"I just realized something, something that really never occured to me before. We are going to win." Buffy Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The warrior archetype is a piece of the larger archetype of "hero" according to Analytical psychology. All heros embark on a journey, which in Jungian terms can be called the process of individuation. The road to discovery of the "Self" according to Carl Jung. Many of our hero's and warriors have been personafied as male characters-we only have to think of Luke Skywalker; Aragorn from Lord of the Rings; or Neo from The Matrix for modern interpretation of the warrior hero. However, there are also relevant female warrior heros. The character of Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a good example. Buffy has been a favorite of mine while working as a therapist with girls and young women, because she is a modern and relatable archetype long buried in our culture.
The Ancient Greeks were the last European civilization to include reasonably healthy feminine archetypes. Of the twelve Gods in Olympus, five of them were women. Until very recently, though, we only embraced three of the feminine archetypes. Women could be sex objects, in which case they connected with the archetype of Aphrodite (or Venus, in the Roman pantheon), the Goddess of Love, Desire and Beauty. Women could be wives, in which case they connected with the archetype of Hera, the wife of Zeus and the Goddess of Marriage—who, despite her tremendous strength and cunning, was repeatedly forced to be subservient to her philandering husband. And women could be mothers, in which case they connected with the archetype of Hestia, the Goddess of the Hearth and protector of the home. These three archetypes embodied the sum total of the feminine for more than 2,000 years. The male ego successfully suppressed the powerful female archetypes of Athena and Artemis, who collectively embody feminine strength, skill and mastery.
Athena was the Goddess of Wisdom, Reason and Purity. Severing our connection to her archetype was no small feat, as Athena was one of the most revered and respected of all of the Olympians. In fact, the city of Athens is named after her. Athena was fair, just, and an incredibly powerful warrior. She was the embodiment of feminine strength. While Ares, the God of War (and the Greek counterpart to Mars, the Roman God of War) was wantonly destructive, childish, violent, aggressive, and ultimately a coward, Athena was proud, strong, and courageous. More importantly, Athena would only fight in order to defend the city—she would never initiate any conflicts, and she always preferred diplomacy to warfare.
Athena is the archetype of the female warrior. Female warriors are in no way inferior to male warriors: Time and again, women have proved that they are in every way equal to men on the battlefield. The difference is that female warriors do not fight in the same way that male warriors do, nor do they fight for the same reasons. Male warriors fight to attack, while female warriors fight to defend. The female warrior archetype has returned, however. We see it when Sarah Michelle Gellar beats up vampires and saves the world (while still maintaining every ounce of her femininity) in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, is the archetype of the female athlete. In every way, she was the equal of her brother, Apollo. Artemis has returned as a useful archetype for women today, thanks to the popularity of women’s athletics. Women now have role models and opportunities to explore their physical strength, and test and improve their skills through competitive sports.
We have always measured “masculinity” based on strength, power, and skill, but these qualities are as present in women as they are in men. Women were supposed to be delicate flowers who needed men to protect them. The truth, however, is that while men may have the edge over women in terms of brute strength, that women often surpass men in skill and dexterity. Once we take biology and reproduction out of the equation, men and women are very evenly matched. So what then, are the truly “masculine” and “feminine” qualities? The masculine principle is focused, expressive, and direct. The feminine principle is diffuse, intuitive, and receptive.
The feminine principle provides the container to support the masculine energy. Masculine energy expands, and feminine energy contracts. Any action can be “masculine” or “feminine” in nature, depending on how it is applied. Warrior energy on its own is neither masculine nor feminine. It becomes masculine when we attack in order to expand our borders; it becomes feminine when we fight to defend and protect our tribe from invasion.
It’s true that men tend to be more in touch with the more “masculine” or yang aspects, while women tend to be more in touch with the more “feminine” or yin aspects. But not being aware of or familiar with our complimentary nature doesn’t mean that we can’t learn about it and express it. This, in fact, is the reason that men and women form relationships with each other. Our partners are our mirrors, and when men and women relate to each other—whether that relationship is sexual or not—what we see reflected is our complimentary nature. We see the parts of ourselves that we haven’t integrated or owned yet. And through our relationships with the opposite gender, we learn how to connect with and own these parts of ourselves, and experience true balance. We need to learn to acknowledge, accept and embrace these two complimentary natures. We each have both Mars and Venus within us, and we need to learn how to appreciate and express them both.
Many believe that the road to the knowing the "Self" is a solitary undertaking, however our feminine warrior heros, show us this is not completely true. Buffy for instance, has always acknowledged the struggle with her need for her friends and others, even as the Slayer (there can only be one). The resolution of her role as slayer in relationship to her feminine qualities is what allows her to save the world in the final series. Indeed, women who take on the challenges of living in the modern world can recognize their inherent strength and the gifts that empower them to succeed as warrior women.
Peace,
Colleen Kelly
Special thanks to Jen Delyth for her beautiful art work. Jen's art work can be purchased at http://www.kelticdesigns.com (images not to be copied)
http://www.watcherjunior.tv/02/pdf/lowe.pdf
http://www.kelticdesigns.com/
http://www.astrolandia.net/textos/balancingmarsandvenusineachofus.pdf
