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How to Access Your Inner Warrior: Warrior Mind Podcast #438
Over four years and going
strong! With over 800,000 downloads from
over 9 countries and 5 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.
In this episode of the
Warrior Mind Podcast I’m going to discuss how to access your inner warrior
archetype for peak performance.
Access Your Inner Warrior
The
Warrior in His Fullness
Moore says that “The
characteristics of the Warrior in his fullness amount to a total way of life,
what the samurai called a do (pronounced ‘do’). These characteristics
constitute the Warrior Dharma, Ma’at, or Tao, a spiritual or psychological path
through life.”
What are these
characteristics? Let’s take a look.
Note: While here we use the
language of the martial warrior, the characteristics can be applied to any
man’s life mission, whether civilian or true solider.
21st
Century Aspects
- Powerful Male Energy
- Discernment
- Setting and Protecting Boundaries
- Awareness of Death
- Self-control
- A Set of Principles
- Emotional Detachment
- Destruction and Renewal
How
To Be A Powerful Warrior
- Make
Friends with AngerControl
Your RageFind
a Physical Outlet That Matches Your Warrior’s NeedsStop
Being Passive and Get Your Balls BackDo
Your Personal WorkLive
with Integrity and AuthenticityGet
Male Support
The Warrior is the part of
us which goes out into the world and gets things done – on the orders of the
King. He’s an action taker, but a principled one, and he servers his King in
support of a cause he believes in.
His internal discipline
controls his rage. His anger is
channeled appropriately for the situation he is in. That many be simply
presenting the energy of action in the world, it may be showing assertiveness,
or it may be establishing clear boundaries.
When necessary, the Warrior
acts with clean anger to provide the energy of offensive or defense action when
that is needed to protect the things and people for whom he is responsible.
He may feel fear, but that
will not prevent him from executing the King’s Mission in the world, nor from
bringing to an end those things which no longer serve the Kingdom.
Enjoy
this podcast on how to access your inner warrior
How
To Access Your Inner Warrior Continued
Traditional
Aspects
Aggressive
If you look up the word
“aggressive” in the dictionary, these are the definitions you’ll find:
1. characterized by or
tending toward unprovoked offensives, attacks, invasions, or the like;
militantly forward or menacing
2. making an all-out effort
to win or succeed; competitive
3. vigorously energetic,
especially in the use of initiative and forcefulness
Of the three definitions,
the first is most popular in modern culture. Something unprovoked, out of line.
Notice how often “overly” precedes “aggressive” in common parlance. Aggression
may also bring to mind military policies a person does not agree with. In
general, it has a negative connotation.
But true aggression should
be thought of in the context of the second two dictionary entries. Effort.
Energy. Initiative. Force. Aggression is a neutral tool that can be harnessed
for either ill or good. How it is channeled makes all the difference. A man who
does not harness his aggression at all picks a fight with everyone and about
everything; his relationships fail and he is stunted in his personal
development. The man who reins in his aggression too much becomes the
stereotypical weenie Nice Guy–proper aggression turns into passive aggression.
He is too “polite” to go after what he wants, and he’s seething inside because
of it. A man who has successfully integrated the Warrior archetype harnesses
his aggression as the force that pushes him to compete to be the best and moves
him ever forward towards his goals.
Purpose
Of course, that proper use
of aggression presupposes that a man has goals that he’s striving towards in
the first place. A man has to have a clear and definite purpose in life, or he
will feel lost and restless, like he is drifting along instead of marching
ahead.
Mindful
The mindfulness of the
Warrior is two-fold. First, he is always alert and awake, ever vigilant. He has
keen situational awareness. He never lets complacency lull him to sleep;
instead, he is always watching, observing, studying, and planning. Secondly,
the Warrior is mindful of the finiteness of life and the inevitably of death,
and he purposefully contemplates that death. His courage is rooted in the fact
that he is not afraid to die. Life’s shortness brings clarity to his mind. He
knows that any minute could be his last, so he makes every day and decision
count. Carpe diem! becomes his battle cry.
Adaptable
During the Revolutionary
War, the Continental Army knew that it could not match the man and fire power
of the British. So instead of facing them down on a field for a traditional
battle, the minutemen took to the woods and launched surprise hit and run
attacks on the enemy. This is the way of the Warrior; he is a guerrilla
fighter. When he’s up against great odds, he bucks convention and uses his
cleverness and his strategic intelligence to find creative ways to turn the
tide in his favor. He is an efficient fighter–he studies the weaknesses of his
opponents and concentrates his strikes there. He is flexible and able to
respond to change by shifting tactics on the fly.
Minimalist
The key to successful
guerrilla warfare is the fighter’s ability to travel light. While the
traditional force has power in its superior resources, those resources also
weigh and slow them down. The guerrilla fighter strips away all superfluities
and excess baggage; he carries only what he needs and is thus quick and nimble,
able to be two steps ahead of the enemy.
