourself.” ...MAXIM NINE: STRATEGYMaster the Way of Strategy.A Dark Knight is a warrior, who lives passionately for his idealand thus comes into conflict with other passionate men withconflicting ideals. To win these conflicts, the Dark Knight mustlearn the Way of Strategy.What does this mean? Strategy means the time-testedprinciples of the warriors, used to defeat other men. It meansdeveloping an indomitable spirit, so one always gets back up.
after being knocked down. It is developed through a deep studyof martial arts, and the thoughts of great strategists. It isdeveloped in the struggle for life, by facing and defeating everobstacle in one's path.Even if the Dark Knight's passion is some peaceful craft orbusiness, he still must learn the Way of Strategy. Why is thisso? Because every enterprise benefits when one employsstrategy and thinks with a warrior's mind. You must have aplan, be prepared for adversity, and have the inner strength toovercome it. This is the virtue of the Way of Strategy. You willface adversity in any enterprise, whether it is from competitorsin a business, or pests on a farm, or bad weather, or bad luck,or political opposition, or simply your own laziness. All ofthese can be defeated by strategy and a warrior's mind.The Dark Knight knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men,and trusts not to their good will and intentions. He knows thatthis world is a place of conflict, in which the strong survive andthe winners make the rules. Like them or not, these are simplyfacts. So the Dark Knight trusts in Strategy, not in good will,and lets this becomes his guiding law.OTHER POSSIBILITIES:Secrecy: Reveal your identity to no one who need not know it.Page 17Dark Knight MindResilience, flexibilityA Dark Knight’s life is full of surprises and unforeseensituations .... He must therefore be prepared for any eventuality,both physically and mentally. Physically, this means beingagile, flexible and energetic. Mentally, it means being alert,unflappable, unafraid, and in the place known as “the zone” orthe “flow state”… having developing a mindset of resilience andadaptabilityAPPLYING THE NINE MAXIMSThe Nine Maxims may sound impressive on paper, but howdoes one actually apply them in their work as a Dark Knight?(… give examples)PHILOSOPHYWhat is a Dark Knight’s philosophy of life? It’s a difficultquestion to answer, because each Dark Knight’s path dependson his unique circumstances and experience. However, we canidentify some common elements to the philosophies of thosewho call themselves Dark Knights, which we describe below.EXISTENTIALISMDark Knights believe they have free will to determine theirfate, create their identity and choose their purpose in life. Ifyou subscribe to a religion or philosophy that conflicts with.
this – for example, one that obligates you to place God’s will orthe interests of a tribe or nation before your own – you mayfind our path problematic.IRRATIONALISMPage 18Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsThe Path described here is not entirely rational; it appeals tomythical, mystical, romantic concepts that some hard-headedrationalists will reject. However, the justification for ourirrationalism is itself rational: because we believe, and havefound through experience, that these irrational notions arepowerful and effective – they give the disciple a sense ofpurpose and motivation that a more rational approach to lifetends to lack. Dark Knights cultivate a poetic sense of theirlife’s mission deliberately, then pursue it with technicalprecision.VITALISMACTIONISM (WORD FOR THIS??)“It's not who you are underneath, it's what you do thatdefines you.” — Rachel Dawes to Bruce Wayne, BatmanBeginsA Dark Knight prefers actions to words, real-life tests tothought experiments, heroic deeds to grandiose thoughts. Heleaves impotent philosophizing to the coffee shop warriors,preferring to go out on the streets to test himself and seek hisdestiny. The proof of a Dark Knight’s philosophy is not foundin his clever arguments or moralistic appeals, but in his realworld success.Bruce Lee expressed a Dark Knight’s practical attitude whenhe said: “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing,you’ll never get it done. Make at least one definite move dailytoward your goal,” and “use only that which works, and take itfrom any place you can find it.”WILLSchopenhauer, Nietzsche, Zen“Zen is a religion of will-power”WILL TO HEROISMThose who embark upon the Dark Knight’s journey may do soPage 19Dark Knight Mindfor many reasons, but they all share a dissatisfaction with theirordinary, Daytime World existence. Buddhists speak of dukkha– the unsatisfactoriness of existence – and counsel overcomingour attachments to the things of the world. On our path, wespeak of ... – the unsatisfactoriness of the unheroic life – andteach that cultivating will to heroism is the key to walking a.
more heroic path.Every act of will is a decision to be something different thanyou are now. Every would-be Dark Knight must use his will todecide to become something stronger, freer and more heroicthan his old self. Your will to a heroic ideal is your ticket out ofthe trap of mundane, Daytime existence, into the rarifiedrealms of the Dark Knights. Can you find it within you?FINDING YOUR IDEALMaxim five emphasize the importance of devoting yourself toan ideal, but it begs the question: what should that ideal be?Here you must let your Dark Awakening guide you; what wasthe overriding moral or lesson of that experience? What causeis it telling you to devote your life to?...In the case of Bruce Wayne, his experience of seeing hisparents gunned down by a common criminal ignited in him aburning hatred of crime against the innocent, and a desire tostamp it out.THE DARK SIDEWhen the Dark Acolyte passes through his dark night of thesoul on his path to Dark Knighthood, there is a real danger thathe may not return to the daylight at all. He may be seduced bythe darkness, by the sense of power he feels there, and turncompletely to the “dark side”. If this happens, the Dark Knightbecomes a villain – Bane rather than Batman, Shiwan Khanrather than the Shadow, Darth Vader rather than Obi-WanKenobi.Page 20Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsA LAW UNTO YOURSELFThe Dark Knight’s journey requires the disciple to step outsidethe mundane laws of the Daytime World and act according tohigher laws of his own discovery. The fully realized DarkKnight becomes a law unto himself, having faced inner andouter demons and accomplished heroic deeds that justify hisauthority.What separates a Dark Knight from a villain? In truth, verylittle; Dark Knights may seem like villains to those who followthe laws of the Daytime World blindly, or who have becomecorrupted by that world. ...Our purpose here is not to dictate your morality or ethics indetail. Rather, we are describing apath of awakening andtransformation that may be used by individuals with verydifferent moral and ethical codes, based on different individualand cultural experiences, to become something more thanordinary men. The only ethical and moral code we share areour Nine Maxims – our emphasis on mastering the mind andbody, conquering our fears, devoting ourselves to an ideal,creating a larger than life persona, etc. If someone follows thispath with integrity but has values that others consider “evil”,that is not our concern. Dark Knights are “beyond good andevil” (as Nietzsche put it), in that we don’t try to dictate a.
moral code that is absolutely true for everyone, everywhere;rather, we emphasize the importance of individual experience,integrity and awakening.IMPECCABILITYA Dark Knight’s life is a quest for perfection; it is an attempt tomerge one’s actions and one’s ideals into a harmonious andpowerful whole. The Dark Knight looks at the totality of aperson’s life as a reflection of their philosophy and state ofmind. If a person is brilliant in some narrow area ofknowledge, but their home is in shambles, their demeanorshoddy or their personal life a mess, they are not mastersworthy of emulation. This is where a stereotypically WesternPage 21Dark Knight Mindapproach to life, with its celebration of specialists, “absentmindedprofessors”and autistic geniuses, is unsatisfactory for Dark Knights.We prefer a more “Zen” approach, of seeking impeccability and mindfulness in allone’s actions.A true master of life should reflect their mastery in everything they do, including their mannerisms, speech and appearance.
The smallest things reflect one’s inner nature, and must be tended towith care.(quote Zen master)FLOWISMHere is a brief description of a philosophy and way of life thatI'm calling "Flowism":Flowism is the pursuit of the experience known as flow – aheightened state of consciousness in which one is operating oninstinct, in the moment, with supranormal precision, creativity,confidence and perception. Flow is "the zone" where all peakperformers and geniuses strive to be: where Michelangelo waswhen he painted the Sistine Chapel in an artistic frenzy; whereNewton and Einstein must have been often during their annusmirabiles ("miracle years") of epochal scientific discovery;where extreme sports enthusiasts go when they are facing lifeor death decisions on mountain slopes and giant waves. Flowmay also be experienced via psychedelic drugs, dance, music,meditation, martial arts, sexual passion, public performance,religious ceremony, military battle and countless other ways.To the Flowite, life is given its value during these moments ofpeak experience; the rest of one's time is just preparation andtraining for the flow states.This may be all that needs to be said about Flowism. It is notsomething that can be understood through words and thoughts,but must be experienced directly. Perhaps Zen, with its doctrineof mushin ("no-mind"), the yogic paths to "samadhi", thespartan warrior creeds, various shamanic ecstatic practices andhedonic artistic schools are the closest historical analogues ofFlowism. Neither a philosophy in the Western sense nor aPage 22Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legends.
religion in the monotheistic sense, Flowism represents a returnto mankind's primordial spirituality, informed by modernscience.A Flowite saying: "To fly the soul the mind must flow!"PSYCHOLOGYThe Shadow: repressed fears, desires, emotions in oursubconscious minds. The part of our being we hide fromourselves and others. Batman: bats.The Self: person’s entire being, with integrated conscious andsubconscious. Authentic self. This could also be called theDark Knight Self. Batman: The Batman.The Anima/Animus: feminine aspect of male psyche or viceversa. Batman: Rachel Dawes.The Persona: the person we are in the Daytime World; themask we allow the world to see. The Persona shields ourconscious mind from negative, disturbing thoughts. It alsodisguises the identity of our Dark Knight Self, protecting himand his loved ones from harm. Batman: Bruce Wayne,billionaire playboy....Carl Jung said:“Filling the conscious mind with ideal conceptions is acharacteristic of Western theosophy, but not theconfrontation with the Shadow and the world of darkness.One does not become enlightened by imagining figures oflight, but by making the darkness conscious. The latterprocedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore notpopular.”Traditionally, Western spirituality has long emphasized the“light side” world and shunned the world of darkness asPage 23Dark Knight Mindsomething evil and corrupting. According to Jung, this hasmade many Western people psychologically imbalanced,fearful and neurotic. A Dark Knight represents the Westernman who has integrated his dark side and made peace with theworld of darkness. He has consciously used his Shadow as asource of power, overcome his fears, and become an aweinspiringfigure to those who have not yet confronted their own Shadows.THE FIVE STAGES OF A DARK KNIGHT’S GRIEFElisabeth Kübler-Ross defined the five stages of grief as denial,anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Kübler-Rossdeveloped these stages from her work with terminally illpatients, to understand how they cope with the reality of deathand dying. Since every Dark Knight’s journey begins withintense grief, and involves the death of your old, Daytime Self,it is useful to look at the “Kübler-Ross model” as it relates tothe Dark Knight path..
Denial: Immediately after his Trauma, the acolyte is still inshock, not yet ready to face the trauma of the death of his oldlife, enter the Nighttime World or become a transformedperson. He tries to pretend that his life can continue as ifnothing has changed.Anger: As the new reality begins to set in, the acolyte ragesagainst the injustice of the Trauma. He may act out against realor imagined sources of suffering in unpredictable ways. Theacolyte has entered the Nighttime World, or the “dark night ofthe soul”, and allows himself to be driven by his anger andother emotions.Bargaining: In this stage, the acolyte develops some control ofhis anger, and finds a way to begin to harness it for somethingmore constructive. This is where the Threshold Crossingoccurs, and the acolyte enters into a new regime of training thatwill conquer his anger, fear and other emotions that tormenthim.Page 24Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsDepression:Acceptance: The acolyte finally comes to grips with the realitythat his old self is dead, and acceptsINNER SANCTUMThe “Inner Sanctum” is a mental version of your OuterSanctum: a place you build in your mind, where you canalways take refuge and connect to your greater Dark Knightself.Inner Sanctums will be unique to each Dark Knight, just as theOuter Sanctums is. It should be a place of creativity,illumination and awakening, that taps into your deepest sourcesof inspiration on the Dark Knight Path. Perhaps your InnerSanctum is a monastery at the summit of a mountain, where theancient masters of wisdom dwell. It could be a stone temple ina remote desert, where you commune with whatever gods orspirits inspire you. Maybe it is a high tech lair dug deep in amountain or on an uncharted island, where you plan and ...your ... Perhaps it is an ice cave in an arctic wilderness, whereyou find the solitude and space need by a superman. Maybe itis a space station in orbit, equipped with all your computersand devices, from which you monitor global events and swoopdown on trouble spots. Be as imaginative as your like inbuilding your Inner Sanctum; unlike your Outer Sanctum, thereare no limits to what you might build except your ownimagination.... (exercise to begin building)(exercise to use the Inner Sanctum)Go into your Inner Sanctum whenever you need a place ofpower, wisdom and resources.DARK KNIGHT QUOTES“I guess we’re all two people. One daylight, and the one we.
keep in shadow.” —Bruce Wayne, BatmanPage 25Dark Knight Mind“They told me there was nothing out there, nothing to fear. Butthe night my parents were murdered I caught a glimpse ofsomething. I've looked for it ever since. I went around theworld, searched in all the shadows. And there is something outthere in the darkness, something terrifying, something that willnot stop until it gets revenge... Me.”“Bats frighten me. It's time my enemies shared my dread.”—Bruce Wayne, Batman Begins“If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devoteyourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, then youbecome something else entirely....Legend.”“You travelled the world... Now you must journey inwards... towhat you really fear... it's inside you... there is no turning back.”“What you really fear is inside yourself. You fear your ownpower. You fear your anger, the drive to do great or terriblethings.”“Men fear most what they cannot see.”“You must become more than just a man in the mind of youropponent.”—Henri Ducard, Batman Begins“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadowknows!” —from The Shadow radio program“With self-discipline most anything is possible.”“Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but greatactions speak to all mankind.”“No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to riskhis well-being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a greatcause.”“I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but thedoctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of laborPage 26Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsand strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes,not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the manwho does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bittertoil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph,”“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs,even though checkered by failure... than to rank with thosepoor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because theylive in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”—Theodore Roosevelt.
“Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can betrained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are hereto realize your inner divinity and manifest your innateenlightenment.”“Do not look upon this world with fear and loathing. Bravelyface whatever the gods offer.” —Morihei Ueshiba“The only way to find the path is to set fire to my own life.” —Rabindranath Tagore“There is no coming to consciousness without pain. People willdo anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facingtheir own Soul. One does not become enlightened by imaginingfigures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”“Filling the conscious mind with ideal conceptions is acharacteristic of Western theosophy, but not the confrontationwith the Shadow and the world of darkness. One does notbecome enlightened by imagining figures of light, but bymaking the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however,is disagreeable and therefore not popular.”—Carl Jung"Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your ownself-transformation." —Lao TzuPage 27Dark Knight Mind"We have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes ofall time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughlyknown: we have only to follow the thread of the hero path. Andwhere we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find agod: where we had thought to slay another, we shall slayourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shallcome to the center of our own existence; and where we hadthought to be alone, we shall be with all the world."“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept theone that is waiting for us.”—Joseph Campbell“Run from what’s comfortable. Forget safety. Live where youfear to live. Destroy your reputation. Be notorious.” —Jalaladdin Rumi“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable youto get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything iswithin. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.”“Do not sleep under a roof. Carry no money or food. Go aloneto places frightening to the common brand of men. Become acriminal of purpose. Be put in jail, and extricate yourself byyour own wisdom.”―Miyamoto Musashi“All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrousmasks in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts ofhumanity.”“He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself.
does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into anabyss the abyss also gazes into you.”“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”—Friedrich Nietzsche"You are what your deep, driving desire is.As your deep, driving desire is, so is your will.Page 28Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsAs your will is, so is your deed.As your deed is, so is your destiny." —Upanishads“Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is oneelementary rule . . . that the moment one definitely commitsoneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur tohelp one that would never otherwise have occurred. . ..Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” —Goethe“Singlemindedness is all-powerful.”―Tsunetomo Yamamoto“There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not staythere, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. Aman must constantly exceed his level.”“Defeat is a state of mind. No one is ever defeated until defeathas been accepted as reality. To me, defeat in anything ismerely temporary, and its punishment is but an urge for me togreater effort to achieve my goal. Defeat simply tells me thatsomething is wrong in my doing; it is a path leading to successand truth.”“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’llnever get it done. Make at least one definite move daily towardyour goal.”—Bruce Lee“Why fear to reanimate ALL the possibilities that lie dormantin our natures? Is it not desirable to cultivate all plantsindiscriminately? There are those that are poisonous, true, yeteven these are indispensable in the practice of medicine. Largedoses of certain drugs cause death; but, administered wiselywith the hand of a skilful physician, they bring relief and veryoften a complete cure. The same may be said of many forcesthat are evil only because they are not disciplined.”—Yoritomo-Tashi“Most people live, whether physically, intellectually orPage 29Dark Knight Mindmorally, in a very restricted circle of their potential being. Theymake use of a very small portion of their possibleconsciousness, and of their soul’s resources in general, muchlike a man who, out of his whole bodily organism, should getinto a habit of using and moving only his lttle finger. Great.
emergencies and crises show us how much greater our vitalresources are than we had supposed.”—William James“Take care of your Thoughts because they become Words.Take care of your Words because they will become Actions.Take care of your Actions because they will become Habits.Take care of your Habits because they will form yourCharacter.Take care of your Character because it will form your Destiny,and your Destiny will be your Life.”—The 14th Dalai Lama"If you must begin then go all the way, because if you beginand quit, the unfinished business you have left behind begins tohaunt you all the time." —Chogyam TrungpaPage 30THE D ARK K NIGHTBODYDietExerciseHatha Yoga.
