Does Love and Compassion weaken a Warrior?
The Pen and Sword Journal - Vol 24
This week, I delayed publishing this article because I've been focused on caring for my 12-year-old Labrador dog, before she passed away. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Everything unfolded rapidly; just three weeks ago, she showed no symptoms. While some may think grieving for a dog is excessive, my dog, Aki (meaning Autumn in Japanese), was like a family member to me. Going through the natural phases of grief is essential. If I try to suppress these emotions, it could have detrimental effects in the long term.
With that in mind, I've chosen to focus today's article on a question that's been on my mind lately: Can love and compassion weaken a warrior?
We will see more about this by first looking into two fundamental aspects of our psyche separately at first. There is one of my favorite books, called King, Warrior, Magician, Lover that talks about the four main archetypes of the Masculine Psyche. I believe this is not limited to the masculine psyche, but they manifest in their form in the Feminine Psyche as well. History has known many women that manifested the Queen archetype, or many warrior women like Onna-bugeisha in Japan, just to name a few.
In this article, I will focus on the Warrior Archetype, and the Lover Archetype. We will see if these two are contradictory and cancel each-other, or if there is a way for both these archetypes to co-exist in balance within us. Well, they both exist whether we acknowledge them or not, like the other archetypes of the King/Queen and Magician do. The real question is, are we nurturing them? Are we balancing them? Or are we accessing them through what is known as their Shadow Forms?
The Shadow Form in Psychodynamics is a raw and unprocessed aspect of our psyche. For example, in the case of the Warrior Archetype, accessing it fully means using our strength to achieve our goals, to protect what we love, fight injustice, and more. This requires mindfulness, self-awareness, and introspection. On the other hand, the Shadow Pole of the Warrior Archetype uses that same strength to oppress others, to attack, to bully and even towards oneself in many masochistic forms.
The manifestation of the Warrior Archetype
One of the warrior’s characteristics is aggressiveness. However, in today’s society, we often treat this term as an exact synonym of violence and rage. From a point of view it’s understandable, because in the course of history we have accessed the warrior energy from one of its shadow form, which is the Sadist. This phenomenon can be seen from school yards to major scale wars. The sadist includes bullying behavior, and many psychologists believe it is in reality a manifestation of repressed infantile rage.
Aggressiveness is ingrained in our psyche and deeply embedded in our DNA. Instead of questioning whether we should embrace it, the real focus should be on understanding how to channel this inherent aggressiveness in a positive and constructive manner, rather than suppressing it. Repressing aspects of our warrior instincts may lead to their resurfacing in harmful ways. In my therapeutic experiences, I've observed individuals who, by suppressing confrontation at home, manifest destructive aggressiveness as bullying behavior in the workplace, and vice versa. Some resort to passive-aggressive tendencies, building emotional walls with those around them. Tragically, I've also witnessed instances where individuals harm themselves as a misguided outlet for their pent-up aggressiveness.
What are some examples of proper use of aggressiveness?
It could be you holding your ground against a controlling parent, and standing for your independence, by not allowing them to force their choices into you.
It could be confronting a bully at work or at school, or it could be not being afraid to ask for a deserved raise.
It could be manifested as a goal, an ambition at work or in life in general. Here surfaces another aspect of the Warrior Archetype. Oftentimes, the Warrior has a path where he dedicates his life. This path is often known in Japan as Dō, or Darma in Hinduism. You hear about it in every civilization, with different names, but its essence is the same. This path is a more psychological and spiritual one, that is manifested through something we dedicate our lives to. It can be a martial art, a sport, a business or science carrier, ideals, a combination of many, and more.
Simultaneously, the positive expression of aggressiveness can be channeled into our internal struggles, fostering qualities like self-discipline and courage.
Considering all these aspects, the issue lies not in the Warrior Energy itself but in the choices we make in directing it. This perspective holds true for another manifestation—the Magician Archetype, exemplified in science. A scientist may use their expertise to contribute to curing diseases or, alternatively, aid billion-dollar pharmaceutical companies at the expense of public health. The key distinction lies in how one harnesses their strengths.
History attests to many civilizations were destroyed by outer invaders because they cultivated all other aspects like art, science, politics, without properly cultivating the warrior aspect as well.
If I were to simplify the manifestation of the Warrior Archetype, I would categorize it broadly into two directions: offense and defense. This entails taking the initiative to achieve both external and internal goals and standing resilient in the face of adversity. However, it's crucial to recognize that life transcends the dichotomy of offense and defense; it also involves aspects such as letting go, moving forward, and embracing change. These represent manifestations of other dimensions within our spirit, highlighting that our identity extends beyond the sole archetype of warriors.
