2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
This article talks about male aggression through the concept of the Warrior Archetype. "Man" is not equal to "aggression", but aggression is part of the masculine structure. An important and active part. It is quite possible to draw parallels with female aggressiveness, i.e. We also find the warrior in the female structure. The Warrior's masculine energy is a source of much rejection these days, for obvious reasons. Uncontrolled aggression creates fear. Suppressed, and therefore uncontrollable, aggression is immature. Wars, domestic violence, sexual harassment are manifestations of the Warrior's shadow archetypal energy. Since male aggressiveness is cut out almost at the root, and female even more (there is absolutely trouble)) - it goes into the Shadow and, whether we like it or not: it manifests itself through uncontrollable shadow aspects in the form of emotional or physical violence, as in relation to others, and in relation to yourself.
The warrior is an instinctive form of energy and there is no escape from it. And in fact, she is worth meeting with her and learning how to manage her.
The socially acceptable energy of the Warrior manifests itself when corporate outings to paintball, extreme sports, strategic games where they "kill" each other, etc. are held. The Warrior's energy should not be equated with human anger. We will consider the Warrior as an energetic form, a structural element of male psychology, rooted in our genes. Without the energy of the Warrior, it is impossible to defend the interests of your state and preserve the national culture and identity. And also it is impossible to spread the culture and worldview. The warrior takes place both at the level of the state and at the level of the individual.
The characterization of the Warrior is fully represented in the samurai lifestyle. The path of a samurai warrior is a spiritual and psychological path of development.
"Aggressiveness is a position in relation to life that excites, instills energy, motivates us to act. It pushes us to an offensive position about life's tasks and problems."
The position of the samurai is to rush into battle using your full potential. In Japanese tradition, there is only one position: to face combat. And one direction: forward. The warrior of Carlos Castaneda, in the words of Don Juan: he knows what he wants and knows how to get what he wants.
He has clear strategic thinking, is able to assess the situation and adapt to the "situation on the ground." A warrior knows when he has the strength to defeat an opponent in a frontal battle, and when to use unconventional war strategies. The Warrior knows his limitations and capabilities, this is his difference from the Hero, who is represented by immature boyish energy and goes ahead. A warrior, thanks to clarity of thought and attentiveness, realistically evaluates his abilities. The Warrior's strategy flexibility develops in chess, fencing, and boxing. The flexibility of the strategy comes from the ability to analyze the situation.
The Warrior's energy can be mastered only by recognizing and realizing the inevitability of death. Knowing that the days are numbered, the Warrior does not suppress his knowledge, but redirects into actions. Samurai fighters were trained to live life as if they were already dead. Every action is meaningful, every fight is like the last. The Warrior's energy is the energy of decisive action, where there is no time for hesitation and postponement for tomorrow. He is engrossed in life and never leaves it. A warrior has no time to reflect, in the conventional sense. His actions are second nature to him. They are reflexive, as he studied and practiced them in the framework of serious discipline. In addition to healthy aggression and acceptance of the fact of death, training is necessary - knowledge, skills, abilities, worked out to reflexes. These skills include both physical and psychological skills, which include self-regulation and self-control.
"Unlike the actions of the Hero, the actions of the Warrior are never exaggerated, not dramatic for the sake of drama; the Warrior never acts to make sure he is as strong as he thinks. The Warrior never expends more energy than he really needs."
For a Warrior, the very manifestation of mastery is important, be it self-control in an argument or self-regulation of an emotional state. He uses his "tools" to implement his decisions and enjoys it. The Warrior has the ability to endure pain, both physical and psychological. His setting: "There is no result without pain." The Warrior's goal is about more than solving issues for the comfort of his personality. This is loyalty and dedication - to a cause, God, an idea, a nation. Personal relationships and the requirements of one's own body, the Ego fade into the background. A more "mundane" example is the creation, progress towards the success of your own project. Anyone, regardless of scale: creating a successful business, writing a quality article, planting a vegetable garden or a completed renovation. When we accept "battle", abandoning the usual comfort and privileges, bringing the matter to the end, pacifying and disciplining our body and mind on the way, we are in contact with the energy of the Warrior. On the way, the interests of your business have to be defended in contact with loved ones, sometimes causing their discontent and resentment, rejection. If we succumb to such influences, choosing peace of mind, we lose touch with this energy.
There is a story about a samurai who became attached to the house of his master. The master was killed, and the samurai vowed to avenge the master's death. Over time, the samurai found the killer. He drew his sword to kill the man, but he spat in his face. The samurai stepped back, put the sword back into its sheath, turned and walked away. Why? He left because he was angry at the spit in the face. If he had killed the man at that moment, it would have been out of personal anger, and not out of devotion to the ideal that his master represented. The murder of a man would have been committed because of his own aggressive feelings. To be a Warrior, you need to act out of loyalty and dedication. Samurai training includes a number of psychological exercises. One of them, when you feel fear or despair, say: "someone is afraid, someone is in despair" and then tell him what he needs to do. This approach to managing emotions allows you to take an observant, non-involved position and choose the most effective strategic decision. Distance gives the Warrior the opportunity to swing. You need to separate yourself from the enemy. Symbolically - to distance oneself from affect and objectify affect.
