This month on the membership, we dive deep into the ‘Warrior’ archetype and will help you awaken your inner warrior energy.
“The most effective way to live is as a warrior. A warrior may worry and think before making any decision, but once he makes it, he goes his way, free from worries or thoughts; there will be a million other decisions still awaiting him.
That’s the warrior’s way.” - Carlos Castaneda
The infamous psychiatrist Carl Jung advanced the idea of introvert and extrovert personalities, archetypes, and the power of the unconscious. He was a student of myths and legends and discovered and named The Collective Unconscious - the part of the psyche that is common to all cultures in all eras and at all times.
The Collective Unconscious, Jung said, contains the stored wisdom of the human race, accumulated over thousands of generations, and is our package of instincts and pre-verbal knowledge. Within this package, Jung discovered what he called the archetypes. Archetypes guide us as we grow. One of the primary archetypes is The Warrior. This archetype exists across all eras and nations and is interchangeable across all cultures.
Authors Robert Moore and Douglas Gilette break down the four masculine archetypes in their book “King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine”, and the stages at which these masculine archetypes mature in individuals throughout their lives. Due to the Warrior being one of the four “masculine” archetypes, it is predominantly referenced and recognised within males, through boyhood to manhood. However, as each individual harbors both masculine and feminine energies, the Warrior archetype certainly shows up in both males and females.
How The Warrior shows up in men:
How the Warrior shows up in men:
We can connect the characteristics of this archetype quite easily when we think of how it manifests within men. We see this in movies (ie Gladiator, Braveheart, Thor), in books, and, of course, in our armed forces.
However, modern culture isn’t as comfortable with the warrior energy as we tend to make out in films and the media. There has been a noticeable increase in conversations around suicide and mental health for men due to the resistance to show emotions that may deem them as ‘weak’. Within our society’s expectations, men can really struggle to feel safe enough to be in touch with their feminine energy due to the judgment from others.
To avoid this, a dialing up of the masculine energy can often lead to detachment, lack of empathy, uncontrolled aggression, and/or impulsive anger. These traits are shadows of the warrior energy and good indicators of an imbalance.
The battlefield is where a warrior’s energy can thrive, as men feel the freedom to step into their full warrior power within combative roles. The warrior’s energy is needed not only in times of war, but for the battlefields of life, so the question really is; what is a man fighting for?
When a male steps into his full warrior energy, he can show up disciplined, decisive, goal-oriented, and with a purpose to strive or fight for his mission. His creativity is one of a destroyer (often of bad habits), making room for something new, fresh, and alive.
How the Warrior shows up in women:
Although females experience the same characteristics of the warrior, these traits are often expressed quite differently to their manifestation within men.
The shadows of the warrior often externalise in the form of words being used as a sword to cut others down, or, by giving away her power to others to appease them, therefore blocking the ability to speak and feel her full truth.
When females step into the full healthy manifestation of their warrior energy, they are fiercely protective of loved ones, their inner child, and of their mission. The female warrior’s energy serves by setting healthy boundaries, helping to stay focused on her mission, and within the courage to speak her truth with compassion.
A woman is encouraged, both spiritually and energetically, to be aware of and to constantly tap into her divine feminine.
Her inner warrior goddess can then be drawn upon for:
✨ Speaking her truth
✨ Igniting her will
✨ Celebrating her sexuality
✨ Committing to herself
✨ Embodying her wisdom
✨ Reclaiming her strength and self-responsibility
(being her own savior)
Each individual needs to tap into their inner assertive and protective trait of their warrior energy for times when self-sabotage and inner demons rise to the surface. It can help us set boundaries within our life that serve us better, be more compassionate with ourselves in challenging situations, step into our confidence, and move forward in life with courage, loyalty, and ambition.
Awareness of the balance of the warrior is important in both the masculine and feminine energies, and within both males and females, for the harmony of all relationships.
To become more familiar with your warrior energy, give the journaling prompts below a go:
✨ I feel most confident when …
✨ What are some examples of everyday courage in my life?
✨ Who is someone I think is courageous and why?
✨ What issues in my life bring anger to the surface?
✨ What injustices stir my empathy?
✨ What principles and/or values are worth fighting for?
✨ Do I give away my power? If so, to who?
✨ What boundaries could I put in place to protect my energy further?
✨ Do I have unattainably high standards?
✨ What is my purpose in life?
“A warrior must believe in his strength of will, of purpose, or heart and soul”
- David Gemmell.
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This month on the membership, we awaken our ‘Warrior Within’ energy, becoming aware of different traits which show up for each of us individually, both on and off the mat.
In our first week, we focus on a 60-minute fun, power and warrior-inspired flow where we tap into our inner and physical strength.
In our second week, we will be focusing on filling up our own cup before serving others. Titled ‘Protector of Your Soul’, this is a beautiful, slow and stretchy full-body flow that soothes your warrior energy and your soul. This week also has a 15-minute meditation that helps tap into the courage we harbor inside of us, enabling you to sit with any vulnerabilities that rise to the surface and embrace them with compassion.
Week three is a 45-minute flow that has a strong focus on twists and mobility. When our warrior shadows are at the forefront, this is a great practice to come back to. With a focus on revolving and rotating the body through this sequence, it will help detox stagnant energy, create space, open the sacral and solar plexus, strengthen the spine and regain a sense of control of your life.
In our fourth week, we have a super exciting 20-minute practice that helps to channel the anger in your body and energy system. Building the body up to a peak, and then tipping over the edge to allow an incredible release of tension as you wind the body down. A perfect practice to come to when feelings of frustration or anger are overwhelming you. We also have our monthly movement breakdown for Viparita Virabhadrasana, also known as Reverse Warrior.
As always, we have our suggested Soul Sanctuary flows from the back catalogue (in black) that align with this month’s theme, mapped out below in our printable calendar. You can also find these additional practices in the Calendar function on our beautiful app or search for them on the membership via desktop.
Don’t forget to practice along with our monthly ‘Warrior Within’ playlist HERE
The ‘Warrior’, although often misunderstood in our culture, has incredibly empowering attributes of strength, courage, protector, loyalty, competence, and decisiveness. All traits that help us in our day-to-day lives.
Join us this month to dive deeper into your Warrior energy and learn how to use the benefits of this powerful energy in your life.
Click HERE to sign up to our FREE 7-Day Trial and explore our membership options.
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Also, this month our beautiful Soul Sanctuary app turns ONE, and we will be celebrating with something super exciting from the 4th to 18th of May. Be sure to check out our social pages for more details and, if you haven’t already, sign up to our newsletter (here) to stay up to date with all the amazing things coming up for Soul Sanctuary.