Page 31THE D ARK K NIGHTPERSONAThe Dark Knight path is designed to transform you into a newbeing – to create a stronger, darker, greater persona and make it“the real you.” A Dark Knight is not merely an exceptionallycompetent, driven and fearless operator who lives for an ideal.You can find such people working anonymously in all walks oflife, from politics to education to the military to lawenforcement. What separates the Dark Knight from suchindividuals is the Dark Knight’s use of symbolism, persona,theatricality, heroism and even fear to achieve his goals. TheDark Knight is engaged inpsychological manipulation offriend and foe alike – he is a kind of magician or actor, whomay take an entire city, nation or the whole world as his stage.TheWhat sort of life should a Dark Knight strive for? Whatmaterial things should he acquire,ELEMENTS OF YOUR IDENTITYYour Dark Knight persona will be determined by yourparticular path and passions, but every Dark Knight's personashould include the following elements.Page 32Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legends.
COSTUME... mask, ring, cape, caneNAMEYour Dark Knight name should be simple and it should strike achord with your allies and enemies and alike. It will be closelyrelated to yourCALLING CARDSDark Knights may wish to develop one or more “calling cards”that enhance their mystique, notoriety and theatricality. Forexample, the Shadow had a chilling laugh that struckparalyzing fear into the hearts of criminals just before hestruck. Batman had his “bat signal” which flashed above theskies of Gotham, letting the city know that the Caped Crusaderwas on the case.A strictly professional, mundane operator might consider suchcalling cards an unwise extravagance that will bringunnecessary attention upon him. But remember that a DarkKnight strives to be larger than life, and a symbol of somethinggreater. As Maxim 7 states, theatricality is a powerful agentwhich can burn the Dark Knight’s symbolism into the minds ofthose he wishes to influence. Calling cards, like a heroic name,uniform and symbol, are another way to use theatricality toenhance the Dark Knight’s effectiveness.THE SANCTUM“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again andagain.” —Joseph CampbellSanctums are the Dark Knights’ personal strongholds, sacredspaces and training centers. When Dark Knights are not out inthe world doing their work, they are usually found here.Page 33The Dark Knight PersonaPURPOSESanctums may be used for a wide variety of practical tasks:communications, computing, laboratory work, study,equipment storage, training and meditation. They may alsofunction as survival shelters and secret “safe houses” fromwhich to operate against the Dark Knight’s foes.It’s important to realize that your Sanctum is not onlyphysically very functional, but serves a vital psychologicalpurpose: it forces you to live your Dark Knight persona whereyou are, every day. By actually going into your Sanctum, incostume, you are stepping out of your Daytime identity andinto your Nighttime role in a visceral way. You are physicallyreprogramming yourself to adopt new habits and a newidentity. It has been said that to become a new person and livein a new way, you have to walk the walk, not just talk the talkor think the thought. This is the spiritual purpose of your.
Sanctum: it is not just a place to operate, train and study, but atemple to your greater Dark Knight self.You will want to give your Sanctum a name and furnishingsappropriate to your Dark Knight persona. Display yourcostume, mask, weapons, gadgets, etc. in a dignified wayaround the room. Keep your Sanctum clean and in perfectworking order. A shoddy Sanctum reflects a shoddy mind, andis unworthy of a Dark Knight! Don’t have a television, alcohol,drugs, junk food or anything else that encourages addictive orunhealthy behavior. If you have problems with addiction, useyour Sanctum to break it by going there whenever you feel theurge to feed your habit.Fictional examples of Sanctums to look at for inspirationinclude Batman’s Batcave, the Shadow’s Sanctum, thePhantom's Skull Cave, the League of Shadows’ Temple, DoctorStrange’s Sanctum Sanctorum and the Executioner’s WarWagon.DESIGNPage 34Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsIdeally, your Sanctum would be housed in a hidden location onyour private estate, with concealed tunnels allowing entranceand exit for yourself and your vehicles, helicopter, jet, boat,etc. However, if you don’t have the resources of a BruceWayne, you will have to make do with a less ambitious design.Below are a few ideas for Sanctums that can be built on moremodest budgets.... Your sanctum could be as small as a large closet to adedicated room, shed, garage, buried shipping container, treehouse, cave, tunnel, tower, bunker, fortress or undergroundcomplex.CREEPERC@VECreeperC@ve is the cyber-sanctum of a Dark Knight who callshimself the Creeper. The Creeper is an idealistic super-hackerwho uses his skills to fight injustice online – particularly bygovernments and corporations who seek to shut down freespeech and impose central controls on the internet.CreeperC@ve is located in the basement of a building in arather run-down industrial area of an Eastern European city.The Creeper has wired the Sanctum with fiber optics and set uphis network in such a way that tracing his online activity is nextto impossible. The Creeper is rumored to work as a seniornetwork administrator at the nation's largest internet provider,which allows him to further secure and disguise his hackingactivities.The Creeper has gained access to thousands of government andcorporate servers, hacked email and social media accounts ofmany powerful people the world over, and exposed the shadydealings of dictators, corporate executives and elected officialsalike. For this, he has become something of an internetcelebrity, ...THE DAEMONORIUM.
The Daemonorium is the Sanctum of a rather sinister BritishDark Knight known as Lord Blackstone . Blackstone is thePage 35The Dark Knight PersonaGrand Master of a so-called “Black Lodge” and is wellconnected to the British power and money elite. LordBlackstone's forte is demonolatry: the invocation and control ofdemons – including, it is rumored, the Lord of all demons,Satan Himself. He has also amassed one of the world's mostextensive libraries of ancient, rare and modern books ondemonology and black magick from every age and culture.Below his mansion, Lord Blackstone has constructed a templein a large natural limestone cavern. A concealed tunnel leadsfrom the library of his mansion down into the templechambers. In the center of the main chamber, a natural stoneoutcropping has been shaped into an altar, upon which idols ofdemons are placed and offerings made to them. Around thechamber, demonic visages have been sculpted into limestonestalagmites and stalactites, and statues of various demons act asshrines. A large pentagram has been engraved in the flooraround the altar. There, in the depths of the Daemonorium,Lord Blackstone conducts various demonolatry experiments, inwhich various demons are evoked, commanded and givenofferings in order to harness their power. It is believed thatBlackstone's ultimate goal is to engineerPandaemonium –when demons will erupt en masse to bring about Hell on Earth.THE DRAGON'S LAIRLABORATORYIf your Dark Knight persona engages in any kind of intellectualor technical pursuits, your Sanctum should be your laboratoryfor this activity. For Bruce Wayne, this meant equipping hisBatcave with an advanced criminology laboratory. Atechnologist would include whatever computers and electronicshe may require. A warrior might include a gun shop and afiring range. A martial artist might include a dojo or a bladeshop. An occultist would have an occult library and ritual area.An artist would have an art studio.Page 36Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsSURVIVAL SHELTERTo be Dark Knights, we must first be survivors. This means wemust be able to function even (and especially) in times ofnatural disaster, war, terrorist attack, riot, enemy action or otherbreakdown of law and order.To prepare for such events, you should make your Sanctuminto a fully functional survival shelter if possible. This meansequipping it with all the basic necessities that will allow you tolive there without contact with the outside world for weeks or.
months at a time. Below are some suggestions for equippingyour Sanctum for this purpose.• Backup power: Gasoline generator; solar, wind,hydroelectric or other renewable energy generator.Enough power to run your lights and vitalcommunications and electronics indefinitely.• Food: Freeze-dried, canned and dry goods, vitaminsupplements. Enough to last for months or years.• Water: Private well with hand pump, spring or stream,rainwater collectors, large tanks, filters, waterpurification tablets.• Heat: Wood stove or fireplace with firewood or propaneheater and tank, enough to last the winter months.• Bomb Shelter: Underground shipping container,bunker or tunnel … designed to withstand even anuclear attack.SECURITYYour Sanctum should function as a “safe house” and “panicroom” – a place where you can operate securely and secretlyfor extended periods of time, without criminals, enemyoperatives, solicitors or anyone else being able to threaten you.Alarm systemSecurity camerasReinforced doorsWeaponsPage 37The Dark Knight PersonaConcealed entry/exitCommunicationsTEMPLEThe path of the Dark Knight is a spiritual one, which can serveas the disciple’s religion. To keep himself focused on thepractices and principles of his Path, and to remind himself ofhis membership in a larger Order, the Dark Knight shouldinclude a temple or shrine in his Sanctum.The Temple should contain any objects, artifacts or idols thatare sacred to the Dark Knight disciple or symbolic of his path.For example, if the disciple has chosen a black dragon to be histotem animal, he can include a black dragon statue and otherartifacts in his temple. He will also want to feature his personalsymbol prominently, on a banner, altar cloth or poster. If he hasacquired any items on his path that have special significance tohim, such as a mask, gloves, cape, cane or ring, he may wish tokeep them there also..
Page 38THE D ARK K NIGHT'SJOURNEYTHE NINE SUMMITSThe nature of our Path is theDark Knight’s Journey: anadventure of self-transformation that takes the Acolyte from thepits of despair and powerlessness to the summits of hope andpower. This is what it means to rise to the challenge of DarkKnighthood.The Dark Knight Path is divided into nine “Summits”, whichPage 39Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsare critical stages in the journey to Dark Knighthood. EachSummit is associated with a specific Trial, which tests thedisciple’s ability to complete that stage of his path. Below wedescribe the nine Dark Knight Summits and Trials in more.
detail.THE DAYTIME WORLDThe Dark Knight’s journey begins in the ordinary world – themundane existence that we are conditioned for as members of acivilization. In this world, social conventions, roles,expectations and values govern your life. You are expected togo to school, get a job, get married, obey the law, buy the rightproducts, make the right friends, vote for the right candidates,practice the right religion, believe the right philosophy, etc.Dark Knights call this the Daytime World – the conditionedworld you live in if you haven’t yet had an awakening to yourheroic potential. The Daytime World is the “base camp” fromwhich you will ascend the Nine Summits to Dark Knighthood.TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCEThe first Summit is really the nadir of the Dark Knightdisciple’s life: the point when he awakens to his totalpowerlessness in the face of evil, suffering and despair.To reach this place, the Acolyte must undergo some kind ofdark, traumatic experience, such as the death of a loved one,severe personal injury, betrayal, or mental breakdown.This experience of trauma is vital, because it providesthe catharsis for all your future training. The rage andimpotence you feel at that moment will become the fuel thatdrives you onward, through all inner and outer adversity.In the Batman stories, Bruce Wayne’s Traumatic Experiencewas seeing his parents gunned down in front of him by acommon criminal. The feelings of childhood powerlessness,guilt at having been unable to protect them, and rage at the evilthat men do, would haunt him forever and drive him to becomesomething more than a man: the Batman.Page 40The Dark Knight MindThe Traumatic Experience is thus the moment when even themost privileged child’s illusions of security, stability andimmortality are wiped away, and the terrifying reality of ourinsecure, unstable and fleeting lives is revealed. Rather thancower in fear of this dark reality, the Dark Knight disciple isproactive – he goes straight into the darkness and attacks thesource of his suffering and fear.How does one become awakened in this way? Must you be thevictim of a terrible crime or injury to begin the Dark Knight’sjourney? The answer is yes, but the trauma isn’t necessarily aphysical experience of death and pain. It can (and should) beprimarily a spiritual trauma – the “dark night of the soul” thatis spoken of in religious scripture.....Such experiences are rare, and growing rarer, in an age thatvalues comfort, safety and moderation more than powerful,perilous experiences. Thus the ranks of the Dark Knights growthin, and few in this age will be qualified to join us. If you wishto be among them, you must find a way to exit the society ofthe un-heroic and the risk-averse – the Daytime World – andface adventure and danger alone..
Perhaps you will need to take time off from your education, orchange professions, or travel, or pursue some art or invention,or explore some spiritual tradition, or involve yourself in somegreat war. The paths to Dark Awakening are infinite, and thereare no maps to help you find them. You simply must summonthe courage to leave the well-lit, well-mapped regions ofexperience and take the plunge into the unknown territorieswhere traumatic experiences await.If this advice frightens you, good! It should! If it isn’t adviceyou’re willing to act on, then the Dark Knight Path may neveropen for you. But if you do choose to seek the path of dangerand need more guidance than this, I cannot offer it; you’re onyour own!Page 41Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsDARK AWAKENINGThe Dark Awakening is the point when the TraumaticExperience leads to a dark new understanding of the world andoneself, and points to a new direction for one's life. This maynot happen until well after the Traumatic Experience; thedisciple may live in denial, able to suppress his trauma andconform to Daytime Society for years, until the pressuresfinally become to great to bear. InBatman Begins , BruceWayne didn't awaken until ...EXPLORING THE OTHER SIDEAfter the Dark Acolyte experiences his Dark Awakening, hewill naturally be full of rage, angst or despair – powerfulemotions that can destroy him, or transform him. In this stage,the Acolyte may strike out in all directions, without focus ordiscipline, raging against the demons that torment him andseeking vengeance upon those who wronged him.The energy unleashed in this stage is vital to the Dark Knight’spath, for it will drive him to leave the Daytime World andexplore aspects of the world and himself that he might neverotherwise face. This is a time for wild experimentation,adventure, conflict, many victories and defeats. This is similarto the “howling at the moon” phase that many young people gothrough on their journey to maturity. But the Dark Knight’sexplorations should still be focused and driven by a singlemindedpurpose: to understand the source of his pain, to confront it, and toconquer it.In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne’s exploration of the other sidebegan when he confronted the crime boss of Gotham andrealized that he was not yet ready to challenge the crime andcorruption that ruled his city. The crime boss told himcontemptuously:“You're Bruce Wayne, the prince of Gotham. You'd haveto go 1000 miles to meet someone who didn't know yourname. So don't, don't come down here with your anger,trying to prove something to yourself. This is a world.
