30/04/2024
What Does The Warrior Do When The War Is Over?
I was asked the above question last year by a shaman. It hit me like a freight train, and what followed was a download that gave me a sudden realisation, about my beliefs, behaviours, the seasons of life and the archetypes that accompany them.
These very sobering moments of realisation come in many forms; Abusive or unhappy relationships, danger to health through poor habits and behaviours, the wrong career path, people who drag us down etc.
For me, the realisation in question was that I had carried certain archetypal traits into a season of life where they were no longer serving me or others.
When we are just a blank canvas as babies, we are a blueprint of all the stuff that we’ve inherited genetically. Within this blueprint there will be pre programmed archetypes. As we grow, other factors will steer and influence these archetypes.
Often (but not always) with boys, the warrior archetype kicks in with potency around the adolescent phase. This is where it’s common for us to want to do stupid s**t that’s dangerous, fit in with a certain gang, drive cars that we’re not legally supposed to be driving, get into fights.
We are naturally seeking a right of passage, to prove ourselves as men and find our place. It can be a challenging time. It was for me anyway!.
As with everything in life, nothing is perfect, yet at the same time, everything can be perceived as perfectly imperfect. The universe has its way of restoring order, regardless of the method or amount of time it takes to restore it.
It’s a common occurrence for traits that serve one season of our lives to want to hold on to us too long, and if they do, and we hold on to them at the same time, it can result in us being held back or struggling to find the answers within ourselves as to how we can best navigate life.
Or habits and behaviours are a result of our beliefs and it collectively forms our identity and how we see ourselves. It’s been a creation of our own ego, and we unconsciously want to hold on for dear life to these things because letting go means facing the unknown.
Facing the unknown is scary. What lies ahead for us?, who really are we at the core level when we strip it all back?
When we reach our 40’s, we enter what is essentially the ‘mentor’ season of life, and our number 1 subject should be ourselves.
This is, if we choose it to be, where true self mastery begins. We have tallied up a lot of miles by this stage, and we have life experience, yet for a lot of us, we still don’t feel like we’ve truly figured s**t out, and this is a great sign, because behind this feeling, is a very powerful intrinsic motivator: Curiosity.
Looking back to the question of: ‘What does the warrior do when the war is over?’, I had realised that I had been making everything a fight since I was a teenager. The natural warrior archetype was still trying to prove something, instead of embracing the thought of: ‘let it flow, and let s**t go’.
Think of this like going through a process where you learn a lot of new skills and absorb a lot of knowledge about a particular subject. What is it best to do? Try to retain and use everything? Or keep the stuff that you feel will be of real benefit and get rid of all the s**t you either don’t feel is relevant or will never need?
The warrior archetype holds some extremely valuable qualities. Core values, respect, self discipline, honour, physical and mental strength, compassion, and love.
Keep those and enter the mentor season of your own life and then be the example to those around you. The young men and women who need guidance, and your fellow man or woman who may need to be shown a better way to live.
You are your own best leader, because no one knows you as well as you. And no one can be you, better than you can.
The real war is the one within. Win that by conquering each and every small battle with the grace that you know you have within you.
Lindsay
P.S. If you would like to know more about the Modern Warrior Project, send me a message.
