The warrior shows up for us in different ways.
What does it mean to be a warrior?
" I call myself a warrior - a peaceful warrior - because the real battles we face are inside us"
- Dan Millman
A warrior is a man or a woman who is not afraid to step out of their comfort zone.
A warrior is someone who is willing to try something new.
They are unafraid to follow the unchartered path or try an unknown method, regardless of the outcome.
A warrior feel fear and acknowledges that it is a part of discovering the warrior within them.
It is when we feel fear and stay with that feeling, asking ourselves what is the worst that can happen? This is when we move from fear to curiosity. It is at this place of curiosity that our warrior is awakened.
My son has always loved dolphins and while we were on a trip to Hawaii, we went on a boat trip. It was a choppy day at sea, a pod of wild spinner dolphins came to play around our boat. I knew that he wanted to get into the water and swim but I also knew that he was afraid. He has always been a warrior when it comes to any physical sport, something I admire in him. He is not afraid to try something new even if he has no clue how it will work out.
He got into the sea tentatively and swam with the spinning dolphins. He acknowledged his warrior spirit when he got into the water with the dolphins. He told me later that he felt fear but it was amazing to be swimming with the dolphins. He swam above and below the ocean surface, exploring his own uncharted path. His warrior energy is physical and of an athlete.
My younger son is an extrovert and has always been. He can easily walk up to anyone no matter how old or young. He can converse in a crowded room or in a small gathering. He has an empathetic way of intuiting, listening in and hearing peoples stories. If he notices that someone might be experiencing distress, he will ask them relevant questions around that. It puts the other person at ease, I admire this fearlessness in him.
His warrior energy is that of a social warrior.
"I view every human being on planet Earth as a peaceful warrior in training, engaged in a variety of personal challenges in the school of daily life, learning to face ourselves, and the world, with a peaceful heart and a warrior spirit"
- Dan Millman - Way of the Peaceful Warrior
When we begin to dig deeply,
listen to our own intuition,
explore why,
questioning ideas and beliefs,
dropping into feelings of fear,
then it is in this process that we become our own spiritual warriors.
Sometimes we are warriors in some aspects of our lives and not so much in other areas. Part of our warrior spirit's challenge is to embrace the aspects of ourselves that we are not so brave in and coax that part to shine too. It is often by taking small steps and gently guiding ourselves out of that comfort zone by setting attainable goals for ourselves that we begin to discover the whole warrior within us. Learning and growing from the lessons life presents to us, and asking why am I feeling this and what am I to learn from this experience?
Poem of a Spiritual Warrior
" I choose to dare greatly by being true to my own ideas and values.
I choose to stay curious and learn by listening to and observing others without judgement.
In my heart of hearts I am a sensitive soul with an abundance of love to share and receive.
I want to learn to express more of myself to the world and MOSTLY to myself.
Teaching me to be aware of what I like"
- Hemla