The Dark Knight MindPage 42you'll never understand. And you always fear what youdon't understand.”Realizing the truth of this, Wayne chose not to go to Princetonand take his place at the head of the family’s business empireas expected. Instead, he boarded a ship and spent yearstravelling the world, studying the criminal underworld andliving as a criminal himself. This gave him a deeperunderstanding of the nature of crime and criminals – it was areal-world education rather than the abstract, sheltered one hewould’ve gotten at Princeton.In your own Dark Knight’s journey, you may also need tospend years educating yourself in the ways of the “dark side”and exploring the Nighttime World. Your goal is not to rageblindly or rebel for rebellion’s sake, but to better understandthe source of your Traumatic Experience. Eventually, yourexplorations will bring you to the next phase of your journey:meeting a mentor.MEETING A MENTOREventually, a day will come on the Dark Knight’s journeywhen he encounters someone who has already walked the Pathand mastered it. This is the Dark Mentor.In Batman Begins, the Dark Mentor was Ra’s al Ghul, leader ofthe League of Shadows. Ra’s finds Bruce Wayne in solitaryconfinement in a grim Asian prison and grants him a key toentry into the League. Finding their hidden monastery in themountains, Wayne begins training with Ra’s and his army ofninjas, and his period of intense work toward Dark Knighthoodtruly begins.But this story, as entertaining as it is, is surely fiction. Wheredoes one find mentors like R’as al Ghul, or groups like theLeague of Shadows? You are holding one answer right in yourhands! For this book describes one such organization, and waswritten by one such man! The League of Dark Knightsdescribed in these pages, and established by this author, isdesigned to bring such things from the realm of myth andPage 43Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsfantasy into reality. Do you think you are the first to havevisions of Dark Knighthood, or that all who have had them arecontent to leave them in the realm of fantasy? No! Some of ushave developed the will to act – the will to make these dreamsa reality in this world, and to walk the path of Dark Knight onthis Earth!So where will you find your Dark Mentor? Only you cananswer that, by actually pursuing the path described in thesepages, or by finding another path and other masters. But haveno doubt that our League is real – that we have real facilities,real members and real training, and that our doors will open foryou and Mentors will appear when you are ready for them!CROSSING THE THRESHOLDOnce the Acolyte finds his Mentor, his dedicated Dark Knight.
training begins. This is the point where the disciple fullycommits to his path and leaves the Daytime World behind forgood. This commitment will involve entering into a new life, anew regime, a new world, where different rules apply than inthe old world. Much that was learned in the Daytime Worldwill be unlearned, and much that is new will be learned. Wecall this stage “Crossing the Threshold.”In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne crossed the threshold to hisnew life when he entered the monastery in the mountains asinstructed by his Mentor, Ra’s al Ghul, and began training withthe League of Shadows. ...In our League, you may cross the threshold in many differentways, depending on your Mentor.TESTS AND ALLEGIANCESAfter you’ve begun your new life, and trained for a while onyour new path, you will experience tests of your commitmentand strength.PreparationPage 44The Dark Knight MindThe OrdealThe RewardThe Road BackThe ResurrectionIn the Japanese warrior tradition, after studying for a number ofyears in a dojo, the trainee is expected to embark on a mushyashugo – an extended “warrior's quest”, in which he leaves theconfines of the training hall and tests his skills and knowledgeby adventuring in the 'real world'.RETURN TO THE DAYTIME WORLDThe final stage of the Dark Knight’s journey is the return to theDaytime World as a transformed being. For Bruce Wayne, thismeant returning to Gotham City after years spent traveling theworld and training with the League of Shadows. Once back inthe Daytime World, the Acolyte will undergo more Trials totest his ability to use his new powers and knowledge in a waythat is beneficial. Will the Dark Knight be too intense, toosuperhuman, too strange, to be accepted back into the DaytimeWorld? Will he be considered some kind of freak or villain,rather than a hero? …BUILDING THE WILLTo build muscles, a weightlifter must exercise them regularlyand with increasing intensity. The muscles are thus brokendown at a cellular level, prompting the body to build them backup again, stronger than before.To build willpower, the same principle applies. By exercisingyour will regularly and with escalating intensity, the will is.
exhausted, and then it becomes stronger. It is therefore usefulto think of your will as your primary mental muscle, somethinglike the muscles of your lower body, which form thePage 45Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsfoundation of your mental strength. Without a super-strongfoundation in willpower, you will never achieve the DarkKnight Mind.EXERCISE: VISUALIZING WILL MASTERYTo manifest something in reality, you must first manifest it inthe mind. This is an ancient principle of all esoteric trainingschools, and it is a core principle of Dark Knight Academytraining. Therefore, to develop a strong Will, you should firstvisualize yourself having a strong Will. Here is an exercise forthat purpose.Sit comfortably in a meditative position, whether in a chair,seiza, half-lotus, or full lotus. Clasp your hands in theRakuzhin mudra (??) described previously. Take a minute torelax your entire body; allow your mind to empty of thoughts,and breathe deeply.Now picture yourself as a person of strong, masterful Will.Play out scenes in your mind of yourself taking decisive action,focused intention, perseverance and success. Imagine how youwould look, sound, act, and feel as a master of the Will.Perhaps you are an executive in a corporation, or a commanderon the battlefield, or a lover in the throes of passion, or amountain climber on a Himalayan peak, or a Yogi in a difficultposture, or a detective tracking down a notorious criminal.Whatever scenes come to mind, always be the master ofyourself, commander of others, and in control of the worldaround you. Never doubt, never hesitate, never give up, nevergive in, never falter, never fail. Feel how satisfying it is to havea Will of iron; savor all the good things it brings you; revel inyour own power!Continue this meditation for at least several minutes. As youcome out of it, realize that you can return to this state of Willmastery at any time, using your Rakuzhin mudra as a trigger.You can clasp your hands and say to yourself something like:“I am a master of my Will; I am a master of the universe”, andit will be so.Page 46The Dark Knight MindEXERCISE: DAILY DISCIPLINEDo things “right” for a week. Accomplish everything you aresupposed to do, on schedule. Don’t deviate from your dailyroutines, job, homework, diet, exercise, etc. Keep a journal ofyour activities, and write notes to yourself if necessary.This is an important way to prove to yourself that you areactually capable of controlling your life. If you find that youcan’t do this, reduce the time period to a few days, and keep.
trying. Examine your journal to see where you are failing, andredouble your efforts. There are no shortcuts here; you simplymust work through your tendency to slack off, get distracted,and forget what you are supposed to be doing.Note that the purpose of Dark Knight training is not to turn youinto a drone who operates according to a fixed routine. Thisexercise is simply a test of your willpower, to see if you havethe ability to organize and command your life. This is critical,because if you can’t command yourself, you will never be ableto inspire or command others!EXERCISE: HABIT REPROGRAMMINGEvaluate your life and identify your mental and physical habits.Alter or eliminate one habit for a week. For example, youcould stop smoking, drinking coffee or watching television,masturbate with your opposite hand or eliminate dairy productsfrom your diet. It is better to make a small change than to try tomake a larger change and fail – you should condition yourselffor success, not failure. Willpower is like a muscle; the moreyou exercise it the stronger it will become. Repeat the processwith another habit for another week. Record your results inyour Dark Knight journal.Note: It is easier to replace one habit with another than to go“cold turkey” and totally eliminate a bad habit – your mindnaturally wants to fill the “hole” left by the old habitualbehavior with something else. If you are having troubleeliminating an unwanted habit, try replacing it with one that isPage 47Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsmore desirable – for example, a smoker might suck on alollipop every time he gets a craving for a cigarette.EXERCISE: THE WILL TO ACT“An idea that is developed and put into action is moreimportant than an idea that exists only as an idea.” –TheBuddhaThe path of the Dark Knight is not merely one of thought andmeditation, but of action. Action is how the Dark Knight testsand proves himself – by committal deeds that transform himand take him further on his Dark Knight’s journey. Therefore,the Dark Knight Path is designed to cultivate, above all, whatRa’s al Ghul told Bruce Wayne is everything: the will to act.How do you develop this will? ...RITUALS OF COMMITMENTOne of the most powerful techniques for steeling your will toaccomplish any objective is to commit yourself throughdramatic public acts.A famous example from history was the story of theConquistador Hernan Cortes, who, after his arrival in Mexicoin 1519, ordered his men ashore, then burned and sunk all theirships. What more powerful way to steel the will of his men,lost in a hostile new world, hungry for gold and glory, that theonly way out was conquest!The result of this dramatic commitment ritual was one of the.
great history-making adventures of all time. For this small,beleaguered band of stranded Europeans would go on toconquer an empire– the powerful Aztecs – within two years,and become the vanguard for the conquest of two continents bytheir own civilization. Such is the power of a Will that knows ithas nothing to lose, inspired by visions of greatness.You can use commitment rituals in your own life for the samepurpose. For example, you might announce publicly, to otherDark Knights, to family, to the world, that you are going to ...Page 48The Dark Knight MindDon’t underestimate the power such acts can have, bothon your own psyche and the minds of others. Like Cortes’ shipburnings,commitment rituals send a powerful message to both your conscious and unconscious mind,that you have no choice but to push forward and accomplish your goal.CONQUERING FEARFear is the mind-killer. A Dark Knight must learn to make fearhis ally, not his enemy.....In Batman Begins , Bruce Wayne had an intense fear of batssince he was a child. It was this fear that caused him to leavethe opera early the night his parents were murdered; if he hadnot been so fearful, they might have left the opera with thecrowd and never faced the street criminal who murdered hisparents. In this way, bats became a symbol of not just hisgreatest fear, but his traumatic experience, and the pain andrage it had caused him ever since.EXERCISE: CONQUERING ELEMENTAL FEARSThink of something elemental that frightens you, such as ananimal, place, aspect of nature, or type of person, and think of away to confront it. Before facing your fear, perform a zazenmeditation to calm your mind. It may be helpful to recite theDark Knight Litany Against Fear:“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little deaththat brings total obliteration. I will face my fear.I will permit it to pass over me and through me.And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I willremain.”Now face your elemental fear head-on. For example, if you areafraid of fire, participate in a firewalking ceremony. If you fearwater, take up scuba diving. If you are afraid of bats, find aplace where bats congregate, and meditate in their presence. IfPage 49Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsyou are afraid of spiders, capture several large ones and keepthem in your home as pets for a while. If you are afraid ofheights, climb to the top of several buildings, trees or cliffs and.
meditate there, or bungee jump off a bridge. If you fear somegroup of people, go where they congregate and spend severaldays in their presence. If you fear the wilderness, take severallong hikes into forests, deserts or mountains, until you arecomfortable there. If you are scared of the dead, meditate in agraveyard for several nights. If a particular person intimidatesyou, confront him or her and interact with them until you areno longer intimidated.In each case, try to incorporate your elemental fear into yournew persona – conquer your fear by “becoming” it. BruceWayne feared bats, and chose to make them part of himselfthrough his Batman persona. In this way, he no longer fearedthem, but was able to strike fear in the hearts of his enemies. Ifyou fear the dead, perhaps you will make skulls part of yourDark Knight persona, by keeping skulls in your lair,incorporating skull imagery into your costume, and making itpart of your name. The possibilities are endless; use yourimagination, flair for the dramatic and sense of humor to laughin the face of your most elemental fears!Repeat this exercise for at least one more elemental fear, andrecord your experiences in your journal.EXERCISE: PHYSICAL FEARIn Batman Begins, after falling down a well, Bruce Wayne’sfather tells him: “And why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learnto pick ourselves up.” ...Bungee jump, skydive, cliff dive, fire-walkLegitimate Fears: being alone, responsibility,EXERCISE: MODELS OF COURAGEOne of the most effective ways to overcome any fear you mayhave is to find someone who doesn’t share your fear, and takePage 50The Dark Knight Mindthem as a role model. Observe how they think and act towardthe thing that frightens you, and adopt their mindset andabilities. Just knowing that another person has overcome yourfear acts as a powerful suggestion to you that your fear isbeatable, and gives you the confidence you need to defeat it.This is where mentoring is critical on the Dark Knight Path.For this exercise, identify a powerful fear you wish to conquer.Now find someone who has already conquered that fear, andtake them as a mentor. If you can’t find a person in real life,use someone you have read about, or seen in the media. Studythem carefully and adopt their mentality toward your fear. Youmay wish to imagine that their spirit is possessing you whenyou go to face your fear. Do this repeatedly, until you becomeconditioned to the fear, and are no longer limited by it. As youdo so, gradually withdraw the spirit of your mentor, until it isjust you, facing your fear alone, and conquering it. Now youhave become the master, and can act as a mentor to futuredisciples of the Dark Knight Path.NIGHTTIME WORLDS.
After the Dark Knight Acolyte crosses the threshold to theNighttime World, he (or she) enters into an intensified state ofexistence, in which his life is infused with a powerful newsense of meaning, learning and challenge.Where is this Nighttime World, and how do you find it? Thereare endless possibilities, depending on your personalcircumstances, inclinations, and the times in which you live.Below we discuss a few common examples of NighttimeWorlds, and some of the exceptional individuals who enteredinto them.WARTimes of war are a powerful breeding ground for DarkKnights; for what world more powerfully reveals the darkertruths of human existence, tests our will, or requires us to facePage 51Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsour fears and perform heroic acts, than war?...Muhammad himself spoke of the power of war to act as anintensifying, transformative experience when he said:"The sword is the key of heaven and hell; a drop of blood shedin the cause of Allah, a night spent in arms, is of more availthan two months of fasting or prayer."For many Muslims, the experience of going off to fight “jihad”– holy war – is an archetypal Nighttime World experience. ...Even those who became villains, such as Osama bin Laden andother veterans of the Afghan jihad against the Soviet Union,were surely transformed by their Dark Knight’s journeys intothe Nighttime World.As terrible as war can be, for many veterans it becomes atransformative experience,For Morihei Ueshiba, the great budo master and founder ofAikido, the Nighttime World of war transformed him twice. In1924, Ueshiba was part of an expedition to war-torn Mongoliaas a member of a Shinto/Buddhist religious sect. The groupwas sponsored by the ultra-nationalist “Black Dragon Society”,who sought to establish a pro-Japanese religious kingdom inMongolia. The expedition was captured by Chinese troops,who executed the Mongol members of the expedition butallowed the Japanese to return to their country. The followingyear, Ueshiba had a spiritual awakening, after which his martialarts skills greatly increased and he began to establish his newAikido practice.Ueshiba’s second transformation came in 1942, at the height ofWorld War II. Previously associated with a “hard” approach tomartial arts, and adviser to many militant elites of ImperialJapan, Ueshiba began to preach a more peaceful approach afterhe had a vision of a “Great Spirit of Peace”:The Way of the Warrior has been misunderstood. It is nota means to kill and destroy others. Those who seek to.
Page 52The Dark Knight Mindcompete and better one another are making a terriblemistake. To smash, injure, or destroy is the worst thing ahuman being can do. The real Way of a Warrior is toprevent such slaughter – it is the Art of Peace, the powerof love. (Ueshiba, Morihei (1992).The Art of Peace.Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala Publications.)After the War, Ueshiba went on to establish Aikido as auniversal, peaceful martial art for all peoples of the world. Heserves as a powerful example of a Dark Knight who wastransformed by the darkness of his Nighttime Worldexperiences into a “peaceful warrior” rather than a “darkavenger.”(Contrast bin Laden’s experience)Sometimes, the psychological pressures of war can be toomuch, and they transform a Dark Knight into someone whoresembles a villain more than a hero. Consider, for example,some of the veterans of the jihad in Afghanistan againstRussian occupation. While they may have started as a nobleeffort to expel ... some of these warriors would form theorganization known as al Qaeda, and go on to launch terroristattacks around the world – notably the attacks of September11th, 2001.TRAVELGurdjieff travelling, meeting with remarkable menOUTLAWIn Batman Begins , Bruce Wayne spent years travelling theworld, living among criminals and committing crimes himselfin order to understand their mindset.EDUCATIONRELIGIOUS STUDYFAME AND FORTUNEFor some, attaining fame and/or fortune acts as a NighttimePage 53Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsWorld – a period of intensified living that drives them to somepersonal crisis or confrontation with the dark side of life.Perhaps they encounter extreme corruption, greed, hunger forpower, or personal demons such as addiction, lust andarrogance, which drive themOTHER POSSIBILITIESJoining the circus?DEVELOPING THE PERSONABECOMING A SYMBOLA Dark Knight is not merely a man or woman who hasundergone a dark awakening, found a mentor, conquered fear.
and trained to become something exceptional. He has donethese things so that he may become something even greater: asymbol of an ideal. ...In this stage of the Dark Knight’s development, you must reachdeep into your unconscious mind – into your fears, hopes anddreams – to find something that speaks to your essence. Youmust find a symbol that expresses your unique path anddestiny.How can you do this? ...What symbol speaks to you? Perhaps it’s an animal, a plant, ora mineral. Maybe it’s a celestial object, god or demigod.Perhaps it’s a man-made artifact such as a weapon or a mask.Only you can decide what totem shall represent your uniqueDark Knight path and persona.In choosing your totem, pay special attention to synchronicities– coincidences that are full of meaning for you. They may bepointing you toward your new identity and destiny.In the Batman legend, Bruce Wayne chose the bat as hissymbol, because it was a creature of the night that could strikefear in criminals, but also because he took the appearance of aPage 54The Dark Knight Mindbat at ... as an omen of his destiny. “I shall become a bat!”Bruce Wayne vowed, upon seeing a bat fly ... And so he did,and soon passed into the realm of legend.“People need dramatic examples to shake them out ofapathy and I can't do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man, I'mflesh and blood, I can be ignored, I can be destroyed; butas a symbol... as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can beeverlasting.”YOUR REAL FACEThere is an interesting scene in Batman Begins where RachelDawes tells Bruce Wayne that she found out about his “mask”(i.e. his Batman identity), and Bruce Wayne responds:“Batman's just a symbol, Rachel.” Rachel replies: “No. This isyour mask (touching Bruce' face). Your real face is the one thatcriminals now fear.” Rachel understands that “Bruce Wayne”has effectively become the mask, and “Batman” has becomethe real self.This represents an advanced stage of the Dark Knight’sjourney, when your Dark Knight persona has taken on a life ofits own, and become more compelling, more real and morepowerful that your Daytime self. The Daytime self is littlemore than a cover for your more important life as a DarkKnight. At this point, the construction of your persona and yourtransformation into a super-heroic being is essentiallycomplete. Your task now is to live out your destiny as a DarkKnight, and live the limitations of your Daytime self farbehind.Some of you may find it strange, impractical or dishonorable tocreate a split personality and live a double life in this way. ...If maintaining two identities is problematic for you, you mayeventually choose to merge your Daytime and Nighttime selves.