Decisive
In times of peace or crisis,
whether for big things or small, the Warrior is able to boldly make decisions.
He doesn’t stand there shilly-shally, wondering what he should do, scared of
choosing the wrong option. He is calm and cool under pressure. Once he makes a
decision, he unhesitatingly moves on it because he does not live in regret. The
Warrior is able to be so decisive because he trains so thoroughly for these
moments; he is prepared. He thinks about all possible contingencies and what he
would do in each situation before the crisis arrives. When the crisis does
come, his mind and body already instinctively know what to do.
Skillful
Part of the Warrior’s
confidence in his decisions is rooted in his supreme competence. Accordingly,
to Moore, “The Warrior’s energy is concerned with skill, power, and accuracy.”
The Warrior “has absolute mastery of the technology of his trade…the technology
that enables him to reach his goal. He has developed skill with the ‘weapons’
he uses to implement his decisions.”
Loyal
If you remember, the Hero is
the boyhood archetype which matures into the Warrior archetype. Part of this
maturation process centers on a shift in a man’s loyalties. Moore argues that
“The Hero’s loyalty…is really to himself–to impressing himself with himself and
to impressing others.” The Warrior’s loyalties, on the other hand, “are to
something beyond and other than himself and his own concerns.” The Warrior’s
loyalty centers on “a cause, a god, a people, a task, a nation–larger than
individuals.” The Warrior has a “central commitment” around which he organizes
his life. His life’s purpose is rooted in ideals and principles, which
naturally strips away superfluities and pettiness and brings his life great
meaning.
Disciplined
The Warrior has mastered himself
in body and mind. His power is rooted in self-control. He knows when to be
aggressive and how aggressive to be. He
is the master of his energies, releasing them and pulling them back as he
chooses. He decides the attitude he will take in a certain situation, instead
of letting the situation dictate how he feels. Unlike the boyhood Hero
archetype, the Warrior understands his limits; he takes calculated instead of
unnecessary risks. His discipline also frees him of a fear of pain. Feeble,
mediocre men believe all pain is bad. The Warrior knows there is bad pain and
good pain. He is willing, even eager to withstand psychological and physical
pain on the path to his goals. He’s the kind of man who subscribes to the “pain
is just weakness leaving the body” philosophy; he relishes difficulty because
it makes him stronger.
Emotionally
Detached
Not all the time, but when
he is in Warrior mode. To complete his mission, the Warrior must be emotionally
detached–from the fear and doubt generated by his own feelings, from the
intimidation emanating from his enemy, and from the “shoulds” and demands put
on him by friends and family. The Warrior needs the kind of mental clarity that
only comes from single-minded purpose, or as Moore puts it, “The Warrior needs
room to swing his sword.”
Switching off that emotional
detachment when away from the mission represents the great challenge for the
Warrior. The inability to do so can result in one of the Warrior’s shadows.
Creative
Destroyer
The Warrior is the archetype
of destruction. However, the Warrior in his fullness only destroys in order to
“make room for something new and fresh and more alive.” His is an act of
creative destruction–he doesn’t tear things down simply for the pleasure of
doing so. We call upon the Warrior archetype when we quit bad habits and
replace them with better ones or when we get rid of people in our lives who
bring us down and surround ourselves with people who edify.
Accessing
The Warrior
If you’re accessing your
inner Warrior appropriately, you’ll experience energy, decisiveness, and
courage. You’ll see through bullshit and understand what needs to be done and
find the resolve to do it. You’ll find your “hardness”. You’ll find yourself
able to “attack” for the greater good, such as making a friend or a loved one
feel bad about something they did when they really should feel bad about it,
either for their own good or for another’s. You’ll set boundaries and see that
people keep to them.
Without any of the other
archetypes, you’d by a rigid asshole. But then, that’s why we have the others.
Exercises
to Access Your Inner Warrior
Give some thought to when,
where, how and how much the Warrior express (or does not express) itself in
your life.
- How
much or how little is the Warrior expressed in your life? Has it been expressed
more in the past or present? Do you see it emerging more in your future? Is it
expressed more at work, at home, with friends, in dreams or fantasies?
- Who
are some friends, relatives, co-workers, and others who seem influenced by the
archetype of the Warrior?
- Is
there anything you wish were different about the expression of the Warrior in
your life?
- Since
each archetype expresses itself in many different ways, take some time to
describe or otherwise portray, i.e. draw, collage, use a picture of yourself in
a particular custom or pose, the Warrior as it is expressed or could be
expressed in your life. What does or would it look like? How does or would act?
In what setting does or would it feel most at home?
For
a more in-depth discussion about this topic request your Introductory
Consultation.
Subscribe
to the Warrior Mind Podcast HERE.
