ARCHETYPE
of
THE WARRIOR
and
HER 3 FACES
of
THE WARRIOR
and
HER 3 FACES
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At Last Quarter Moon I am the fearless Warrior woman, fighting for the equal rights and defending the boundaries of your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual Being. Within every woman, I raise the banner of heroic self-expression. I carry the sword of justice and wield the spear of fair play. I am the Heroine, your armor against subjugation and persecution. I am the Huntress, your autonomous power to repel assault and hunt that which you need to survive and thrive. I am the Rebel within, whose anger enables you to break oppressive rules and take a stand for your own Truth.
Do you recall raising your rage against abuses and violations done to women, children and minorities? I am with you at those times, bolstering your cause. Do you recall a time when you dared to reveal yourself, despite the disapproval of those who would shame you? I was there, standing beside you and holding up your courage.
My moon-phase empowers you to break free from all restraints and take action toward your highest goals. It is a time to declare your rights and territory. I help all women take back the night, take home the victory, take in the lost, and take heart.
The Warrior is our inner champion who breaks the shackles that hold women captive in a man-ruled world. She brings courage, where before there was only fear. She brings proud self-confidence, where before we felt shame. Aflame with blazing passion, the Warrior within Woman wields an awesome erotic force that has potential to transform the world.
The Heroine initiates us into realms of higher mind, awakening our passion to impact the greater good, arousing our desire to achieve larger goals in life. She leads Woman’s pursuit of knowledge and demands freedom for us to choose our own paths. The Heroine carries the Warrior’s banner in the battle for women’s truth and liberty. The fight waged by a Heroine is for women, everywhere, to recover their autonomy.
In the painting, four goddesses converge or convene. Perhaps they debate the fate of the failed patriarchy. Athena stands overseeing an anxious-looking Liberty, her disapproving eye on the tiny torch of freedom held aloft under her gaze. Athena, instead, offers a spear-- sharp-stabbing and menacing-- with a will to combat. Above them, the rainbow messenger goddess, Iris, flies in, holding a scroll that encourages dialogue and negotiation. Beneath them, a harried and blind-folded Justice scampers frantically, to bring in the balancing scales.
These four are specific figures from classic myth who have been co-opted into the dominator system to do much of the dirty-work of a corrupt legal and religious code. Hopefully, when these goddesses meet, they can unite their forces to re-align the rainbow-band of varied philosophies and life-views held by peoples around the globe into a cooperative, mutually respectful, new model for civilization. Maybe they will bring women into leadership.
Invocation to the Heroine:
Help me recognize my higher purpose and dare to follow its un-trod
path. Let me express my truth without fear of ridicule or rejection,
so that my voice will be heard by those who will heed it. Help me
stay true to my highest vision in the face of obstacles and
opposition.
The Huntress is the strategist of feminine campaigns for balance and power. She works both for women’s survival in a male-dominated world, and for women’s acquisition of territory, wealth, and position. Her skills require disciplined, practiced training; her actions must be carefully considered; her goals patiently pursued. The Huntress is a great adventurer, a daredevil, a risk-taker. Yet, she is purposeful, deliberate, resolved in her goals. Leaving little to chance, she bides her time, waits for the opportune moment to make her strike.
In the painting, a long-armed female Robin Hood aims her arrow off into the forest, while her two dogs stand poised to take chase. The Huntress must possess the courage and stomach to bring down another living creature when necessity demands. This is a prospect many women deny themselves, thinking it always cruel and wrong to kill. Yet, there are times when death is the kinder of available options, and at such times, the Warrior Huntress’ arrows can bring relief from suffering, or attain safety from a menace.
This Huntress may be Artemis, protecting her sacred space and the sanctity of the goddess’ privacy from encroaching intruders. She wears the pointed cap and short skirt with knee-high moccasins, attributed to legendary Amazon warriors of some ancient Libyan tribes. Dark-skinned, bare-breasted, and lightly armed-- she is free to run through her sun-streaked wilderness at ease, blending into her surroundings, undetected.
Invocation to the Huntress:
Help me to aim my sights clearly on my highest goal. Let my mental
arrows find their target, and my actions leave their desired mark.
Help me to discipline myself toward superior achievements.
The Rebel wields our Warrior’s sword and carries the shield of woman-power. She raises the battle cry in women’s war against the cruelties and injustices of society. She is motivated by a belief in the inalienable glory of her cause, and she sees herself a martyr to an ideal. The Rebel is a revolutionary, upsetting comfortable habits of tradition, breaking rigid rules of convention. Her presence within us can both terrify and reassure us.
In the painting, a wild red-haired Valkyrie-Amazon sits astride her fierce war-horse, menacing her enemies with her raging fury. Her horned headgear and sickle-bladed sword reflect the Crescent Moon, and her jeweled shield bears the sign of Venus, epitome of feminine powers. Perhaps she is a version of Valeda, the Celtic warrior priestess who was said to be so ferocious in her mystical powers that whole armies of Romans were stopped in their tracks and took route upon hearing her piercing war-cry, or sighting her wild-riding form at the head of her barbarian troops.
The woman who can equal men in ferocity and fighting is rare in modern “civil” times, yet she lurks in women’s hearts and rages to be let free. She has recently been revived for us in the fictitious “Xena, Warrior Princess” television series of the 1990’s. And, in recent years we see more and more women joining the armed forces to fight with men in wars...whether they are wars with just cause or wars based on lies and political power games.
Invocation to the Rebel:
Help me to use my anger productively to create desired change.
Whether I win or lose the battle, help me to believe in my cause
and carry on with the work at hand. However, I pray to increase my
ability to more clearly differentiate true and humane goals from
hypocritical lies and greedy ambitions for power. Help me to
fight for just and right causes.