– to “come out of the closet” and reveal your Dark Knightpersona to the world. Trust your deepest instincts on thismatter, and follow the path that fits your circumstances. If yourDark Knight persona is engaged in highly dangerous work,Page 55Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendssuch as counter-terrorism, espionage, whistle-blowing orundercover crime-fighting, then it will be necessary to maintainyour secret identity for your own safety and the safety of yourloved ones. But if your persona is involved in activities of amore open nature, it may be appropriate (and more effective) toreveal yourself. If so, you may wish to remember Maxim 7,and use theatricality to your advantage. After building up amystique as a secret Dark Knight, revealing yourself in adramatic fashion may have more impact ...Page 56THE N INE T RAINING.
HALLSThe Dark Knight's training regimen is divided into nine“Halls”, or areas of skill and mastery. The Nine Halls are basedon the Nine Maxims of the Dark Knight, with each Halldesigned to develop the disciplines necessary to master thecorresponding Maxim.All nine Halls will be attended throughout your Dark Knighttraining, just as you would attend different halls of a universitythroughout your education. The Master might take theApprentice to the Hall of the Body one week, the Hall of theWill the next, the Halls of Stealth and Mindfulness the next, orany other combination he deems appropriate. Each Hall willhave trials associated with them, culminating in final Trials thatsignify that the Apprentice has learned the basic disciplines ofthat Hall.HALL OF THE BODYThe Apprentice achieves Dark Knight standards of physicalfitness, strength, agility and general health. Rigorous physicalexercises, difficult climbs The Apprentice who completes thisHall becomes a “Master of Fitness”.HALL OF THE WILLThe Apprentice who completes this Hall becomes a “Master ofPage 57Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsWill”.HALL OF MINDFULNESSThe Apprentice learns methods of meditation, intuition andobservation to make himself more aware of his surroundings.He will become “telepathic” in his dealings with other peopleand “mystical” in his awareness of his environment. He willdevelop a mindset of adaptability and “flow” with hissurroundings, such that nothing can daunt or defeat him. TheApprentice who completes this Hall becomes a “MysticMaster”.HALL OF STEALTHThe Apprentice will learn to move quietly, invisibly, leaving notrace. This means both physical stealth, such as the ability tosneak up on a target and strike them with a staff without beingseen, and operational stealth, such as being able to travel, makepurchases, use phones, computers and identities withoutleaving a “paper trail”. The Apprentice who completes this Hallbecomes a “Master of Shadows”.HALL OF FEARThe Master will put the Apprentice through a series of trialsthat force him to confront his fears. For example, theApprentice might be made to walk on hot coals, climb to agreat height, confront an … The Master will determine theApprentice's dominant fear – the one overriding fear that most.
effects his life – and will be brought face-to-face with it until itis conquered. … The Apprentice who completes this Hallbecomes a “Fear Master”.HALL OF IDEOLOGYThe Master will probe the ideas, ideals and philosophicalorientation of the Apprentice. The Apprentice will hone in on asingle animating ideal, and begin to re-design his personalityand life around it. … The Apprentice who completes this Hallbecomes a “Master of Ideals”.Page 58The Dark Knight MindHALL OF PASSIONThe Apprentice learns to identify and harness his passions inthe pursuit of his Ideal. He does not deny his passions becausehe understands that they are his greatest source of power. Helearns to cultivate his passions skillfully as an herbalistcultivates plants so that they act as empowering medicine forhis life instead of poison. The Apprentice who completes thisHall becomes a “Master of Passion”.HALL OF DRAMAThe Apprentice will learn techniques of theatricality, deception,persuasion and psychodrama. This will include developing hismanner of speaking, his dress, his personal symbols, hishypnotic presence, his dramatic acts, his “brand” and his publicimage to best serve his Dark Knight ideal. The Apprentice whocompletes this Hall becomes a “Master Magician”.HALL OF COMBATThe Apprentice develops his warrior mind and body to a keenedge. This means learning one or more martial arts to anadvanced level, focusing on not mastering not just the physicalforms, but the warrior spirit that commands them. This Hallwill balance physical training with the study of great martialthinkers such as Sun Tzu and Musashi Miyamoto.Page 59.
DARK KNIGHTTRAININGThis chapter describes the core of the Dark Knight Path, whichis training to become something greater and more powerfulthan you are now. ...Each area of training discussed below could be the subject ofmany books, so this will necessarily be an overview. Think ofthis as “Dark Knight life coaching”: a general outline of howthe Dark Knight disciple may go about his training. The detailsof your program will vary depending on your individualcircumstances, path, and master, but these are guidelines thatall Dark Knights associated with our Academy are expected tofollow.DARK KNIGHT’S JOURNALWe strongly recommend that all Dark Knights-in-training keepsome kind of journal of their activities on the Dark Knightpath. Your journal serves as a vital record of ...In creating your journal, use whatever format appeals to youand fits with your intended persona. If you are technologicallyoriented, use a cell phone, tablet or desktop app such as .... (andmake sure that you secure them and back them up!) If youprefer an old school approach to your training, use a simplepaper journal, or even scrolls. Customize your journal withPage 60Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsyour own symbols, using software, paint or ink as appropriate.You may wish to build a custom case for your journal and put itin a special place in your Sanctum. Whatever gets you into theframe of mind of your Dark Knight persona …PHYSICAL TRAININGPHYSICAL FITNESSA strong body is the foundation of all personal power.Experience proves that a fit body enhances intelligence,vitality, confidence, perception, endurance and many otheraspects of one’s being. We therefore begin our training byfocusing on developing a hard, agile, powerful body.The exercises in this section are designed for the active DarkKnight of the world, who on any given day may find himselfanywhere on the planet, from a remote mountain temple to aluxury hotel room in the heart of the urban jungle. Theseexercises can be done anywhere, anytime; they require nospecial equipment or facilities. All that is needed is a sound.
body and a Dark Knight’s will to physical power.BATMAN WORKOUTSquatsPush-upsMountain climbersTricep dipsCross-punch sit-upsJumpinglungesSideplankcrunchesLegraisesBicyclecrunchesPage 61Dark Knight Training… curlsLower Body Workout – see Fitness Shinobihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX85ekdRztsBAT-HANG EXERCISESThe bat-hang allows the Batman or -woman to identify moreclosely with their ... animal, the bat, who are known for theirpeculiar habit of resting in an upside down hanging position.The pose also improves body core and hamstring strength,blood circulation, spinal alignment, alertness, balance, andaccustoms the disciple to operating upside-down.To perform the bat-hang exercises, you’ll need a sturdyhorizontal bar, which you can set-up in your sanctum. A goodchoice is an inversion bar and gravity boots system, whichallows you to hang comfortably for long periods from anystandard doorframe. You can also perform bat-hangs outdoorson a gate, playground equipment, or sturdy branch. You’ll wanta bar that is about shoulder height, which you can mounthttp://www.livestrong.com/article/391106-hanging-upsidedown-exercises/Inverted Sit-upsInverted SquatsMARTIAL ARTSDark Knights are warriors; we believe the body is a weaponthat should be optimized to conquer fear. If you fear for yourphysical safety at the hands of other men, you will neverbecome our kind of hero. Therefore, Dark Knights are expectedto make mastery of martial arts a top priority.To begin, if you aren’t already enrolled in a martial artsprogram, you should do so immediately. Sign up for unlimitedtraining at a local martial arts center, or personal instructionfrom a master if you are more advanced and can afford it.Depending on where you live, there may be many programs.
Page 62Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsavailable, such as karate, mixed martial arts, ninjutsu, tae kwando, kung fu, krav maga, judo, aikido, systema, etc. Whichmartial art you choose isn’t critical, as long as you begin tomake it a regular part of your life, and choose one that will giveyou real fighting skills and spirit. As our first Maxim states, thebody is your weapon, which should be optimized. Whateverbattles you may fight on your Dark Knight’s journey, there isno substitute for having the physical ability and confidence todefend yourself. Martial arts training will help you –physically, mentally and spiritually – to overcome anyadversity you will face on your path.Choose the martial arts that you are most drawn to, and whichfits best with your developing persona. There is nothing wrongwith “softer” or less “practical” martial arts, if you are attractedto them. For example, a Dark Knight named “Shadow Blade”might choose to train in kendo, iaido and tameshigiri becausehe has made the Japanese sword arts central to his persona. ADark Knight named “Taiji-2” with a Taoist persona might studytaichi and chigung along with kung-fu to deepen his training inthe Taoist mind-body arts. Just be sure to train in at least onemartial art that teaches real self-defense and combat skills –Dark Knights may wear costumes and have colorful names, butwe’re much more than cosplayers. We can fight!STEALTH/ASSASSIN TRAININGSPECIAL SKILLS TRAININGIn addition to martial arts mastery, the Dark Knight discipleshould develop one or more special skills that help define yourpersona. Use any advanced skills you already have, anddedicate yourself to acquiring new ones. Choose skills that willbe useful in both your “day job” profession and in yournightime activities as a Dark Knight.Here are some examples of special skills that would be usefulfor a Dark Knight:Page 63Dark Knight TrainingCriminology & ForensicsSecurityHypnosis and InterrogationFirearmsTechnology & InventionDrivingPilotingBoating and ... (name for marine skills)EspionageStealth and DeceptionActing and DisguiseBusiness and FinanceStage Magic.
CRIMINOLOGY & FORENSICSTECHNOLOGYDRIVINGSPIRITUAL TRAININGSHADOW WORKconfronting fear, dark side of mindThe Dark Knight’s training is all about learning to operate inthe shadows, in both the physical and psychological sense.Shadow work is the process of ... the unconscious, dark parts ofyour minds, and integrating them into your conscious self.MEDITATIONMeditation should be part of every Dark Knight disciple’s dailyroutineDARK ZENDARKNESS MEDITATIONPage 64Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsDIAMOND BODY MEDITATIONThe teachings of the Dark Knights demand that an acolytedevelops a powerful mind and will, which can in turn only behoused inside a powerful body. To neglect the body isdangerous, for the acolyte who does so learns that the Willburns inside as a flame, and consumes the flesh if the body isnot properly trained. The dark side especially is dangerous, asit opens the acolyte to contact with powerful and volatileenergies and elementals, and so the flesh must be hardened likesteel in order to properly harness them. The Dark Knightpractice of Diamond Body meditation allows the Dark Knightto use the Will to harden the body, protecting themselves frominternal energies and also from external threats. NB. Believethat this is not merely a visualization, but a willed evolution onthe physical level.PRACTICE:Begin the meditation in your Sanctum. Assume a seatedposition, cross legged on the ground. Maintain a relaxed,upright position. Slow your breathing, so that you feel a senseof calm detachment.Visualize yourself in detail, as you are currently, from yourhead to your feet. Become aware of your strengths andweaknesses on a physical level.Now visualize an evolved Dark Knight version of yourself.This form has no weaknesses. It is hard and strong, like ablack diamond. It regenerates from harm quickly, and does noteasily age or become tired or sick.Focus on becoming this new being. See your body changing,shifting into an idealized, supernatural version of yourself. You.
are still you – human – but now harder and sharper, like a blackdiamond. The Force flows freely through your veins now,changing you, making you stronger and stronger with eachmoment.Maintain this core meditation for at least 30 minutes. RepeatPage 65Dark Knight Trainingduring the day when you feel tired or weak.POST-PRACTICE:As you embrace this practice, the Tao will direct you tovarious opportunities to create the new body. You mayfeel the urge to begin a particular sport or exerciseregime.Your appetites and eating habits may change drastically,as the new body begins to impose itself on you.Embrace those opportunities and urges.Maintain a daily written record of your experiences. Atthe end of the month, write an evaluation of the changein yourself and in your behavior. Be critical and direct.After one month, submit the evaluation todarkknightacademy@gmail.com.DARK KNIGHT YOGADark Knight yoga is a recommended part of every DarkKnight’s spiritual training. … DK yoga consists of variousphysical poses (called asanas), breathing exercises and mentaldisciplines.Dark Knight asanas tend to be more strenuous and athletic thancommon yoga asanas, emphasizing flexibility, strength andwillpower. Below are some of the asanas we recommend forDark Knight training. As always, your training should becustomized to fit your individual persona.MUDRASWILLPOWER:hands clasped tightly together, both middle fingers extendedstraight up. ... “The will is everything” is one of the maximsevery Dark Knight lives by, and should be reinforced bymeditating upon this mudra regularly.SYMBOL:Page 66Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsCreate your own custom mudra to reflect your personalsymbolism and identity. Associate the mudra with whateverstate of mind or ability you identify with most strongly, and useit as a psychological “anchor” you can call upon when youneed that ability.For example, a Dark Knight named “Night Owl” who takes theowl as his symbol might use an “owl mudra,” where he clasps.
his hands together, with only forefingers and little fingersextended, to represent the ears of an owl. Night Owl might usethis mudra in his mindfulness or extended awarenessmeditations, to associate it with his trademark ability: calmwatchfulness and perception. By doing this exercise regularly,Night Owl can go into a deep state of perception simply byplacing his hands in the owl mudra position – the mudraprovides a “psychic superpower” he can call upon at will.BATZEN“SUPERPOWERS” TRAININGThe Dark Knight is encouraged to develop exceptional skillsand abilities that may seem like magic or superpowers to theuninitiated. For the goal of our path is the awakening ofabilities which lay dormant within each of us, and which onlyrequire the right external conditions and self-discipline to bringforth. There is an ancient literature of such abilities,particularly in the East, but increasingly in the West as well,about the seemingly superhuman powers which masters ofvarious inner disciplines may develop. Here are some suchpowers to consider and research further, if you feel so inspired.Tummo: Tummo (“inner fire”) yoga is a technique ofbreathing and visualization that has been scientifically shownto generate tremendous core body heat. Tummo was developedby … and described in a famous work called “...”. Tibetanmonks use Tummo to survive nights in freezing cold in theHimalayas, evaporating the water from wet robes, as part oftheir training. Clearly this discipline could be quite useful toPage 67Dark Knight Trainingany Dark Knight!Kuji-Kiri: Kuji-Kiri (“The Nine Cuts”) is the mystical systemof mudras (hand yogas) used by the ninja to trigger nineheightened states of mind for use in different situations.
