The Hero's Journey

We all long for purpose in life; we long for meaning in a world that sometimes appears to be meaningless. Nietzsche called this nihilism, and looked upon it with terror; he viewed it as a world-shattering event in human history, and one that could very well destroy mankind. For Nietzsche knew that each of us longs for meaning. So if we are lost, we must go in search of meaning- or go mad. But each of us is unique, and so each of us will have a unique sense of what is meaningful.

For me, it was always the way of the warrior.

Even as a young boy, I was fascinated by the heroic. Because, you see, the world can just be so damnably boring. So there is something within us- something ancient, something archetypal- that longs for the heroic, that longs for trials and tribulations, that longs for what the great mythologist Joseph Campbell called the Hero's Journey. This need for heroism is, I believe, deeply rooted within us; it permeates all the works of the ancients, not to mention this godless catastrophe known as "modernism." So the Hero's Journey pervades everything I write, and will continue to pervade everything I write. And I truly believe that the fact that we as a society have collectively abandoned the Hero's Journey has been to our great loss; it is my hope to rekindle that fire in my work- even if only in my own small way.

For it is through danger, destruction, and death that we learn the meaning of what we have: Without suffering, there can be no happiness. We require adversity- we require the enemy- in order to flourish, and so we must go in search of a dragon to slay if we are ever to become what we truly have the potential to become. This is the Hero's Journey. But the Hero's Journey stands dependent upon the realization that virtue, love, and sacrifice belong together; the realization that one is never so alive as when one is close to losing everything; the realization that by giving oneself to something greater than oneself, one is able- like Michelangelo's Adam- to reach out, and to touch the finger of God.

My Mission

I the creator of Virilis, a revolutionary paradigm-shift in psychology. Virilis is a return to old school manhood, to the classical tradition of philosophy, and to the common psycho-spiritual themes underlying both European and Oriental warrior cultures. Furthermore, my personal development systems ParaBellum & ParaBellum: Tactics provide the opportunity for real life-change, free of the neo-hippy gobbled-gook so common to the self-help industry- barring a few exceptions, of course, such as Simon Sinek, who is admittedly fantastic, and whose work cannot be praised highly enough. For information pertaining to my theories, please follow the link below:
I am also the author of a number of books, including Slay the Maiden; Oracle: Ninety Days to a New Life; Oracle: Nine Rules for a New Spirit; and Profiling the Left, with many more projects awaiting just beyond the horizon. My work is deeply religious in character, and has been influenced by a number of great thinkers, especially Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, Campbell, and Jung. Therefore, if one appreciates the work of these men, then he may appreciate mine as well; if, however, one do not appreciate the work of these men, then I may not be his metaphorical cup of tea. So although my work runs the gamut- from poetry to satire, from science fiction to fantasy, from philosophy to psychology- still it all revolves around the heroic. For information pertaining to my written work, please follow the link below:

Supporting the Legion

For more on Virilis, ParaBellum, & ParaBellum: Tactics, or if you would simply like to support me and my work- something I deeply appreciate- please feel free to join me at my Patreon page, where a number of membership levels are available. Not only does this help me to continue putting out content, but I hope to use it as a launchpad for new projects, including a digital community for those interested in returning to the Hero's Journey. And this too will be accomplished through Patreon. So to join the Legion, please follow the link below:

Joshua van Asakinda: A Biography

Joshua van Asakinda is First of the Zenshida’i, and faithful to Buddho-Taoism. He holds a master’s degree from American Military University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied psychology and philosophy. Long ago, he traveled the world in search of himself. Now he is a writer, among other things. But the thirst for self-realization remains, and so he looks forward to whatever may be waiting for him upon the Way.

For those interested in the Zenshida'i, please follow the link below:
Joshua van Asakinda
+1-702-716-2906
​Joshua.van.Asakinda@gmail.com