Centuries ago and in many cultures, it is fair to say that violence was a part of everyday existence. It was a matter of life or death, and in many ways it may have been one of the most needed survival skills of all. In the early times of man, violence was necessary for gathering food. It was necessary for protecting oneself and community from animal attacks, and from enemy attacks. It was a way of life in the primitive cultures. A means for survival. However there were some tribes and cultures that did very well at avoiding violence. Nonetheless, it was a survival skill...

In the most primitive of forms of the word Warrior, long before the word Warrior was even coined or spoken, the definition of this archetypal man was as so...

"One who protects women, children, and community. One who places the safety of others in front of his own..."

So, at one time, there was a certain noble aspect of being a warrior, it was a calling to service. It was a thing of honor, duty, respect, and service to be a warrior. In my belief system, there is no higher calling than to be of service to the community. I believe that the warrior served that role brilliantly.

Unfortunately as technology, religion, politics, and the ego self developed, warriors became soldiers... Dominating and destroying in the service of tyrant kings, rulers, and dictators. The word warrior then came to represent, those who needed to dominate and destroy, in order to feel superior. This was a cultural step backwards, and one that has continued on its path of wavering into and out of the darkness. Our understanding of the word warrior is often given to the images of barbarianism such as the great Vikings and other cultures of fearless fighters. However, in these cultures the lacking element was of balance. They were often the aggressors and went into unprovoked battle. Driven by the greed and power authorized to them by their rulers, many of these era of warriors raped and pillaged smaller and defenseless communities. Thus it became known that being a warrior was not quite a noble position, but a power position. The word warrior became synonymous with the word
Barbarianism.

Make no mistake, this is far from the truth and the true definition of the word warrior is one of honor and respect for all life...

The word warrior is truly in alignment with the "Sacred Masculine".

So, what is the sacred masculine anyway? I like the definition given below by the Mankind project of L.A. From their website, as It refers to the sacred masculine for our times...

In our culture, every era had its popular male traits. The '50's man was aggressive, liked sports, never cried, and always provided for the family. In the '90's, the "sensitive" man became popular, one who shared child care, was devoid of gender bias, and was in touch with his feminine side. These popular visions of manhood, however, lose sight of both the life giving and protecting characteristics of men, and the destructive facets of manhood. The "sacred masculine" acknowledges both aspects of a man's character. It provides a model for men to generate and maintain their lives in such a way as to include and yet rise above life's issues and struggles, for the betterment of his life, his family, and his work, and thereby make the world a better place to live in. Because we have had so little experience with this type of thinking, this can be a very scary step into the unknown...

We live in a culture where violence and aggression are often glamorized by television and movies. We live in a culture where depicting women as only objects of sex is socially acceptable. We live in a culture that often teaches us that it is more important to "win" than to be true to yourself. We live in a culture that enforces that stepping on the backs of others along your road to the top is a good thing. We live in a culture where we are allowing our youth to be taught that being pimps, gangsters, thugs, drug dealers, and thieves, are not only acceptable but allows a certain level of social status. These are all the wrong messages for manhood, and yet we as a culture haven't quite figured out how to teach a better way...

Moving into a place of accepting your sacred masculine, and modeling that in the way you live is a start in the right direction. The industrial revolution really did a good job of removing fathers from a nurturing role. In this shift, boys have lost their way, and fathers have lost their way, and the results are a society with the highest levels of incarceration ever known...

If we were to accept and teach our role as the sacred masculine, might we actually be teaching a sense of responsibility, duty, and honor? Might we actually be teaching a way of life that enforces that we as men have an actual "Mission in life"?

One of the common theories on why we struggle as a culture is that we men lack a sense of mission. That we see our role as breadwinners, but it is so unfulfilling and shallow, that we seek out other ways to find our sense of self... who we are. Seeking to be seen as important and viable, we often seek the unhealthy paths because they seem so much more attainable than the healthy ones...

The sacred masculine is a step towards embracing all that you are as a man. Father, teacher, mentor, protector, and listener. It is not about besting everyone who enters your vision, but about helping all that seek. It is not about how many women you can bed, but about how deeply and beautifully you can love the woman you have chosen. It is not about being weak, it is about allowing yourself to be vulnerable in order to access your true strength. It is not about shaming others, it is about encouraging them to shine. It is not about being violent, it is about knowing where to draw the line as a protector, and when to step back and allow words to be words. It is about teaching strength from the depth of your raw and unharnessed truth, and expressing all that you are with passion. It is about HONORING... the beauty of the feminine, and not abusing it. It is about recognizing your true role in society from a primitive standpoint, in our advanced culture. Respecting all that is
natural, and making the bold statement that...

"In this world I am first just a man, and that is good enough..."
~Warrior, Dreamer, Shaman...

Embrace the light that you are...
There are many paths into the sacred masculine, seek and you shall find one that fits. There are many paths home to the truth of your heart, and all are correct...

Being a true "Warrior", in todays culture, means being a "Warrior of Peace". It means teaching love and strength. It means learning and teaching boundaries and respect. It means being of service to a higher sense of humanity, and doing the small things that matter. Especially when nobody is watching. (And someone is always watching...lol)

From the Desk of Anyeot GraceWatcher
Dr. Paul E Jones B.A.M.Div.D.D.
Teaching Ancient Wisdom For Today
www.gracewatcher.org
Bringing Love and Light to Everyone