KujiKiri originated with the yogis of India thousands of years ago, and was transmitted to Chinaand Japan by Taoist and Buddhist monks.It is part of the esoteric Buddhist practice of the yamabushi and shugenjas–
the mountain hermits and fighting monks of feudal Japan, some of whom became the legendary ninja.In its fullest aspect, Kuji-Kiri is a system of esoteric magic that is said to allow the practitioner to read minds,control weather, tap into superhuman strength and more.Hypnosis:Hypnosisis a proven science that taps into powers of the mind that may seem psychic or magical.To be able to probe someone's mind and extract repressed memories, or use the power of suggestionto influence their behavior, or “cloud men's minds” like the fictional Shadow and pass by unnoticed, or curea destructive habit, or give someone the ability to undergo surgery without anesthesia–
all of these powers and more are possible for the master hypnotist.The Polish “psychic” Wolf Messing was able to get bank tellers to hand over money and even talk his waypast guards to get into the presence of Josef Stalin, the most well-guarded manin the world, using his hypnosis skills.Hypnotists can put crowds or even entire countries under their spell.The uses of hypnosis for a Dark Knight should be obvious, and of great interest!Fire-Walking:Siddhis: ...MASTER-APPRENTICE TRAININGDark Knights may take apprentice Batmen (aka “sidekicks”)for advanced one-on-one training. Such apprenticeship isrequired for a Batman to become a Dark Knight.Program in book is “life coaching” – meta-training, notPage 68Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsdetailed training.TRAINING OUTLINE:Physical Fitness:http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/08/23/batmanbodyweight-workout/9 part Batman workout imageMartial Arts: enroll in martial arts program – ninjutsu, karate,mma, tae kwan do, kung fu, judo, etc.Stealth & Assassin Skills: military special forces, apprentice toa Dark KnightCriminology & Forensics: get degree in criminology and/orforensics, work as policeman, detective, private investigatorDriving: go to driving school, get personal trainingTechnology: technical school, self-taught, train under DarkKnight tech expert.Page 69.
BASIC SKILLSTRAININGThe Dark Knight's basic skill set should combines thecapabilities of a Special Forces soldier, spy, detective, martialartist, psychologist, actor, stage magician and entrepreneur.These skills include the following:Unarmed combatArmed combat (blades, firearms, blunt weapons, etc.)ClimbingDrivingStealthWilderness survivalBreaking & EnteringIntelligence GatheringDisguiseIllusionInformation technologyPage 70Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsDramaBranding and MarketingForensicsHuman psychologyLinguisitics and speechThis is a lot to learn...The following is an outline of the trials that the League of DarkKnights may use to test your abilities in the basic skills of theDark Knight. The precise nature of your trials will not berevealed until you are ready for them.Unarmed Combat: Develop some proficiency in some formof unarmed combat. This could mean enrolling in a localmartial arts program, such as mixed martial arts, tae kwan do,karate, kung fu, krav maga, judo, ninjutsu, systema, etc., andreaching the … (belt) level. Or you could complete a self-.
defense course such as those offered by … police departments… Even better, train privately with an expert in some combatsystem, learning at your own pace and receiving instructionthat is personalized to your strengths.Choose the combat system that you are most drawn to, andwhich best fits your developing persona. Be sure the systemteaches real fighting skills, and isn't a softer martial art such astai chi. On your Dark Knight’s journey, there is no substitutefor having the physical ability, mental strength and selfconfidencetodefendyourself.Test: Demonstrate your proficiency in the combat style of yourchoice against a DKA Master.Climbing: Every Dark Knight must develop the ability toclimb over any type of physical obstacle. They will need todemonstrate basic proficiency in each of the following skills:scaling walls, rappelling, climbing trees, rock-climbing,mountaineering.Page 71Basic Skills TrainingIf you are training with a Master, … If you are self-training,Some of these skills can be acquired from … courses in rockclimbingormountaineeringclubsoutward bound, military, SWAT, boy scouts,Test: Complete three climbing tasks (tree, cliff, building) at aDKA training site.Driving: dddTest: Drive through an obstacle course within a designated timewithout hitting any obstacles.Stealth: The Dark Knight seeks the darkness and stays silent.Tests: Sneak through a guarded facility without being spotted.Find an urban hide and observe a target without being spotted.Travel across country without being spotted.Breaking and Entering:Test: Break into a facility and obtain an item of interest.Disguise:Test: Don a disguise and successfully pass yourself off assomeone else. Take advantage of your disguise to gaininformation and/or access to a restricted area.Illusion: Successfully fool a group of people by creating anillusion. This could be a sleight of hand trick, an audiovisualillusion using video cameras, a staged operation such as adistraction or false flag event, etc.Wilderness Survival:Test: go into a wilderness area with only a knife and survive fora week or more.Branding:.
Page 72Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsTest: Create a Dark Knight “brand” – your name, symbol,public image, etc. Do something to establish your brand in theminds of others, such as leaving calling cards, staging apublicity stunt or making an example of someone todemonstrate the power of your Dark Knight persona.Forensics: Analyze a crime scene and find important clues tothe identity of the perpetrator.Urban Exploration: Explore sewer tunnels, storm drains,rooftops, basements, elevator shafts, abandoned buildings,water towers, … This will develop many important DarkKnight skills, including stealth, agility, breaking & entering,fearlessness, navigation, operating in darkness, escape andevasion.Page 73DARK KNIGHT TRIALSCROSSING THE THRESHOLDThe disciple is given a trial to reach the place of his new life orplace of training. For example, he might have to walk a long.
distance, travel to a remote land, climb a mountain, find asecret place, solve a puzzle or overcome some obstacle.The Crossing is a first test of the disciple’s commitment,strength and will. It weeds out the weak and the non-serious,while keeping the place of training secure from the uninitiated.It also serves to reinforce in the disciple’s mind that he isentering a new world, and leaving his old life with its old rulesbehind.In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne had to find a rare flower andmake a grueling hike up a mountain to find the monastery ofthe League of Shadows. Obviously, the more difficult theCrossing, the more powerful the effects are likely to be. ...PURGING FEAR“You've traveled the world to understand the criminalmind and conquer your fears. But a criminal is notcomplicated. And what you really fear is inside yourself.You fear your own power. You fear your anger, the driveto do great or terrible things. Now you must journeyinwards. You are ready. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe in yourfears. Face them. To conquer fear, you must become fear.You must bask in the fear of other men. And men fear mostPage 74Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendswhat they cannot see. You have to become a terriblethought. A wraith. You have to become an idea! Feel yourterror cloud your senses. Feel its power to distort. Tocontrol. And know that this power can be yours. Embraceyour worst fear. Become one with the darkness. Focus.Concentrate. Master your senses. You cannot leave anysign.”What is your greatest fear, or the one that defines your path?This trial tests that fear, forcing you to embrace it, and conquerit....The Fear Purging trial will be different for each disciple,depending on their fear. The Master should create aWe can’t describe it in detail, but ...This trial should be shamanic – it should alter thedisciple’s consciousness and be traumatic enough to force achange in his perceptions.In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne inhaled the fumes of apsychoactive flower, then was forced to ... ninjas ... His finaltest was to open a box, unleashing a swarm of bats around him.Wayne faced the bat swarm, allowing them to engulf him. Inhis altered state, this created a new perception that bats weren’tenemies to be feared, but allies to be befriended. His master,Ducard, announced “you have purged your fear,” planting apowerful suggestion in Bruce’s mind to reinforce his newperception.The trial had its intended effect, because from then on,.
Bruce Wayne was comfortable with bats; he allowed them toswarm around him in his batcave and out in Gotham City,striking fear in the hearts of criminals.Examples of fear trials:Page 75Dark Knight TrialsSpending a night in a cave or chamber full of bats, rats,snakes, spiders, etc.
Walking on hot coals.Spending time in a war zone.Spending time around dead bodies in a morgue,graveyard, charnel ground or catacombs.
Being “buried alive” in a grave or sealed tomb.Diving off a cliff.
Bungee jumpingSky-divingCOMMITMENT“We have purged your fear. You are ready to lead thesemen. You are ready to become a member of the League ofShadows. But first, you must demonstrate yourcommitment to justice.” –Henri Ducard to Bruce WayneAfter his Fear Purging, Bruce Wayne’s next trial was todemonstrate his commitment to the ideals of the League ofShadows – to “justice” and “defeating evil.” This required himto execute a criminal by his own hand. Wayne considered thisunjust, and instead of executing the criminal, he attacked hisMaster, burned down the League’s temple and fled. On onelevel, Wayne failed his trial, but on another level he passed agreater trial: his willingness to defy unjust orders and takeheroic action.Your Commitment Trial will depend on your Master and ...This Trial will demonstrate to other members of the League ofDark Knights that you are truly committed to our ideals. Youwill take an action from which there is no going back, andprove not only to us, but to yourself, that you belong among us.ASPIRANT INTERVIEWOnce the Dark Knight Aspirant crosses the threshold to hisMonastery, he should be interrogated immediately by hisMentor. The Mentor should ask the Aspirant what he is seekingat the Monastery. After receiving an answer, the Mentor shouldPage 76Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsmake a statement of what will be required of the Aspirant tofulfill his quest. The Mentor should ask the Aspirant if he isready to begin. If the Aspirant says “no”, he is sent away fromthe Monastery. If he says “yes” or is uncertain, he should beimmediately probed and challenged in a way that relates to hisquest. For example, if the Aspirant says he is seeking more.
power, he might be asked “what is power?” and “what will youdo with power?” He might then be told “you want to seepower?”, followed by a demonstration of power by the Mentorthat in some way awes and/or humiliates the Aspirant. Thischallenge should be another test of the Aspirant’s will, and hisfear, ideally when the Aspirant is still exhausted from theThreshold Crossing trial.Our model for the Aspirant Interview comes from the scene inBatman Begins where Henri Ducard interviews Bruce Wayne,who has just completed his Threshold Crossing trial and isexhausted from his hike up the mountain to the League ofShadows’ monastery:Ducard: What are you seeking?Wayne: I seek the means to fight injustice. To turn fear againstthose who prey on the fearful.Ducard: To manipulate the fears in others you must firstmaster your own. Are you ready to begin?Wayne: I can ... I can barely stand.Ducard: Death does not wait for you to be ready! Death is notconsiderate or fair! And make no mistake, here you face death.Tiger. Jujitsu. Panther. You're skilled. But this is not a dance.And you are afraid. But not of me. Tell us, Mr. Wayne, what doyou fear?DARKNESS TRIALSWearing your Acolyte uniform, make a night excursion to awilderness area as far from civilization as you can get. Youshould do this exercise on a moonless night far from city lights.Bring only the bare minimum of equipment with you, such as aPage 77Dark Knight Trialsknife, firestarter and water. This trial is intended to test yourwits, survival instincts, and night awareness, not your ability topurchase hiking gear. Perform the exercises below …NIGHT STALKING:In your black uniform, without light, move stealthily throughthe wilderness for several hours. Use your night vision and tryto move instinctively through the darkness. Pause periodicallyand perform zazen, nature meditation (see below) or other DarkKnight exercises that you have learned. … Darkness is a DarkKnight’s natural habitat, so you must become as comfortable init as others are in daylight.As you move through the wilderness, try to sense any predatorsor other animals in your midst. If you detect any intelligentanimals, hide from them and see if you can stalk them. Observethe animals closely and see what you can learn from themabout survival in a predatory world. If you are skilled enough,you may get an opportunity to kill an animal yourself. If so,you should prepare and eat the animal where it falls or pack itout to be consumed later. When you consume the animal’sflesh, give some thought for its part in the eternal struggles oflife. All wild animals are naturally in harmony with the DarkTao, and deserve a Dark Knight disciple’s highest respect!NATURE MEDITATION:.
Sit comfortably in a meditative position and open your sensesto the raw nature that surrounds you. Listen for the sounds ofnocturnal animals, smell the scents of earth, flora and fauna,look for the signs of life’s eternal struggles in the shadows, feelthe planet’s surface beneath you as it spins through the cosmos.Do this meditation for at least a half an hour; the longer you sitquietly, the more nature will reveal to you.URBAN SENTRY DUTY:Most Dark Knights operate in urban areas much more than inwilderness areas, and will want to become even more adept inthe urban jungles than the rural ones. One of the best ways toPage 78Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsfamiliarize yourself with the true nature of the urban jungle isto simply observe it in the darkness.Find a concealed location high above the city, such as arooftop, wall, pole or balcony. You should choose a locationwhere there is significant activity in the streets below –particularly criminal activity. Binoculars or a telescope arerecommended to help you zoom in on locations of interest.Make sure you have at least one escape route from your post ifyou have to make a hasty retreat.In this spot, simply observe what goes on in the urban junglebelow. Don’t make any noises or movements that will revealyour presence. Don’t eat, take a bathroom break, use a mobilephone or do anything else to distract you from yourobservation. Stay in this spot for at least four hours duringdarkness, and note everything that you see.Repeat this exercise for at least three nights, and note anypatterns in the activity. Also try at least two other locations forthree nights each, and note any differences in activity that youobserve. ...OUTDOOR TRIALSThe Dark Acolyte must develop a mindset that all things arepossible. He must see the world as a test of his will and a set ofobstacles to be overcome on the path to Dark Knighthood. Anexcellent way to develop this mindset and develop new skills isby giving yourself challenging outdoor trials.OUTDOOR TRIALS EXERCISE:Set yourself at least two challenging outdoor trials for the nextmonth, which will test your physical strength, endurance,willpower and agility. The possibilities are endless, and willdepend on your environment and resources. Here are somepossibilities:Climb a tall treeClimb a cliff, rock formation or steep slopePage 79Dark Knight Trials.
Scale a buildingBungee jump off a bridgeCanoe or kayak down a river, across a lake or oceanClimb up a mountainHang from a cliff, bridge or buildingMeditate under a freezing waterfallIt is essential that these tasks contain a strong element ofdanger, such that you may experience injury or even death ifyou are weak or incompetent. Shame your Daytime Self withyour feats of derring-do! What are you waiting for? Why notstart right now?!WATERFALL MEDITATIONThis Challenge tests your ability to will your body to gooutside its comfort zone, face nature and overcome shock. It isbased on an ancient practice, used by the Yamabushi fightingmonks and hermits of Japan for centuries, known asTakigyo.To perform this challenge, you will need to locate a coldwaterfall which you can stand or sit under. If this is notpossible for you, you will need to simulate the experienceusing ice-water buckets, an ice-cold shower, or some othermethod. You will also need a Clan brother to assist you.With your League brother, go to the site of the waterfall. Stripdown to a black loincloth or shorts, and perform somepreliminary exercises, such as the Willpower Mudra and FetterCuttingCode, to focus your mind.The League brother should be standing by with a dry blanket and shouldallow you at least a few minutes of mental preparation.On the League brother’s command, slowly walk under thewaterfall, immersing your arms and legs first, then yourshoulders and neck, and finally your head. While standingunder the water, put your hands in the Willpower Mudra andchant the Fetter-Cutting Code for as long as you can. Whenyou feel your body being overcome by shock and on the vergeof collapse, walk away from the waterfall. The League brothershould wrap you in the blanket and congratulate you on yourPage 80Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendstriumph of will. You are one step closer to Dark Knighthood!.
Page 81THE LEAGUE OF DARKKNIGHTSABOUT USThe League of Dark Knights (LDK) is a community ofindividuals who are walking the Dark Knight Path described inthis book, and guiding others on the Dark Knight’s journey.The League is motivated by a conviction that the world todayneeds true heroes more than ever – people dedicated to thepursuit of ideals that bring both self-realization and benefits toothers. They believe the Dark Knight Path offers a unique,practical path of inspiration that is well-adapted to the modernworld yet timeless in nature.... The LDK is a decentralized organization, open to anyonewho lives according to the ideals laid down in this book. TheLeague has a three-level hierarchy: Dark Acolytes, DarkApprentices and Dark Knights.NOTES:LDK is a “life coaching” organization; we guide the Acolyte onhis journey to Dark Knighthood in a manner appropriate to hislife circumstances.WHAT WE OFFER:.