How does someone know how to channel Warrior Energy
Two fundamental elements play a crucial role in balancing warrior energy: clarity of thinking and the infusion of love and compassion. Clarity of thinking represents the manifestation of the Magician Archetype, while love and compassion are integral to the Lover Archetype within us.
An ideal equilibrium requires a harmonious blend of all archetypes. Relying solely on pure Warrior Energy can lead to destructive outcomes. Combining Warrior and Magician Energy grants the clarity to discern when a battle is not advantageous, but without the influence of Lover Energy, one may lack the restraint born out of respect and compassion for others' lives. The inclusion of the King/Queen Archetype ensures that a warrior knows when to halt actions in alignment with laws benefiting the greater good of society. Hence, a balanced integration of all four archetypes, with a vigilant avoidance of their Shadow Forms, is essential for our holistic development.
Answering the original question: Does Love and Compassion weaken a Warrior?
The short answer is No. The Lover archetype brings us closer with the fragility and vulnerability of life. It helps us understand others, connect with them, empathize, sympathize and nurture healthy relationships.
All these qualities are necessary to happily coexist in our society. Otherwise, we would end up living as hermits in mountains and forests. Surely there are short periods that it’s healthy to take some alone space and reconnect with our center, but most of the time, we live and engage in a society. As the philosopher Aristotle wrote:
He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god. Nature does nothing without purpose or uselessly.
For many individuals, the love they feel for their family, friends, and country serves as a powerful source of strength. This desire to protect can propel them to overcome various limits and engage in full-fledged battles.
Compassion, too, plays a crucial role in tempering the warrior's strength, preventing the descent into sadistic and egotistic tendencies. Simultaneously, the combination of compassion and clarity of thinking enables us to discern the appropriateness of different forms of aggressiveness and evaluate whether a battle is worth fighting at all.
Yet, there are some cases where the Lover can indeed hinder the expression of the Warrior within us. That is the case where we access the Lover Archetype through its Shadow Forms. When under the influence of the Lover archetype, a man succumbs to his sensuality. Pleasure transforms into a necessity, and desire evolves into an insatiable craving.
The Shadow Lover becomes adrift without the balancing influence of other archetypes. Lost in an overwhelming sensory experience, the smallest external stimuli divert them from their path. Pursuing everything, they discover a lack of clarity in their desires. By eschewing constraints on sensual encounters, personal power is relinquished to pleasures, ultimately leading to their domination.
Remember what I said before that the Warrior is devoted to his Life Path? Well, in this case, when the Lover goes out of control, he diverts all the energy needed to pursue one’s goals only to overfill oneself with the objects of their desire. In this case, something we love and enjoy becomes an addiction, and even mania in some extreme cases.
Some examples I witnessed in my life are:
Someone who was very dedicated to his business, but started to neglect it after meeting a romantic partner he madly fell in love with. To me, it seemed more like an obsession, which is one of the manifestations of the Shadow Lover.
A friend of mine who was dedicated to make the society better by helping poor people and stray animals, until he fell prey to a cult. Cults are very dangerous, because they target people with unfulfilled aspects of the Lover Archetype and use them to gain control over people.
Another friend of mine obsession with a virtual video game reality who started to neglect university and went from being a top-student to failing that year. In this case, this virtual reality serves as an escape to the difficult aspects of the real world. According to many psychologists, this escape symbolically represents the “Mother’s Womb”, a safe incubator when one is protected from the perceived harsh reality. This too is another aspect related to the Shadow of the Lover Archetype, and is a challenge we all face sooner or later.
Does this mean that is wrong to fall in love and dedicate our time to a life partner. Does this mean we should enjoy our free time playing videogames or other activities? Definitely not. The point here is to keep a balance between the time we dedicate towards our Path, and the time we dedicate to enjoy other pleasures in life. We should be aware and mindful of this balance. One of the red flags that shows that we are diverting from our path, is that we start to postpone or skip daily tasks often, for the sake of pleasure.
PS: Does this mean one should not go to cults? That's a big YES. Stay away from cults.
Keeping this balance is part of our daily challange. As the wise said, “Nothing in excess”. The simple and beautiful things in life, become more enjoyable after we did what needed to be done for the day, and then we enjoy quality time with what is precious to us.
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Much respect! 🙏