Archetypal Journeying

Recently, a group of friends gathered in reunion. We hadn’t all been together since the pandemic commenced. The conversation turned to our history with religion. They all either came from families where church was central and/or they had a great interest in religion. As young people, some were quite devout.

Much of their conversation centered on theology … what they had retained, what they discarded, and what they upgraded. None attend church now, though their spiritual lives continue to be of high importance to them.

I listened with interest, noting the difference in my story. My parents introduced me to church, but by the time I turned ten, they stopped attending. At home, they talked mostly about why they didn’t attend. There was no talk of religion or spirituality. I received no theological grooming. Sometimes I’m grateful for that. Sometimes I’m aware of the loss.

In the small town where we moved when I was ten, school and church activities provided a social outlet for young people. Yet church came to mean more to me than that. I inserted that meaning into the conversation with my friends.

“I went to church for the relationships.”

It was in church where I found people who showed me love, valued me, recognized my leadership skills, and treated me as a person of worth. It was those relationships that gave me a modicum of self-worth and led to a deepening of my relationship with the Divine. In the absence of theological grooming, I found a path intrinsic to my soul.

The Inner Journey

Perhaps my introverted nature led me to contemplative reading and writing …  reflection on the inner journey … as practices that strengthen my spirit. However, we live in a culture which focuses almost exclusively on the outer journey of external social justice.

This is important, of course. My recent exhausting advocacy for my disabled daughter is my primary social justice initiative. My hope is that what I’ve learned about navigating the Medicaid and Medicare systems will be of benefit to others, as well.

However, finding kindred spirits and support for my inner journey … necessary to sustain my advocacy … isn’t easy. Through trial and error, I discovered how unwise it is to divert from these intrinsic-to-my-soul paths and practices. Accepting solitude is essential.

I mostly find supportive teachers through books and online platforms. It was there I discovered these unfamiliar-to-me spiritual paths:

• Ignatian Spirituality … an internet search led me to this practice … a practice I had never heard of and yet is so similar to my own way of being. Ignatian Spirituality lights up all of life’s deeper questions … helps find God in ALL things … emphasizes the need to develop a reflective spirit in the midst of our busy lives … becoming contemplatives in action. Activity flows from a deep center. It’s a spirituality of the heart.
• Eastern Paths of Contemplation and Self-Mastery … paths I had never heard of … in Eastern traditions I had never studied … but which described my “strange” way of connecting with Spirit. How validating Mariamne Paulus’ book, Four Paths to Union, proved to be for me! It also validated my being a “misfit.” These two paths are the least respected in the West.

A Journey of Self-Knowledge

Most recently, the teachings of Caroline Myss have been a source of spiritual sustenance. She helped me see my advocacy for Nicole as a Sacred Contract. However, the hours, days, and weeks of this exhausting and frustrating process took a toll on my spirit. It interfered with my early morning time of quiet reflection, rendering it almost impossible.

On the Monday morning before Thanksgiving, I relished returning to Caroline’s teachings. In her introduction to a course titled, “The Journey of Life is a Journey of Self-knowledge,” she spoke of using our life force to empower us … of our archetypal journey as a journey of empowerment.

Having just endured weeks of being depleted by interactions with huge, impersonal, disempowering systems, I was ready to hear about empowerment!

Looking through the lens of archetypes (universal patterns working in and through us) is new. I am curious about how my thinking, motivations, and behavior fit these patterns… to understand at a deeper level.  

Archetypal Awakening

CAREGIVER must apply to me. I’ve certainly done my share of it. Parents often fit this pattern. However, mothering and caregiving are not natural to me. My children’s life-long challenges forced me into this role out of necessity. I feel depleted rather than empowered.

WARRIOR … As Caroline talked about the Warrior Archetype, I knew there was something there for me … I pulled out her Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential book and read ever page related to the Warrior.

Page 151 … Section: Warrior on Demand = times when you rise to an occasion … become someone you almost don’t recognize … then a story about a normally quiet and reserved woman who exploded into her son’s school and confronted the principal and other administrators proclaiming that if her son was ever beaten again by boys on the playground, she would wage a “battle” in the local courts and take on the school authorities who failed to protect him. That got their attention. They addressed the issue appropriately. … once her son was in safe territory, she could afford to release the intensity drawn from the psychic field of the Warrior Archetype. When the air cleared, she nearly collapsed from exhaustion … exhaustion from an unconscious source of power generated, resulting in a dramatic shift in her energy field.

Page 284: “Perhaps my Warrior needed to be awakened by my need for it because I could not rely on anyone to take care of me.”

Page 285: “For me to reach my highest potential, I had to battle using my Warrior – every negative thought-form created by lack of self-esteems since I was a child.”

Pages 422-423: “Women have long been defenders of their families, and the Amazon tribe of Warrior Women has become legendary because of their abiity to engage in fierce battle – even sacrificing part of their female physique to facilitate warfare. Loyalty to the family and tribe is among the Amazons’ notable characteristics, along with nurturing their young and transmitting lessons of power and self-defense. In today’s society … women who liberate and protect others, especially women and children who need vocal and financial representation.

WOW! How could I miss this? It’s so obvious. I’ve been a Warrior for my children since 1976.

A Whole New Empowering Light

I often feel disempowered because the battle for my children has been long and hard. Rarely have I encountered a system that addresses the situation appropriately.

It is so tempting to don another archetype … the victim … but that one is so disempowering.

I see a process in motion luring me to let go of my propensity toward disempowerment and take on the empowerment of the Warrior Archetype. I felt drawn to the movie, The Woman King, an historical epic inspired by true events, depicting empowered warrior women.

A little more research and I found that Warrior Women like those depicted in the movie actually existed. Adrienne Mayor’s book, The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World, cites archeological discoveries proving this.

Even though I’d read the book … even though I knew the story of the investigative journalism that broke the story of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace that started the “Me too” movement … I felt compelled to see the movie, She Said. I wept as I watched these 21^st Century Warrior Women face their fears and stand up for justice.

I’m seeing myself in a whole new light! After recording in my journal, “I’ve been a warrior for my children since 1976” I wrote, “Maybe it’s time I became a Warrior for myself!!!”

As my friend, Rosie, says, “You glow, Warrior Woman!”

I would love to celebrate your story of becoming/being a Warrior Woman! Won’t you please share it!