Page 82Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsPersonal Evaluation – an evaluation of your lifeexperiences, aptitudes, passions and resources, yourcurrent stage on the Dark Knight’s journey, and adviceon how to proceed.Mentors – life coaches and masters on your DarkKnight’s journey.Places of training and suggestions for places to train.Dark Knight Trials or suggestions for places to undergothem.Initiations –Access to Dark Knight gatheringsAccess to resources shared by Dark KnightsTHE DARK APPRENTICEIndividuals who become fully realized Dark Knights maychoose to take ...MATCHING ACOLYTES AND KNIGHTS“When the pupil is ready, the master will appear.” —BuddhistProverbThe League of Dark Knights maintains a database of profiles ofour members: all Acolytes, Apprentices and Dark Knights whohave chosen to participate in our organization. These profilescontain detailed information about the members’ life histories,skills, psychological profiles, philosophical and spiritualinclinations, contact information and current stage of theirDark Knight’s journey. Contact information can be as discreetas desired, and may be as little as an anonymous email address.One of the main functions of this database is to allow theLeague to match up Acolytes who are deemed ready with DarkKnights who are seeking Apprentices. Eligible Dark Knightsare allowed to browse the Acolyte profiles and choose anAcolyte who is the best fit for them, in terms of personalhistory, inclinations, skills and goals.Once the Acolyte is selected by the Dark Knight, the Knightwill plan his first meeting with the Acolyte – the criticalPage 83The League of Dark Knights“Meeting With a Mentor” stage of the Dark Knight’s journey.This meeting should be designed for maximum psychologicalimpact, using surprise, disguise or an exotic location. Forexample, the Dark Knight may ...A good example of a powerful Meeting With a Mentor was thescene in Batman Begins where Henri Ducard first met withBruce Wayne. Ducard appeared by surprise, in the depths of anAsian prison cell, at a moment when Wayne waspsychologically most vulnerable, having just been put insolitary confinement. Ducard himself is a kind of disguise,being in reality Ra’s al Ghul, the sinister Dark Knight and.
leader of the League of Shadows.HIERARCHYDARK ACOLYTESDark Acolytes are the lowest ranking members of the LDK,who have not yet been taken under the wing of a Dark Knightand become a Dark Squire. They are expected to trainreligiously, to study the methods and personas of the DarkKnights, and to act as assistants to Dark Squires whenneeded. ...Dark Acolytes dress in a uniform style, similar to the classic“ninja”: with black gi, balaclava, gloves and boots.DARK SQUIRESDark Squires, also known as Dark Apprentices or sidekicks, areDark Acolytes who have been taken under the wing of anactive Dark Knight for intensive personal collaboration andtraining. This Dark Squire The Dark Squire is ... to replaceDark Knights and continue the League’s lineage into the future.Dark Squires are expected to the assist their masters in theirDark Knight work in whatever capacity is appropriate. Forexample, if the Dark Knight is a private investigator, the DarkSquire might help him tail or track a person of interest; if thePage 84Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsDark Knight is a Special Forces warrior, the Dark Squire mightbe ...; if the Dark Knight is an inventor, the Dark Squire mightassist him with product research and testing. Obviously, theDark Squire should ...DARK KNIGHTSDark Knights are the ...OATHS AND INITIATIONSACOLYTE INITIATION(Example for young addict from broken family named AaronBlack)Aaron Black:You have had your childhood problems and your fun and andgames. Now you must journey inwards, to what you really fear.It’s inside you, and once you face it there is no turning back.Your family’s problems were not your fault. Yourrecovery programs are nothing. The will is everything. If youmake yourself more than an addict, more than a man – if youdevote yourself to an ideal, you can become something elseentirely: a Legend. Are you ready to begin?VOW TO AN IDEALEarly in your Dark Knight’s journey, after your TraumaticExperience and the discovery of your life’s purpose, youshould say a vow that commits you to that purpose. Whensaying the vow, incorporate items that have a powerful.
meaning to you, such as pictures, artifacts, books or otherpeople. Keep one of these items near you at all times to serveas token of your vow – perhaps a ring on your finger or apicture on your desk. This vow ritual will reinforce in yoursubconscious mind the main purpose of your life, and preventyou from forgetting it. It is another “ritual of commitment” thatwill strengthen your will to act.Page 85The League of Dark KnightsIn the Batman comics, a young Bruce Wayne made this vowbefore a portrait of his parents: “I vow that I’ll dedicate my lifeto bring your killer to justice... and to fight all crime!”(Detective Comics #235) Keep your vow simple and privatelike this, and let its power guide you on your journey to DarkKnighthood.ACOLYTE OATHEmerson Hood, say the Acolyte Oath below and take theactions described:I, Emerson Hood, pledge my undying loyalty to my master,Mister BlackstoneAnd to the League of Dark Knights to which we belong.I vow to struggle in the way of the Knights,To seek the knowledge and power of the Dark Path,To defend my master and the League to the death,To the best of my abilities, without fear or weakness orsurrender.I stand before you and say the Dark Knight Code:To conquer fear I will become fear.My passion is my powerI pledge myself to an idealAnd let my will have the hourI kneel before you and take the Dark Knight Pledge:I pledge allegiance to the codeOf the League of Dark Knights of all nationsAnd to the ideals for which they fight,One Order, under wills indomitable,With victory and justice forever.Page 86Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsMaster:Rise, Acolyte Emerson Hood.You are now an Initiate of the League of Dark Knights..
May you seize the night and win the day.APPRENTICE OATHBlack Hood, say the Apprentice Oath below and take theactions described:I, Black Hood, pledge my undying loyalty to my master, MisterBlackstoneAnd to the League of Dark Knights to which he belongs.I vow to struggle in the way of the Knights,To seek the knowledge and power of the Dark Path,To defend my master and the League to the death,To the best of my abilities, without fear or weakness orsurrender.I stand before you and say the Dark Knight Code:To conquer fear I will become fear.My passion is my powerI pledge myself to an idealAnd let my will have the hourI kneel before you and take the Dark Knight Pledge:I pledge allegiance to the codeOf the League of Dark Knights of all nationsAnd to the ideals for which they fight,One Order, under wills indomitable,Page 87The League of Dark KnightsWith victory and justice forever.Master:Rise, apprentice Black Hood.You are now the Black Hood, Apprentice of Mister Blackstoneof the League of Dark Knights.May you seize the night and win the day.DARK KNIGHT CLANSDark Knights may choose to form into groups calledClans.Clans will meet to train, share resources, conduct operations,initiate new members and pursue whatever particular passionsunite its members. A Clan may form in a particular region, or itmay form around a shared interest of its members. Forexample, the “... Clan” might include Dark Knights from theAmerican Southwest, from Southern California to NewMexico. The “Killmaster Clan” might be composed of DarkKnights who have a shared interest in assassination techniques.CLAN SANCTUMSA Clan will normally have one or more Sanctums where they.
meet to conduct Clan business. Clan Sanctums are just likeindividual Dark Knight Sanctums, except that they will beknown to the entire Clan and must allow all members access.Security will therefore be more complex; in addition to givingall authorized Clan members keys (for an indoor Sanctum), youmay want to set up a video monitoring system, sentries, guarddogs and a system of passwords or “secret handshakes” toscreen out Clan members from interlopers....For an outdoor Sanctum, a secluded, secret location is the mostimportant consideration, on property that is either owned by theClan or is not under any immediate jurisdiction. This could besomething as simple as a grove in the woods, a tree house or aPage 88Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendscabin, to something as elaborate as a private estate or anunderground cave complex.Page 89.
TALES OF THE D ARKKNIGHTSThe following stories illustrate the range of possibilities offeredby the Dark Knight Path. ...Put below somewhere else??Ours is a very general Path, which can be applied by people ofevery political, cultural, personal and spiritual orientation. Youmay be “right wing” or “left wing”, “liberal” or “conservative”,atheist or devout, “spiritual, but not religious”, “progressive” or“traditional”, “high-tech” or “low-tech”, urban or rural,“outdoorsy” or “indoorsy”, intellectual or instinctual, romanticor rational, etc. – all of these types can find a unique Path toDark Knighthood that speaks to their inner nature.Nor are we suggesting that the Dark Knight Path will producepeople with a common outlook, uniform opinions, or unity ofpurpose. As the stories below illustrate, Dark Knights maycome to very different conclusions about their role in theworld, and may even find themselves on opposite sides ofmany conflicts. We are not preaching peace at all costs ortrying to create a cult of cookie-cutter soldiers; we areinterested in helping people awaken to their true nature, andfind their higher purpose, even if it means conflict with otherswho have come to different conclusions. Our emphasis is onthe authenticity of your path, not on its conformity to socialPage 90Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsrules or inability to offend.REAL LIFE DARK KNIGHTS...The reality of this world is that times of strife and sufferingproduce more great heroism than times of peace andcomplacency. Therefore we find many examples of DarkKnights from the annals of war.…
TOSHITSUGU TAKAMATSU(see “The Complete Ninja Collection”, pp. 488-495)THE ROUGH RIDER RISES.
http://www.american-presidents.org/2008/07/did-teddyroosevelt-help-to-inspire.htmlhttp://www.nps.gov/thro/learn/historyculture/theodoreroosevelt-the-rancher.htmTheodore Roosevelt is a man who made the Dark Knight’sjourney from the depths of despair to the summit of worldpower. His life story reads in many ways like a real worldBruce Wayne; Christopher Nolan, director of the Dark Knightfilm trilogy, reportedly said “Bruce Wayne is TeddyRoosevelt.”Teddy Roosevelt was born into a life of affluence in New YorkCity, son of a wealthy philanthropist who was admired by thepeople of his city, and a hero to his son. TR was a frail child,but developed a determination to become physicallyindomitable. He took up competitive boxing as a teen ager, andmaintained a passion for martial arts throughout his life – hetrained with champion wrestlers, Japanese judo masters andsparred regularly even while living in the White House.Roosevelt’s Traumatic Experience came on February 14th,Page 91Tales of the Dark Knights1884, when his wife died two days after giving birth to adaughter, and just hours after his mother had died of fever inthe same house. Roosevelt wrote a large “X” in his diary thatday, and a single sentence: “The light has gone out of my life.”A few days later he wrote: “For joy or for sorrow my life hasnow been lived out.” Devastated, Roosevelt sold his house, lefthis daughter with his sister, and moved to the Badlands ofNorth Dakota, perhaps to die.But the light did not go out of Teddy Roosevelt’s life on thatfateful Valentine’s Day. Instead, the young man, who hadgrown up in urbane Manhattan, found a new passion for lifeamong the rugged cowboys of the Western frontier. Rooseveltlearned new skills, a new way of life, and the value of selfreliance,law enforcement, nature conservation and what he called “the strenuous life.”The scrawny New Yorker was transformed into a burly rancher, big game hunter, cowboy and lawman.During those several years in the Badlands, the great man who would later be called “the Rough Rider” was born.As TR put it, “it was there that the romance of my life began.“In true Dark Knight fashion, Roosevelt returned from theWestern frontier to New York City with a renewed sense ofstrength, willpower and purpose. He rose quickly, becomingpolice commissioner and then governor. Roosevelt fought therampant corruption in the city, fought for the rights ofimmigrants, ...LAWRENCE OF ARABIATHE AVENGING LAMAIn his classic bookBeasts, Men and Gods, FerdinandOssendowski recounts his incredible adventures in the brutalNighttime World of Russia and Mongolia in the 1920s duringthe Russian Civil War. Particularly interesting was his accountof Tushegoun, the “avenging lama” – a Dark Knight-likefighting monk and sorcerer who struck terror in the hearts of.
his enemies. Tushegoun was from the Kalmyk republic ofsouthwest Russia, the only European region with a majorityPage 92Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsBuddhist population. He was a Buddhist lama, a doctor and aclose friend of the 13 th Dalai Lama. But his experiences in theprisons of the Czars and the Bolsheviks had turned him into afiercer type of Buddhist – the personification of Vajrapāni, thefearful, wrathful guardian of the Buddha's wisdom.Tushegoun travelled to Mongolia to escape persecution,where he soon developed a great following and a fearsomereputation – reputedly due to his irresistible mystical powers:His influence was irresistible, based as it was on his greatcontrol of mysterious science...its foundation largely in thepanicky fear which he could produce in the Mongols. Everyonewho disobeyed his orders perished. Such an one never knewthe day or the hour when, in his yurt or beside his gallopinghorse on the plains, the strange and powerful friend of theDalai Lama would appear. The stroke of a knife, a bullet orstrong fingers strangling the neck like a vise accomplished thejustice of the plans of this miracle worker. (Beasts, Men andGods, p. 116)In true Dark Knight fashion, Tushegoun used dramatic gesturesto terrorize the persecutors of the Mongols, such as gallopingout of he darkness and swooping down on a Chinese rabblerouser,kidnapping him and riding off, to return only his head later in thenight.The Avenging Lama is an example of the dark knights  created by dark times–
and few times were ever darker than Mongolia in the 1920s.THE FALCON TAKES FLIGHTChristopher Boyce grew up in an affluent Southern Californianeighborhood, a conservative Catholic altar-boy liked by all.Highly intelligent, curious and idealistic, … Boyce's greatpassion was falconry; he spent many days in the wildernesswith his childhood friend Daulton Lee, stalking and trappingthe birds, training them and using them to hunt. This hobbygave Boyce strong wilderness survival skills and a deepappreciation for the timeless freedom of …“Black Vault”Page 93Tales of the Dark KnightsThe Falcon escaped from Lompoc prison in 1980 by … Fleeinginto the surrounding wilderness and evading an intensivesearch, Boyce survived on berries and insects until he was ableto take refuge with a friend. Eventually Boyce made his way tothe Northwest, where he hid out with an outlaw … in Idahoand … went on a bank robbery spree to support himself on thelam. Finally he made his way to the Olympic Peninsula, wherehe purchased a boat with the intention of sailing to Alaska,across the Bering Strait and defecting to Russia. Changing hisplans, Boyce began taking flying lessons, intending to fly out.
of the country to safety (Boyce later revealed in hisautobiography that he actually intended to fly back to Lompocand break his accomplish Daulton Lee out of prison). Boycewas two weeks away from obtaining his pilot's license whenU.S. marshals apprehended him at a burger drive-in in PortAngeles, Washington.A SEEKER OF MIRACLESGeorge Gurdjieff was a legendary mystic who travelled theworld in the early 20 th century in search of esoteric knowledgeand meetings with remarkable men. Gurdjieff's journey beganwhen he witnessed seemingly miraculous events as a childwhich no one in his village could explain. These traumaticexperiences, which shattered the Daytime World of hisupbringing, compelled him to set out on a lifelong quest tounderstand them.Gurdjieff's quest would take him tosacred sites in Egypt, monasteries of Tibet, ruins in the Gobidesert, Sufi Orders in the Levant, and to a legendary secretcommunity in the remote mountains of Afghanistan called theSarmoung Brotherhood. Along the way, Gurdjieff fought nativetribesmen, eluded hostile soldiers, He also developed immenseesoteric knowledge, the ability to speak dozens of languages,indomitable willpower, tremendous vitality and irresistiblepersonal magnetism.After years of such travels and learning, Gurdjieffreturned to the centers of civilization, setting up communitiesin Paris and New York. There, he taught the comfortablePage 94Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendschildren of elite society to perform amazing acts of gymnasticsand self-discipline, while sharing some of his esotericknowledge in his sly and seductive manner. Thus Gurdjieffbecame one of the first Western gurus who returned from theEast with mystical knowledge to share, and in the processbecame a living legend. He is undoubtedly one of the realworldinspirations for the many fictional Dark Knights who been transformed in the East andreturned to theWest to share the fruits of their experiences.THE WRATH OF GODA recent real-world example of Dark Knights were the Mossadkill teams who hunted down the Black September terroristsresponsible for the Munich Olympics massacre in the 1970sand 80s. Their path began in the summer of 1972, when eightBlack September operatives killed 11 Israeli athletes at theOlympic Games in Munich. Burning with a desire for revenge,Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir gave the green light to“Operation Wrath of God” – a covert operation to hunt downand kill those responsible for the so-called Munich Massacre.Frustrated by the failure of European countries to bring thekillers to justice, Operation Wrath of God would continue for ...years, until ... Like Batman’s exploits, this dramatic operationsent a message to Israel’s enemies and contributed to the mythof the Mossad’s invincibility which is probably worth more tothem than any weapon.THE WAR ON TERRORUndoubtedly the traumatic events of September 11th, 2001,.