Related Posts
View all episodes
By Gregg Swanson
4
5757 ratings
Over four years and going
strong! With over 800,000 downloads from
over 9 countries and 5 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.
In this episode of the
Warrior Mind Podcast I’m going to discuss how to access your inner warrior
archetype for peak performance.
Access Your Inner Warrior
The
Warrior in His Fullness
Moore says that “The
characteristics of the Warrior in his fullness amount to a total way of life,
what the samurai called a do (pronounced ‘do’). These characteristics
constitute the Warrior Dharma, Ma’at, or Tao, a spiritual or psychological path
through life.”
What are these
characteristics? Let’s take a look.
Note: While here we use the
language of the martial warrior, the characteristics can be applied to any
man’s life mission, whether civilian or true solider.
21st
Century Aspects
- Powerful Male Energy
- Discernment
- Setting and Protecting Boundaries
- Awareness of Death
- Self-control
- A Set of Principles
- Emotional Detachment
- Destruction and Renewal
How
To Be A Powerful Warrior
- Make
Friends with AngerControl
Your RageFind
a Physical Outlet That Matches Your Warrior’s NeedsStop
Being Passive and Get Your Balls BackDo
Your Personal WorkLive
with Integrity and AuthenticityGet
Male Support
The Warrior is the part of
us which goes out into the world and gets things done – on the orders of the
King. He’s an action taker, but a principled one, and he servers his King in
support of a cause he believes in.
His internal discipline
controls his rage. His anger is
channeled appropriately for the situation he is in. That many be simply
presenting the energy of action in the world, it may be showing assertiveness,
or it may be establishing clear boundaries.
When necessary, the Warrior
acts with clean anger to provide the energy of offensive or defense action when
that is needed to protect the things and people for whom he is responsible.
He may feel fear, but that
will not prevent him from executing the King’s Mission in the world, nor from
bringing to an end those things which no longer serve the Kingdom.
Enjoy
this podcast on how to access your inner warrior
How
To Access Your Inner Warrior Continued
Traditional
Aspects
Aggressive
If you look up the word
“aggressive” in the dictionary, these are the definitions you’ll find:
1. characterized by or
tending toward unprovoked offensives, attacks, invasions, or the like;
militantly forward or menacing
2. making an all-out effort
to win or succeed; competitive
3. vigorously energetic,
especially in the use of initiative and forcefulness
Of the three definitions,
the first is most popular in modern culture. Something unprovoked, out of line.
Notice how often “overly” precedes “aggressive” in common parlance. Aggression
may also bring to mind military policies a person does not agree with. In
general, it has a negative connotation.
But true aggression should
be thought of in the context of the second two dictionary entries. Effort.
Energy. Initiative. Force. Aggression is a neutral tool that can be harnessed
for either ill or good. How it is channeled makes all the difference. A man who
does not harness his aggression at all picks a fight with everyone and about
everything; his relationships fail and he is stunted in his personal
development. The man who reins in his aggression too much becomes the
stereotypical weenie Nice Guy–proper aggression turns into passive aggression.
He is too “polite” to go after what he wants, and he’s seething inside because
of it. A man who has successfully integrated the Warrior archetype harnesses
his aggression as the force that pushes him to compete to be the best and moves
him ever forward towards his goals.
Purpose
Of course, that proper use
of aggression presupposes that a man has goals that he’s striving towards in
the first place. A man has to have a clear and definite purpose in life, or he
will feel lost and restless, like he is drifting along instead of marching
ahead.
Mindful
The mindfulness of the
Warrior is two-fold. First, he is always alert and awake, ever vigilant. He has
keen situational awareness. He never lets complacency lull him to sleep;
instead, he is always watching, observing, studying, and planning. Secondly,
the Warrior is mindful of the finiteness of life and the inevitably of death,
and he purposefully contemplates that death. His courage is rooted in the fact
that he is not afraid to die. Life’s shortness brings clarity to his mind. He
knows that any minute could be his last, so he makes every day and decision
count. Carpe diem! becomes his battle cry.
Adaptable
During the Revolutionary
War, the Continental Army knew that it could not match the man and fire power
of the British. So instead of facing them down on a field for a traditional
battle, the minutemen took to the woods and launched surprise hit and run
attacks on the enemy. This is the way of the Warrior; he is a guerrilla
fighter. When he’s up against great odds, he bucks convention and uses his
cleverness and his strategic intelligence to find creative ways to turn the
tide in his favor. He is an efficient fighter–he studies the weaknesses of his
opponents and concentrates his strikes there. He is flexible and able to
respond to change by shifting tactics on the fly.
Minimalist
The key to successful
guerrilla warfare is the fighter’s ability to travel light. While the
traditional force has power in its superior resources, those resources also
weigh and slow them down. The guerrilla fighter strips away all superfluities
and excess baggage; he carries only what he needs and is thus quick and nimble,
able to be two steps ahead of the enemy.
