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Ancestors, Archetypes, and the Inner Warrior
Usually when you think of your ancestors, you normally think of the previous three or four generations. Yet with a slight stretch of the imagination, you realize that your relationship with ancestors goes back much further than that. For example, if you were able to trace your lineage through the previous 30 generations, you’d discover that you have over a billion ancestors! Not only that but 99.9% of our human genetic structure is the same as every other human, with differentiations accounting for a mere 0.1% — one-tenth of one percent — which suggests we’re all much more closely related than you might have supposed.
Beyond that, if you wish, you can contemplate the mystery of how life itself began on the planet and evolved over billions of years to this point. But for our purpose we’ll stick with your ancestral heritage of perhaps the last few thousand years. Within that time span there are undoubtedly ancestors who had a certain set of skills or talents that when called on can provide support for your talents, creative expressions, and roles you find yourself engaged in.
That particular ancestor you call on may be someone of your more immediate lineage. Perhaps someone you knew, such as a grandmother or great grandfather. Or it may be a more distant ancestor. This type of ancestor is likely someone you have no direct knowledge of but when called upon appears to you in your dreams, meditations, revelations or waking state, especially once you have solicited their support and mentorship.
For instance, if you’re feeling called to write, you can discover a Writer ancestor. Want to learn to dance? Call on a Dancer ancestor. Or if you’re feeling the urge to explore distant lands, call on an Explorer ancestor. Here’s the irony: not only do these various ancestors exist in the realm of the afterlife, but they simultaneously and paradoxically exist in you!
When you call on a particular ancestor, their energy and template is embedded in what Carl Jung called the “collective unconscious”. He called them archetypes.
The collective unconscious is a universal version of the personal unconscious, holding mental patterns, or memory traces, which are shared with other members of human species. These ancestral memories, which Jung called archetypes, are represented by universal themes in various cultures, as expressed through literature, art, and dreams. According to Jung, the human mind has innate characteristics “imprinted” on it as a result of evolution. . . However, more important than isolated tendencies are those aspects of the collective unconscious that have developed into separate sub-systems of the personality. Jung called these ancestral memories and images archetypes.
—from https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-jung.html
When you call on a specific ancestor for a specific purpose, your inner archetypal Writer, Dancer, or Explorer that has been dormant or diminished is activated and you simultaneously enter into a collaborative relationship with that ancestor in the afterlife. You become attuned to one another and, as the relationship develops, this ancestor becomes a spiritual ally, one you can turn to for their wisdom, advice, and protection. You then have a specific archetypal ancestral spirit guide, whether you know they are from your more immediate lineage or of a generation long ago.
The Warrior Archetype
One specific archetype that dwells inside you is the Warrior. This is a masculine archetype that can be embodied by a man or woman that has a specific purpose in relationship with the inner King or Queen—the supreme ruler or sovereign. The Warrior’s fundamental purpose is to serve the sovereign by protecting, defending, and following their commands. If the Warrior loses the focus of his purpose, he risks becoming a killer or mercenary. In turn, if he doesn’t do his job, the risk is that the kingdom will fall into ruin. In addition to his service of protecting his King, the Warrior must be available to do his bidding.
There’s a story that comes from Japan about a samurai—a word which translates as “those who serve”. This samurai, in service to his Lord, was told to go and hunt down one of the Lord’s enemies and kill him. The samurai did as he was told and eventually found this enemy. Once captured, the enemy knew that he was to die at the hands of the samurai.
The samurai had the man kneel with his head down so that his neck was clearly available for the beheading that was to follow. The man did what he was told to do at which point the samurai put his hand on his sword, slowly drawing it out of the sheath to proceed with the execution. However, before his sword was completely out, the man who was to be executed turned and spat in the face of the samurai.
The samurai abruptly stopped and slowly returned the sword to the sheath. The enemy was puzzled by this change and said, “I don’t know why you didn’t follow through and kill me. I understand what’s going on here and I fully accept my fate, but why did you stop and put your sword away?”‘
“Because I can’t kill you now,” replied the samurai.
The man who was to be killed was puzzled by this unexpected change and said, “but why not?”
The samurai simply said, “Because now I am angry!”
In other words, it became personal, therefore the samurai warrior could not complete the task. For the True Warrior, it’s totally about service to the Sovereign and about not taking things personally but to keep the focus on service.
With the dramatic changes taking place on the earth and in human consciousness, we’ll be faced with many challenges requiring us to successfully manage the increasing intensities of life. One of the most important things when dealing with the challenges is to not take anything personally. As you develop the relationship between the Warrior Ancestor and the Inner Warrior and fine tune their collaboration, you’ll find yourself feeling stronger, more confident, and capable of handling these pressures without feeling overwhelmed.
Here are some tips on initiating and developing the relationship with the Warrior Ancestor and your Inner Warrior:
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- Pray and ask for the most appropriate Warrior Ancestor to come forth. Initiate a dialogue with him regularly, perhaps even journaling about the messages you receive.
- Meditate regularly to stay attuned to your Higher Self. As you become increasingly aware of that Presence, it helps build the internal relationship between the Higher Self and the archetypal internal Warrior.
- Express gratitude for the Ancestors in general and specifically for this Warrior Ancestor. When you make donations of time, energy, or money, do so in the name of the Warrior.
- Always remember that the Inner Warrior’s purpose is to protect the sovereignty of the Higher Self.
- It’s important you embody the Inner Warrior. Engaging in various exercises like Tai Chi, Chi Gong, Yoga, strength training, and Breathwork while remaining aware of this internal archetype will help you be consistently in tune with the Inner Warrior and the Ancestor Warrior.
- The Warrior will help you set clear boundaries. Learning to say no, to take the time to answer, to ask for what you want, are all skills that you can develop with the help of both the Inner Warrior and the Warrior Ancestor. You can attend classes to learn communication skills that will help you find ways to do so.
- If you angrily lash out in some way, that means most likely the Warrior has fallen asleep or has temporarily lost his connection and service to the Higher Self. Remind yourself to not take anything personally, then forgive yourself, make amends as necessary, let go, and move on!
- Finding others who can understand and identify with your intentions and your spiritual journey will help, especially when it comes to support. This is not a call to any sort of righteousness or fundamentalism, but instead to satisfy a deep-seated need for community and others to share with.
I personally urge you to explore this as completely as you can. These ideas and skills will become even more critically important for your journey into the future and can help you feel more powerful and confident in your capacity to deal with anything that comes your way.
May we always honor first and foremost the Higher Self and consistently express our gratitude to our Ancestors for their support, guidance, and love. May we always sustain our connection and gratitude to the Warrior Ancestor for his protection and guardianship.