created many new Dark Knights – men and women who wereshocked out of their complacent Daytime World existence anddriven by their rage to seek vengeance against theperpetrators. ....Page 95Tales of the Dark KnightsFICTIONAL DARK KNIGHTSThe following are stories of individuals who followed the DarkKnight path and became something more than men. Theyillustrate the key trials, pitfalls and potential of our path;perhaps they will inspire you on your own Dark Knight’sjourney.THE BLACK DRAGON AWAKENSAaron Black was a man who seemed well on his way toattaining the best things in life – wealth, status, respectability,relationships and a creative career. He was highly intelligent,in his third year at an elite West Coast university, getting goodgrades and making friends with some of the best and brightestpeople. He had a career in the Valley as a tech entrepreneur andventure capitalist all lined up for himself after graduation. Hewas something of a technological wizard, with a mind for newinnovations that, with luck, could make him quite rich. Andjust to complete the picture of the 21st century man of privilege,he was handsome, athletic, and popular with the ladies. Truly,Mr. Black had been blessed with an abundance of riches in hislife, and from the outside seemed to want for nothing.But inside, it was a different story. Inside, Mr. Black’s mindwas racked with strange feelings he couldn’t understand orcome to grips with. He sensed that there was something vitalmissing from his life, but he couldn’t put his finger on what itwas. So he began reading a few books of philosophy,psychology and spirituality – subjects he had avoided in hiseducation until now – to try to understand what was botheringhim. He also spent many late hours watching online talks byvarious spiritual teachers and philosophers.Aaron found most Western philosophy and psychologyteachings rather dry and unenlightening. But in the greatEastern spiritual traditions he found a few clues. Buddhistsspoke of dukkha – the sense of the unsatisfactoriness of life, nomatter what one achieved or possessed. They believed this toPage 96Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsbe an inherent part of the life, which could only be overcomeby ending one’s attachments to illusory and impermanentthings. Aaron discovered that Muslims had a similar belief: thatattachment to dunya – the transient things of this world – was.
an evil to be avoided. Hindus and Taoists also taught that theworld was without form, immaterial, and all attempts to controlor mold it were doomed to fail. Was Aaron's perfectmaterialistic world a giant lie?Then one sunny spring day, Aaron Black’s abstract sense ofdissatisfaction with his near-perfect life was shattered by anoverwhelmingly real crisis. For that was the day he watched ...What was Aaron supposed do, confronted by this unforeseeableact of evil? What in his life of had prepared him for such amoment of irrationality, chaos and darkness?Nothing. Herealized right then how ignorant and deprived he truly was. Hefelt in his bones the nakedness of his existence; the disarmedand impotent nature of the man who sleepwalks toward successwithout spiritual struggle. He had been living a lie – a dreamthat had suddenly turned into a nightmare.Five days later, after attending the funeral of his brother andspending three days with his ..., Aaron Black boarded a planeheaded for ... without bothering to notify anyone at his schoolthat he wouldn’t be completing his courses that semester, ortelling family or friends where he was going. He simplydisappeared.In fact, Aaron had gone to ...…
(Enrolls in strict Zen monastery in British Columbia)Aaron’s Threshold Crossing came on the cloudy winter’s day… The previous day, he taken a ferry across the Strait of Juande Fuca from Port Angeles, a rather run-down port town in thefar northwestern corner of the United States, to Victoria, amuch more pleasant city on the southwestern tip of Canada.The customs agents had given him a bit of a grilling, but hePage 97Tales of the Dark Knightsanswered their questions … From the Victoria …,Early the next morning, Aaron boarded the first city bus to apark on the outskirts of town, where he had been instructed tomeet his contact from the monastery at 7 am. He brought onlya small rucksack with water, snacks and minimal clothing.wore khaki pants, walking shoes and a light jacket … Arrivinga few minutes early to the empty park, he found a man waitingfor him … The man was dressed in a dark track suit, with ashaven head and healthy physique that made it difficult todetermine his age. As he got closer and exchanged greetings,Aaron could see from the fine lines around his eyes that theman was surely at least forty, and possibly much older.The man introduced himself as only “John”, which was thename of the contact he had been told to expect. After a bit ofdiscussion about his trip and his provisions, John asked: “So,are you ready to begin?”When Aaron replied that he was, John nodded, motioned forhim to follow him, and said “This way please.” …Here is the trail. It is about 30 kilometers to the monastery.A MEETING OF THE NIGHT EAGLE CLAN.
The Night Eagle Clan gathered at their usual meeting place,which they called the Eyrie – a craggy mesa outside of Tucsonthat was said to have once been a lookout spot for Apachescouts. The Night Eagles never doubted this legend, and theflint arrowheads they had found at the site only confirmed it.The Eyrie suited the Clan not only because it afforded thempanoramic views of the surrounding desert, but because gettingthere required enough climbing skill that they rarely had toworry about company. This was certainly not a concern forthem at this hour – nearing midnight. {location e.g. BattleshipMountain, AZ}The Clan members sat cross-legged on the rim of the mesa,gazing intently down the sheer slopes beneath them and outinto the night. The moon hung like an immense planet in thePage 98Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsblack Sonoran sky; the desert below was an alien landscape,pocked by craters, pierced by crags and carpeted in a profusionof cacti of every shape, size and color. A vulture circled in themoonlight overhead, perhaps drawn to this strange nocturnalgathering.Each Night Eagle was dressed in the uniform of their Clan: gijacket, baggy hakama pants bound tight around the shins, facewrap, leather sash around the waist, fingerless gloves, and atanto dagger strapped across the back – everything black incolor. They each wore a headband with the Clan symbolembroidered in the center: a , wings outspread, against a roundwhite moon.On this night, the Night Eagles were living up to theirnamesake: watching from their high perch, waiting for theirprey to appear. They awaited the arrival of an Aspirant to theirClan, who chosen name was Nightclaw. Tonight was to beNightclaw's final trial of initiation; if he passed, he would beadmitted as a full member of the Clan, with the rank ofAcolyte.They had not seen any vehicle parked at the base of the mesa,nor any approach since they started their ascent. If Nightclawwas nearby, he had done well to conceal his arrival.The Clan Master, whose name was Talon, …“You have done well, Aspirant Nightclaw.TalonDarkwingNightclawBlackhawkMoonshadowDeadeyeSwoop.
Tales of the Dark KnightsPage 99As was their custom at such conclaves, the Clan membersbrought several sliced and boiled severalThe Shugendō temple where Tony Rossi trained for five yearsTHE SHUGENJAAfter a devastating …, Tony Rossi travelled the world,eventually finding himself in the mountains of Japan. There, hetook part in a … mountain trek … On this trek, Rossi madecontact with an ancient sect of Shugenja – mystic mountainascetics who practice Shugendō – the way of training andtesting. Rossi would stay and train with the Shugenja for 5years, developing great spiritual strength and physicalendurance through trials such as mountain marathons, icywaterfall meditations, walking on hot coals and cliff climbing.He advanced to one of the highest ranks a non-Japanese everhad within the sect, mastering many of its esoteric disciplinesand secrets.After five years, Rossi left Japan with the encouragement ofthe order to assist in establishing a Shugendō temple inWashington state, USA.Page 100Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsTHE COBRA UNCOILSBenjamin Green …Spends two years learning “Naga Yoga” at the Cobra Temple inthe foothills of the Himalayas in northern India.Trauma: death of his brotherFear of death, snakesArriving in Goa, Green quickly grew dissatisfied with thecommercialized, “tourist trap”For more than a year, Green wandered around India, visitingtemples and ashrams, participating in rituals and yoga withother pilgrims, taking in the sights and sounds of a differentworld, without much sense of purpose or discipline. Stillfeeling lost, and no closer to finding ..., he ... It was there that.
Green met a striking ..., who told him about a place called “”(“Cobra Temple”), located in the Himalayan foothills, whichcould offer him a path to a “new self.” The man’s inner powerand calm made a dramatic impression on Benjamin, and hedecided right then and there that he would visit this CobraTemple and learn more about their path....At the Cobra Temple, his guru, ..., emphasized the four pillarsof the Naga Yoga practice: developing flexibility, calmness,“venom,” and the ability to “shed one’s skin.” Flexibility meantboth the suppleness of body required for the advanced yogapostures, and the suppleness of mind needed for whateversurprises life throws at you. Calmness meant the relaxation,awareness and control developed by regular “cobrameditation”. “Venom” referred to inner power and lethaleffectiveness the Naga Templars sought to cultivate ineverything they did.Green learned that the Nagas were founded by aLearned Kalaripayattu and marmakkala, the ancient yogicPage 101Tales of the Dark Knightsmartial arts of southern India. Kalaripayattu gave him skill withbladed weapons, sticks, hand and foot fighting, climbing,jumping and flexibility. Marmakkala taught him how to use thebody’s vital points to wound or immobilize opponents.THE (SYMBOLIC GREEN ANIMAL)Sharon O’Neil was an ecology graduate student from theUniversity of California ... While doing field research for herdoctoral dissertation, on “... (rainforest)”, she ... has a “Gaianawakening” after spending time in the Amazon rainforest withshamans and native peoples. The sight of tropical rainforests –the very “lungs” of the planet – being clear-cut bymultinational agricultural corporations to make room for cropsto feed people and livestock in distant cities awakened her tothe horrors of modern industrial civilization.Her traumatic experience came the day she saw a nativeactivist get shot dead by security guards of the ... (agriculturalcorporation).Her transformation to a Dark Knight began with a ceremonialvow, taken under a full moon at the memorial near the ... where... had been murdered.“I vow to avenge the death of ..., and to fight all thosewho cut down the forests, drive out the animals, pollutethe air, foul the seas, rape the earth, and exploit theindigenous peoples of the world.”THE NIGHT EAGLE TAKES WINGNOTES:Character is part Native American. Incorporates traditionalbeliefs about “night eagles” (owls) into his Dark Knightpersona.Associated with death, wisdom, intuition, watchfulness,.
spiritual guidance, personal change.Traumatic experience:Page 102Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsPrimary passion:Symbol: owlTHE SKULL-FACE GRINSFear: deathTrauma: death of fellow soldiers in Iraq/AfghanTraining: U.S. special forcesMentor: Zack “Skull-Face” Haynes. Showed him how to faceand conquer his fear of death.Profession: soldierSymbol: white skull on black circleThe rank-and-file soldiers were quite sick of the whole war bynow, disillusioned about its purpose, and demoralized to realizethat the people of Iraq weren't welcoming them as liberatorswith flowers and hugs, but as occupiers with improvisedexplosive devices and hostile glares....At that point, something in Marcus snapped. He simply nolonger cared about the rules and regulations created bybureaucrats in suits sitting in safe, comfortable officesthousands of miles away, who had never looked death in theface or lived as a warrior like he had. He realized that suchpeople had not earned their authority; that it was an empty,meaningless kind of power they wielded; that real power andauthority belonged with the warriors who faced the life anddeath consequences of their decisions every day on the ground.Not that Marcus could have articulated his feelings so clearly atthat moment. For him it was an instinctual realization, whichinstantly freed him from an invalid chain of command andcompelled him to act; compelled him to be a hero – at least inhis own mind.Marcus took the sheet from his bunk and laid it out on thePage 103Tales of the Dark Knightsfloor. With a black sharpie, he drew a cartoonish black skullacross the sheet. He gave it a rather disturbing, leering grin,then drew a thick circle around it. Admiring his handiworkwith a grim smile, Marcus muttered: “the Skull-Face grins.”THE NIGHT OWL FLIESJohn Zane had always been a bit of an oddball. He never likedthe company of other people much. Even as a child, hepreferred to spend his time alone in the woods, drawing or in.
quiet thought rather than out playing with friends. He alwaysseemed to have trouble waking up for school; his parents oftenfound him awake late into the night, drawing, reading or justthinking. They sometimes scolded him and tried to change hishabits, but because he was also a child prodigy they mostlyindulged him. It was all part of being a genius, they figured.Zane was a young man of many talents, but what he reallyexcelled at was ...Zane’s Dark Awakening came on September 11 th, 2001, whenhis older brother was killed in his office on the 86 th floor of thesecond World Trade Center building. His brother Marcus hadbeen his hero as a child – the sort of well-adjusted, successfuland popular person he often fantasized about being. WhenMarcus was burned alive in the blazing jet fuel on the terribleSeptember morning, something inside Zane snapped, and whathad been the eccentricities of a genius took a turn towardsomething much darker. ...There are a few who might accuse the Night Owl of being acreepy character – a vigilante, a role-player, a peeping tom, afascist – but that wouldn’t bother him. As long as his enemiesfeared him, he was content.Skills: hypnosis, hunting, night vision, art, occult and religiousknowledgeIdeal: fighting terrorism, war and violent crime against theinnocent.Sanctum: The Owl’s Nest. Located in a hidden alcove, high onPage 104Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsa cliff overlooking bay and city.Symbolism: Zane adopted the owl as a symbol, for its calmwatchfulness, its wisdom, and its ferocity toward the “rats”who bring disease and disorder into his world.THE CREEPER CREEPS OUT“Hacker”TAO-CATThe man who calls himself “Tao-Cat” is a cat burglar withimpressive skills an intriguing personal philosophy. He …Steals jewelry from the wealthy. Believes this is legitimate torestore balance of the Tao. He justifies his thievery to himselfby recalling the words of Taoist sages such as Lao-Tzu, authorof the Tao Te Ching. These sages warned repeatedly against theaccumulation of wealth, preaching that theft is a result ofvaluing treasure, and ostentatious displays of wealth bringsabout one's downfall. In Tao-Cat's mind, those who flaunt theirobscene wealth on their bodies in the form of jewelry wereviolating the Tao, and by robbing them, he was restoringbalance to the Tao and acting as an agent of the Tao itself.Tao-Cat's Sanctum is his garage, where he constructs tools ofhis trade, including grappling hooks made by welding togetherthree large fishhooks. He also keeps photographs, maps,blueprints, newspaper articles and other material useful forplanning his operations there. His secondary Sanctum is arented storage space where he stashes jewels and cash..
The poster shown below is tacked on the back wall of theSanctum. It lists several quotes from the Tao Te Ching whichpertain to the Cat's chosen profession:Page 105Tales of the Dark KnightsThere is no greater crime than desire.Not valuing wealth prevents theft.Keeping plenty of gold and jade in the palace makes noone able to defend it.Displaying riches and titles with pride brings aboutone’s downfall.Abandon cleverness, discard profit, and thieves androbbers will disappear.Greed is costly. Assembled fortunes are lost.Who has excess and supplies the world? Only the onewho follows the Way.THE RISE OF RATMANDespised, homeless, penniless, … could've laid down and diedor become another broken, institutionalized ward of the state.But he had too much pride for that.His Sanctum is located in an abandoned sewer tunnel below thecity. Ratman makes contact with the underground communitythat dwells there, enlisting them as his informants andoperatives.NOMAD-1A fugitive from the daytime society that wronged him, hePage 106Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendsbecomes a perpetual traveller on the fringes of society.“Never again will I settle down and allow myself to.
become a target of governments, gangsters orcorporations. I will wander the Earth a free man,without a fixed address, a permanent identity or along-term occupation. I may be poor in society's eyes,nothing but a hobo, but I have the most preciousthing, which is the birthright of all mankind: thefreedom to wander into the next valley, withoutattachments to the settled life, the prisons and gildedcages called civilization. Thus, I consider myselfthe richest man in the world.”Rides rails, stows away on ships, hitches rides,Page 107EPILOGUE.
Page 108APPENDIX A:RECOMMENDEDREADINGCOMIC BOOKSBatman #431: Batman journeys to the East, trains with MasterKirigi.“The Man Who Falls”:V for Vendetta, Alan Moore.The character “V” in Alan Moore’s famous graphic novel is anexample of a more radical type of Dark Knight. UnlikeBatman, who is an ally of the authorities and a promoter oflaw-and-order, V works against the existing order of societyand is basically an anarchist and a terrorist. Yet V is surely aDark Knight, who wears a mask and becomes a powerfulsymbol of resistance to an oppressive political system. V’straumatic experience was being subjected to medicalexperiments as a prisoner that killed everyone but himself,.