Decisive
In times of peace or crisis,
whether for big things or small, the Warrior is able to boldly make decisions.
He doesn’t stand there shilly-shally, wondering what he should do, scared of
choosing the wrong option. He is calm and cool under pressure. Once he makes a
decision, he unhesitatingly moves on it because he does not live in regret. The
Warrior is able to be so decisive because he trains so thoroughly for these
moments; he is prepared. He thinks about all possible contingencies and what he
would do in each situation before the crisis arrives. When the crisis does
come, his mind and body already instinctively know what to do.
Skillful
Part of the Warrior’s
confidence in his decisions is rooted in his supreme competence. Accordingly,
to Moore, “The Warrior’s energy is concerned with skill, power, and accuracy.”
The Warrior “has absolute mastery of the technology of his trade…the technology
that enables him to reach his goal. He has developed skill with the ‘weapons’
he uses to implement his decisions.”
Loyal
If you remember, the Hero is
the boyhood archetype which matures into the Warrior archetype. Part of this
maturation process centers on a shift in a man’s loyalties. Moore argues that
“The Hero’s loyalty…is really to himself–to impressing himself with himself and
to impressing others.” The Warrior’s loyalties, on the other hand, “are to
something beyond and other than himself and his own concerns.” The Warrior’s
loyalty centers on “a cause, a god, a people, a task, a nation–larger than
individuals.” The Warrior has a “central commitment” around which he organizes
his life. His life’s purpose is rooted in ideals and principles, which
naturally strips away superfluities and pettiness and brings his life great
meaning.
Disciplined
The Warrior has mastered himself
in body and mind. His power is rooted in self-control. He knows when to be
aggressive and how aggressive to be. He
is the master of his energies, releasing them and pulling them back as he
chooses. He decides the attitude he will take in a certain situation, instead
of letting the situation dictate how he feels. Unlike the boyhood Hero
archetype, the Warrior understands his limits; he takes calculated instead of
unnecessary risks. His discipline also frees him of a fear of pain. Feeble,
mediocre men believe all pain is bad. The Warrior knows there is bad pain and
good pain. He is willing, even eager to withstand psychological and physical
pain on the path to his goals. He’s the kind of man who subscribes to the “pain
is just weakness leaving the body” philosophy; he relishes difficulty because
it makes him stronger.
Emotionally
Detached
Not all the time, but when
he is in Warrior mode. To complete his mission, the Warrior must be emotionally
detached–from the fear and doubt generated by his own feelings, from the
intimidation emanating from his enemy, and from the “shoulds” and demands put
on him by friends and family. The Warrior needs the kind of mental clarity that
only comes from single-minded purpose, or as Moore puts it, “The Warrior needs
room to swing his sword.”
Switching off that emotional
detachment when away from the mission represents the great challenge for the
Warrior. The inability to do so can result in one of the Warrior’s shadows.
Creative
Destroyer
The Warrior is the archetype
of destruction. However, the Warrior in his fullness only destroys in order to
“make room for something new and fresh and more alive.” His is an act of
creative destruction–he doesn’t tear things down simply for the pleasure of
doing so. We call upon the Warrior archetype when we quit bad habits and
replace them with better ones or when we get rid of people in our lives who
bring us down and surround ourselves with people who edify.
Accessing
The Warrior
If you’re accessing your
inner Warrior appropriately, you’ll experience energy, decisiveness, and
courage. You’ll see through bullshit and understand what needs to be done and
find the resolve to do it. You’ll find your “hardness”. You’ll find yourself
able to “attack” for the greater good, such as making a friend or a loved one
feel bad about something they did when they really should feel bad about it,
either for their own good or for another’s. You’ll set boundaries and see that
people keep to them.
Without any of the other
archetypes, you’d by a rigid asshole. But then, that’s why we have the others.
Exercises
to Access Your Inner Warrior
Give some thought to when,
where, how and how much the Warrior express (or does not express) itself in
your life.
- How
much or how little is the Warrior expressed in your life? Has it been expressed
more in the past or present? Do you see it emerging more in your future? Is it
expressed more at work, at home, with friends, in dreams or fantasies?
- Who
are some friends, relatives, co-workers, and others who seem influenced by the
archetype of the Warrior?
- Is
there anything you wish were different about the expression of the Warrior in
your life?
- Since
each archetype expresses itself in many different ways, take some time to
describe or otherwise portray, i.e. draw, collage, use a picture of yourself in
a particular custom or pose, the Warrior as it is expressed or could be
expressed in your life. What does or would it look like? How does or would act?
In what setting does or would it feel most at home?
For
a more in-depth discussion about this topic request your Introductory
Consultation.
Subscribe
to the Warrior Mind Podcast HERE.
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