Through the Warrior and Justice, this week we’re being called to fight for balance. Can we do whatever it takes to reach this elusive goal?
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The Warrior Archetype
Truth be told, I have quite an ambivalent relationship with this archetype. On the one hand, it has “war” in its name, so part of that is a generally poor set of relational skills (at least to my way of thinking). On the other hand, there have been times when life—through illness or other circumstances—has knocked me to my knees and it’s the Warrior, unwilling to accept defeat, that gets me back to my feet again.
Caroline Myss (from whom I first learned about archetypes) has said that “as long as there is war within any one of us, there will be war in the world.” I am a believer that the changes we make within ourselves are reflected in the collective. Given that, I’m going to look at the Warrior through the lens of how it shows up in us as individuals versus at a societal level.
The Warrior is one who trains and masters the skills necessary for defense. They possess tremendous discipline and perseverance, and understand the value of life on a profound level. In fact, I recently learned the term “sacred rage” from my friend,
, and the way she defines it fits the Warrior energy perfectly:Anger in its most honest expression is grounded in devotion and reverence to the safety and sanctity of life. Standing up for what is right and true because that is what love does. Here the word love is not about romantic notions or a penchant for something. Instead, it is fierce. It is a passionate “NO”! “NO” to a trespassed boundary. “NO” to a violation of basic human rights.1
When the Warrior comes up for us, I believe we’re being asked to persevere, to not surrender. The Warrior asks: can you give a little bit more? (If you’re like me, you’re rolling your eyes at this point. But I do think it’s worthwhile to stick this one out.)
In the light, the Warrior epitomizes loyalty and devotion. They have a mastery of themselves and their skills to the degree that fighting is a last resort. When they do have to fight, the Warrior in the light fights FOR something rather than against. This one possesses tremendous courage and is the embodiment of this virtue.
Another bit of Substack synchronicity…when I began thinking about the Warrior archetype, the Bhagavad Gita came to mind, which is a story in Hindu mythology. In this story, Arjuna, a great warrior, stops his chariot just before rushing into battle. The army he’s supposed to engage is made up of his relatives and he doesn’t want to fight them. He then gets all kinds of advice from his charioteer (who turns out to be a god) about the importance of one’s dharma. As a very oversimplified definition, our dharma is the path we walk and it involves making decisions based on right living.
Just as I was pondering all this, another Substack friend,
sent out a post about this exact thing. This line in her post about the Bhagavad Gita really struck me as the core of the Warrior in the light:It takes tremendous courage to live one’s dharma.2
In the face of hardship, when all we want to do is say, “Fuck it (whether as a giving up or giving in),” it’s the Warrior in the light that gives us the courage to stay on our path.
The shadow Warrior, on the other hand, brings to us what one of my teachers would call “a power mix-up.” This one fights in order to get a sense of power, or domination, over something outside of them. Sometimes the Warrior in the shadow gets a sense of purpose, or identity, from the fight (much like the shadow Rescuer) and so they need the fight to continue in order to feel okay. Most commonly, however, the shadow Warrior simply doesn’t fight when it’s needed, such as when we don’t stand up for ourselves or continually allow our boundaries to be violated.
Some questions to consider this week:
What are you being called to fight for?
What skills has your inner Warrior helped you develop?
When have you felt unable to stay on your path?
How do feel about the idea of perseverance?
Justice
In this card, we see a crowned figure seated on a throne and wearing a rich, red robe. They are seated between two pillars, which tells us that this is a liminal figure, a third pillar, a between-the-poles-of-duality sort of situation. In their right hand is the sword of discernment and in their left is a set of scales.
To me, this card is all about returning to center. In fact, even as I look at it, my eye is drawn to the center. The upward-pointing sword and downward-pointing scales guide my gaze to the middle point between them.
Rather than carrying a message of right and wrong in any sort of concrete form, or having anything to do with punishment, I think Justice is the perpetual motion towards equilibrium. With every choice we make, there are consequences and impact, things that add weight to one side of the scale or the other. Justice asks us to come back to center and balance the scales. When life knocks us off our path, Justice asks us to respond by making the necessary adjustments to return to alignment.
How does this pair work together?
What I see here is the Warrior adding weight to one side of the scales of Justice, then to the other, and back again to the first. Tirelessly going back and forth, making all the adjustments, to bring the scales of Justice to balance.
This is our task this week: can we keep doing whatever is necessary to bring about balance this week? Maybe we’ll need to exercise a little more; eat a little healthier; take a nap instead of work; work instead of take a nap; do more or do less; but do whatever it takes to not simply succumb to imbalance.
I have to admit that I feel very personally called out by this week’s message. For a long time, I’ve had a bad attitude towards our culture’s tendency to soldier/warrior on, to push through the pain. So now it feels like the Universe is saying, “Here, try it out anyway.” But the fact that this Warrior mentality is paired with Justice, and so the fight is for balance, helps me appreciate it a little more. And knowing that I’m in this with all of you makes it feel bearable. (Does anyone else think this feels like a more forceful version of last week’s message with the Mediator?) I’d love to know what all of you think of the Warrior and Justice. Please reply to this email or comment below.
I've been extremely befuddled having 'Justice' show up intensely throughout a Tarot reading week... and I - of course given my own guiding words - senses it's role in my current status of living and what I am working diligently in creating for myself... yet,
Your ideology.... wherein Justice and the Warrior present themselves unified in actions - "the Warrior in the light fights FOR something rather than against" - as is so common to place the warrior in the position of 'offense' for some enemy against the virtues a (healthy) warrior lives for.
Yet, if removing the identity of enemy in mind/state - and let live the warrior for the cultivation of battle IN the creation of [something] - I feel can bring a holistic sense to "both sides of the battle" - ie: that there is a connect between opposing forces, and a rightly-lightly focused Warrior can stand between them and bring both complexities into the higher understandings between the opposing forces.
"To fight for the Balancing Justice of the World"
That goes to say, there are still 'very powerful evils' in the world - that will continue to instigate the injustices of [said world]... so - in opposition of those forces - the long winded question: What can be created [within current strength] to build up those on the desecrated 'border of being' - and uplift them to where their Dharma can be expressed - wherein, allowing reflection for the overpowering to themselves?
The concept... that the tools of 'the system' can be used to destroy [said system]. Use that which destroys Us - to destroy itself...
Balance?
And to finish... re-bringing to mind the role of the warrior- to protect the outer walls of [the castle] so - the lovers, initiates, magic workers, gardeners - can cultivate the [inner garden]. We must, at the least, know HOW to defend the inner sanctum...
“It is better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war.”
― Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
Jenna,
I have been sitting with this one, as I often do with your posts, wondering about my relationship with each of these: warrior and justice. Like you, I have struggled with the warrior archetype, which tells me to look around for some shadow hiding in the corner. I see from your reflections, discipline and perseverance, and it would seem to me that justice cannot be served, i.e., balance cannot *be* without the mitigating force of discipline . . . putting up guard rails when we might otherwise drift or glide off.
Of course, then, these two were pulled in combination this week.
Now I am in harmony with the warrior. 🥰