Page 109Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legendswhom they gave super-powers. He becomes a master of manyphysical and mental skills, devotes himself to the ideal ofoverthrowing the government, uses darker, violent methods,builds a Sanctum called “The Shadow Gallery”, and keeps hisidentity secret. For aspiring Dark Knights who find themselvesin oppressive circumstances, V offers a very different rolemodel from the likes of Batman that may be more appropriate.Other comic book characters who fit the Dark Knightarchetype include Moon Knight, ... The Shroud.THRILLER FICTIONERIC VAN LUSTBADERThe NinjaShanShibumi, Trevanian.A brilliant novel about the making of Nicholaï Hel, a masterassassin raised in Japan who becomes the world’s most fearedprofessional killer. In many ways, this is a Batman myth foradults; Hel is no generic Bruce Wayne hero, but an eccentricaristocrat, lover, artist, spelunker and Samurai with a strongsense of honor. Shibumi is one of those rare books, and Helone of those rare characters, who can truly change your outlookand inspire you to pursue a more heroic, authentic path of life:the Dark Knight’s path!Death of a Citizen, Donald Hamilton.In this novel, “counter-assassin” Matt Helm is a retired DarkKnight, with memories of his heroic exploits as an assassin inthe Nighttime World of World War II. Now back in theDaytime World of middle class American life, he is pulled backinto the Nighttime World of Cold War international intrigueand assassins. Matt Helm thus becomes a “born again” DarkPage 110The Dark Knight MindKnight; he undergoes a second “death” as an ordinary citizenand returns to the heroic and dangerous path of the DarkKnight. The first in a series of 27 excellent novels about thegritty exploits of super-agent Matt Helm.THE SHADOWJASON BOURNEThe Bourne Identity (and sequels), Robert LudlumThe Bourne Legacy (and sequels), Eric Van LustbaderJason Bourne is a classic Dark Knight, with a tortured past, a.
mission of justice, incredible willpower and almostsuperhuman skills. Bourne’s first Traumatic Experience cameduring the Vietnam War, when his wife and children werekilled by an unidentified fighter jet. Filled with rage at thisinjustice and seeking revenge, his Threshold Crossing camewhen he met a mentor name “Delta”, joined the secretmercenary organization Medusa, and was trained as anassassin. Like the League of Shadows inBatman Begins ,Medusa turned out to be a criminal organization, which becameBourne’s nemesis after his second Traumatic Experience: thekilling of his brother by Medusa assassins. Bourne wouldundergo another major trauma when he suffered amnesia afternearly being assassinated, and was subsequently huntedthroughout the world by the covert agency that once employedhim.While often over the top, the Jason Bourne novels (and films)are very entertaining and have many interesting details thatanyone pursuing a “spy”, “assassin” or “international fugitive”type of Dark Knight persona can take inspiration from.THE EXECUTIONERMack Bolan is an archetypical “dark avenger” type of DarkPage 111Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsKnight, who becomes as ruthless as the criminals he fights inorder to wage his “holy war” against the Mafia. Bolan’sTraumatic Experience came when he learned that the Mafiahad forced his sister into prostitution and driven his father tomurder his own wife and daughter. Using the skills he acquiredas an elite special operations soldier in Vietnam, Bolan targetedthe mob in cities across America. To better strike fear into thehearts of his enemies, Bolan created his “Executioner” persona,complete with a fearsome “blacksuit”, a marksman’s medalcalling card, and a mobile Sanctum called the “war wagon”.Grandmaster, Warren Murphy and Molly CochranTulku, Stephen K. HayesESOTERIC FICTIONThe following are examples of “Esoteric Fiction”: stories thatare presented as factual accounts of the adventures ofindividuals who experienced powerful inner awakenings, butwhich are generally considered to be fictional (or at leasthighly embellished).Carlos CastanedaDeng Ming-DaoDeng wrote an excellent trilogy about the adventures of a“wandering Taoist” who is inducted into an ancient lineage ofChinese Taoist hermits. The three novels(The WanderingTaoist, Seven Bamboo Tablets of the Cloudy SatchelandGateway to a Vast World) are collected as Chronicles of Tao:The Secret Life of a Taoist Master.Deng does for China's ancient Taoist esoteric tradition.
what Lobsang Rampa does for the Tibetan tradition: give us aglimpse into ancient magical world before it was disrupted bythe upheavals of the 20th century. Deng explores the secrets ofeverything from Taoist philosophy and Chinese history toPage 112The Dark Knight Mindmeditation, Qigong and Kung Fu.Lobsang RampaLobsang Rampa wrote an entertaining series of novels aboutthe past life of a Tibetan lama who has been reincarnated as a… in 20 th century Britain. Beginning withThe Third Eye ,Rampa takes us into the magical world of old Tibet, before theChinese invasion and its opening to the modern world. Whilewidely considered pure fiction, like Castaneda's books,Rampa's are full of fascinating details about an ancientmystical tradition, and contain much esoteric wisdom thatshould stimulate your curiosity and stretch your imagination.The Magus of Java, Kosta DanaosThe remarkable story of John Chang, reputed to be the masterof an ancient Taoist discipline that has given him the ability tostart fires, move objects and communicate, directly with hismind. This book may convince you that the superpowers of thecomic book heroes are real, and available to those few with thewill and vision to seek them out.Opening the Dragon Gate: The Making of a Modern TaoWizard, Chen Kaiguo, Zheng Shunchao, Thomas ClearyMeetings With Remarkable Men, G. I. Gurdjieff.NON-FICTIONThe Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph CampbellHagakure (The Book of the Samurai), Yamamoto TsunetomoA Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy,Miyamoto MusashiThe Spiritual Practices of the Ninja, Ross Heaven.When Things Fall Apart, Pema ChödrönA Masters Guide to the Way of the Warrior,by StefanVerstappenPage 113Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsSeven Years in Tibet, Heinrich HarrerThe amazing true story of a champion German mountainclimber who is imprisoned by the British during World War II,escapes across the Himalayas into Tibet, where he becomes atutor and friend of the Dalai Lama.The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T. E. Lawrence..
Anyone who has seen the film “Lawrence of Arabia” knowsthis story: An eccentric British ... who ... in Arabia ... Lawrencehad many traumatic experiences ..., including a stay in aTurkish prison, that transformed him from an eccentric Britishscholar into a legendary figure whose exploits helped transformthe Middle East in a way that is still reverberating today.Beasts, Men and Gods, Ferdinand Ossendowski.The incredible adventures of a Polish journalist in theNighttime World of Russia and Mongolia in the 1920s.Ossendowski experiences the true darkness that lurks in thehearts of men, unleashed in all its horror during the RussianCivil War. His Threshold Crossing comes at the end of thebook, when he encounters a Tibetan Buddhist mystic who tellshim about the Shambhala ... Particularly interesting was hisaccount of Tushegoun, the “avenging lama” – a Dark Knightlikefighting monk and sorcerer who struck terror in the hearts of his enemies.The Long Walk, Slavomir Rawicz The unbelievable account of a Polish army lieutenant who escapedfroma Siberian Gulag in 1941 with six other people and proceeded to walk 4000 miles through the Gobi desert,Tibet and the Himalayas to reach British India.The hardships and adventures the party endures are a true Dark Knight'sjourney that should inspire anyone on this path. The 2010 filmThe Way Back is based on this story.The Falcon and the Snowman and The Flight of the FalconNo Surrender: My Thirty-Year War, by Hiroo OnodaPage 114The Dark Knight MindMOVIESBatman BeginsThe Dark KnightThe Dark Knight RisesThe ShadowBourne Identity…
.Page 115NOTESDark Knight. Master of Darkness. Dark Avenger. Dark Jedi.Black Hat. Shadow. Batman. Phantom. Punisher. There havebeen many names for individuals we call Dark Knights infiction and in fact, but they all refer to the same breed of men.In history, there are many examples of real orders of DarkKnights: samurai, ninja, Hashashin, holy warriors, KnightsTemplar, Shaolin monks, old Western lawmen, bounty hunters,special forces soldiers, snipers, ... and untold other warriors,known and unknown, who faced the darkness within their ownsouls and the souls of others, conquered their fears, and becamesomething more than ordinary men.Four Gates to Freedom (ninja): courage, power, clarity ofvision, zest for life (spirit)Initiations to pass through four gates:Walking on coals (fear)Finding a treasure in a hidden cave (power)Jumping into an abyss (clarity)Wilderness vision quest (spirit)THE DARK KNIGHT SPIRITUAL JOURNEYThe following was written by a Dark Knight ...( the esotericside of the Dark Knight’s Journey)Page 116Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legends.
The Dark Acolyte must journey to a place mystics call the DarkLand: a spiritual realm accessible from the depths of your soul,where you’ll encounter the things you most fear, hate and shun.The Dark Land is a mysterious, elusive place not found on anymap; entrances to it normally only appear after great personaltraumas and trials.The Dark Knight’s journey begins with your entrance into theDark Land, via the Traumatic Experience that begins your DarkAwakening. The rest of your journey is about learning whatyou can in that pathless land, finding a way out, ascending tothe Realm of the Immortals, and bringing your knowledge ofboth realms back to the Daytime World.Note that unlike religions like Christianity or Islam, in the DarkKnight Path you do not end up in Hell or Paradise dependingon your conduct in the mundane world. Rather, you begin inthe mundane world, pay a visit to Hell (the Dark Land), ascendto the heavens (the Realm of Heroes), return to earth (theDaytime World) as a demigod, then retire and dwell for eternityin the Realm of Heroes.NinjasIn Batman Begins , Bruce Wayne received his Dark Knighttraining from “The League of Shadows,” an ancient order ofninjas based somewhere in the mountains of East Asia. Andthis is fitting, because historically, ninjas are perhaps theclosest thing to archetypal Dark Knights: shadow warriors,masters of martial arts, stealth, deception, theatricality,resilience and fear. ...Ninjas practiced kyojitsu: the art of deception. The idea ofkyojitsu is to control your opponent’s perceptions, to createillusions that induce him to act in predictable ways. This allowsyou to anticipate their responses, and counter them. Kyojitsumight be as simple as a feint in hand-to-hand fighting, and ascomplex as a ... in a war.Page 117NotesKyojitsu served another vital purpose for the ninjas: it gavethem a larger-than-life reputation, as superhuman, supernaturalwarriors capable of doing the impossible. Even today, centuriesafter their heyday, we see the legend of the ninjas continue togrow. Surely every aspiring Dark Knight legend can learnmuch from the ninja masters of deception!BRUCE WAYNE’S JOURNEY (NOTES)Trauma: parents killedAwakening: reality of crime and corruption in GothamLeaving Daytime World: Bruce travels worldMeeting Mentor: meets Ra’s al GhulCrossing Threshold: travels to LoS monasteryPurging Fear: trial of darkness and batsTest of Commitment: executing criminalTranscending Training: escapes the monastery.
Revelation of Symbol: sees bat, becomes BatmanDeveloping Persona: batman costume, gadgets, etc.Applying Knowledge: begins fighting crime in GothamGreat Test: defeat major foePERSONAL TRANSFORMATIONSThe Dark Knight’s journey can be described as a series ofpersonal transformations, from less powerful and awakenedstates of being to more powerful and awakened ones.Sleeper:Most of us begin our journey as “sleepers”: people who liveaccording to the conditioned values and myths of the society inwhich they are born. TheySleeper -> Adventurer -> Warrior -> Magus -> LegendPage 118Dark Knight Academy: The Path of LegendsDARK KNIGHTS IN FICTIONThe Dark Knight Path is inspired first and foremost by thegreat “dark heroes” and “dark avengers” of fiction. Batman isthe most obvious of these, and the first one to actually bereferred to as a Dark Knight. In particular, we model ourselveson Batman of the “Dark Knight” movie trilogy:BatmanBegins, The Dark Knight, and the Dark Knight Rises. Thismasterful series brought the Dark Knight’s journey tocinematic life, and gave the world a powerful new myth for ourtime: the Legend of the Batman.The Batman comics that inspired the films are another sourceof inspiration: the original dark avenger from the 1940s,invented by ...; the dark detective and ... from the DennyO’Neil/ Neal Adams comics of the 1970s; the darker, edgierBatman of Frank Miller’s “Legends of the Dark Knight” ... inthe 1980s and continuing to the present. ...The Shadow is another important fictional Dark Knight worthstudying, since he was such a clear inspiration for the Batman.Like the Caped Crusader, the Shadow wears a dark cloak andmasks his face; he uses fear, theatricality and a larger than lifeimage to terrorize criminals; he spent years in the East amonghidden masters, studying mysticism and martial arts, learningthe secrets of hypnotism, invisibility and “clouding men’sminds”, then putting these powers to work fighting crime. LikeBatman, the Shadow was a wealthy playboy by day, whoemployed ingenious gadgets and had a secret “Sanctum”beneath his mansion from which he directed his campaignagainst crime.There are many other fictional role models for Dark Knightsworth looking at. Mack Bolan of The Destroyer novels and thePunisher of comic books are classic “dark avengers”, who hadloved ones murdered by criminals and turned themselves intoruthless vigilante supermen. Many fictional spies and assassinsalso fit the Dark Knight archetype: Jason Bourne, Matt Helm,Quiller, ... Nicholas Hei of Trevanian's great novel Shibumi is abrilliant example; … Eric Van Lustbader created several.
Page 119Notesinteresting Dark Knight characters that incorporate Easterntraining and mysticism, such as Nicholas Linnear of The Ninjaseries, Jake Maroc of Jian and Shan and Michael Doss ofZero. In a somewhat different vein, the Character “V” of the Vfor Vendetta comics and movie provides an example of a morepolitical, subversive type of Dark Knight.All these darker heroes have undergone life-changing traumasbecome larger life than life figures; men who are willing to killand risk death in the service of their ideals. While their exploitsmay be somewhat far-fetched and unrealistic for you to try toimitate, they can still serve as powerful role models andsources of inspiration on your path.THE JOURNEY EASTIn the East, there is a long tradition of larger-than-life,perfected men – Bodhisattvas, yogis, lamas, monks – whotrained themselves relentlessly in various esoteric arts andacquired seemingly superhuman powers. ... The Journey East,or myth of “Shangri-La”, is really a metaphor for the journeyinward – the quest to acquire inner, occult, mysticalknowledge, or seek perfection, in a way that is unavailable inthe West.This surely explains why so many fictional superheroes havetravelled East, to remote temples and monasteries, where theylearned ancient secrets and acquired fantastic powers under thetutelage of mystic masters. Many fictional Dark Knights ...–Batman, the Shadow, Doctor Strange, Doctor Doom, NicholasLinnear ... – acquired their special knowledge in the East andreturned to the West to apply it in the service of an ideal. ...LIFE LESSONS FROM BATMAN(From http://www.slideshare.net/bright9977/10-life-lessonsfrom-batman)1. Build a better you2. Find what drives youPage 120Dark Knight Academy: The Path of Legends3. The night is darkest before the dawn4. Be the hero we needed5. It’s what you do that defines you6. Be prepared for any eventuality7. Always be kind to people8. Always think about others before yourself9. Give and share knowledge freely10. Humanity deserves to be savedLESSONS FROM DARK KNIGHT:.
http://www.slideshare.net/thinktank1987/10-lessons-i-learnedfrom-the-dark-kightHave a vision for your lifeBe a lifelong studentBe humane (doesn’t kill enemies or use firearms)Synergize (team up when necessary)Become an active citizenBe the leaderBe the legendBe the best detective (observe & study)Think strategically (backup plans, preparation)Keep on mentoring (your ideas will live on after you)LESSONS FROM DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY:http://www.slideshare.net/RogerGomes2/leardhips-lessons-tolearn-from-the-dark-knight-trilogyOrganizations should be built around ideas, not peopleBuild great, everlasting legaciesActions matter more than intentionsTrust people with the truthTrust the good in peopleYou need to risk failure in order to succeedPage 121NotesDon’t let failure destroy youLearn from mistakesDARK KNIGHTSDark Knights are individuals who have devoted themselves toan ideal and become more than men.Dark Knights as fully realized spiritual beings who usephysical training and crime fighting as spiritual tests of theirmaterial beings..
Category:Theta