The Warrior's energy is the energy of destruction. Healthy energy destroys what needs to be destroyed in order for something new, alive, and creative to arise. In the life of a modern person, much is subject to periodic rethinking and destruction: an unsatisfactory lifestyle, bad habits, tyranny, old conservative attitudes that limit beliefs, unsuccessful marriages.
When the energy of the Warrior in a man is harmoniously combined with the energy of the King, he becomes a magnificent ruler of his "kingdom". He will be characterized by clarity of mind, discipline, decency and courage, combined with creativity and creative constructive approach. In combination with the archetype of the Magician, the Warrior can achieve the highest level of mastery in his business, control over himself and his resources (capabilities). Consciously channel and use your power. With the energy of the Lover, the Warrior becomes truly merciful, saving wounded opponents after battle. Thus, giving the opportunity to manifest your truly human essence - compassionate and feeling the community of everyone with everyone.
I identify myself with the Warrior, the man loses the opportunity to live in all the variety of human manifestations. The identification with the Warrior and the lack of connection with other energies - archetypes - makes a modern man a workaholic who holds on to his work, as if he would not be without her. A callous, boring husband who uses his wife as a housewife or a sex toy.
The Warrior archetype and its manifestation in a positive position have been described above. When a man suppresses, does not recognize his natural aggression, we get the Shadow Warrior, manifested in sadistic and masochistic poles. Healthy aggression turns into cruelty. Cruelty is not indifferent and cruelty is indifferent. In fact, the second is born from the first. An example of the first brutality is the way the Nazis were raised. The candidates for the Nazi corps were given puppies. They raised and educated them without parting for a long time. At the most unexpected moment, by order of the boss, they had to kill their puppies without a shadow of emotion. So they made machines-killers out of people, ready to shoot, torture people without remorse, which is already represented by indifferent cruelty.
Every sadist, in fact, kills his own inner weak and feeble masochist.
In the Shadow Warrior, all the negative energy of the Hero was gathered, fighting against the feminine principle for his legitimate phallic power. Seeking to destroy everything soft, vulnerable, in himself and in relationships. The Destructive Warrior occurs in our lives whenever a boss suppresses and destroys his subordinates, when a husband brutally treats his wife and children.
“There is a special type of personality that has this energy in abundance. This is a case of compulsive personality disorder. Compulsive individuals are workaholics who always give themselves neither rest nor time. They have a tremendous ability to endure pain, they often manage to do an enormous amount of work. But the feeling of deep anxiety and despair of the hero is guided by their indefatigable engine."
Not understanding themselves and their needs, they live their lives like tanks, attacking everyone and everything. They attack anyone who doesn't live up to their high standards, starting with themselves. If you are forced to admit that you are sacrificing your physical and mental health, not caring for yourself, saving others, then you are led by the Shadow Warrior at the pole of the masochist. The poles of the sadist and masochist flow from one position to another. A manager, criticized either by his real boss, a sadist, or by his inner sadist, always dissatisfied with his work, stays late in the office, does not take vacations, does not go on weekends, at home turns into the tyrant of his family
If such a masochistic way of life does not find a way out in the manifestation of aggression, then sooner or later it ends with a mental disorder and hospitalization. The inner sadist will eat him alive
“Any activity that puts great pressure on a person to achieve better results invariably leaves us vulnerable to the Warrior's shadow system. If we are not sufficiently protected in our inner structure, we will rely on successes in the outside world to build self-confidence. And because the need for such reinforcement is so great, our behavior will tend to be compulsive. A man who becomes obsessed with "prosperity" is no longer successful. He is desperately trying to suppress the masochist in himself, despite the fact that he is already demonstrating masochistic and self-flagelling behavior."
The masochist is a frightened "whipping boy" who hides behind the mask of an angry sadist. A masochist is a person who projects the Warrior's energy onto others, perceiving himself powerless and helpless. Such a person is unable to defend himself neither in front of the Other, nor in front of himself, while maintaining his psychological and physical health. He does not feel his limits of patience, therefore, until mental exhaustion, he can be in a relationship that destroys him, be it a job, a friend, a spouse. The masochist stubbornly continues to seek “milk from the goat”, ignoring the common truths that “you need to be able to stop in time” or “stop an unprofitable business in time”.
Summing up, Possessed by the Shadow Warrior, a man can experience this obsession in an active (being an abuser, sadist) or in a passive form (being a psychological masochist). Moreover, when one form appears in the external world, then the other form is directed to the inner world.
Possessed by the Shadow Warrior will bully both others and himself, planning and dreaming more than doing. At the heart of his indecision will be the weak ability to endure the pain, physical and psychological, necessary to achieve any worthwhile goal. Avoiding direct confrontation will prevent such a person from taking the necessary steps and withstanding setbacks and defeats.
Mastering the energy of the Warrior archetype enables one to be energetic, determined, persistent, and loyal to something greater than simultaneous personal gain. Mastering the Warrior's energy is a feeling of a certain alienation and at the same time the opportunity to experience friendliness, compassion, appreciation and productivity of their actions. There is a business both for oneself and for others. The purpose of the Warrior's actions will be aimed at creating something new, just and free.
The article was written on the basis of the book “The Warrior King. Mage Lover. A new look at the archetypes of a mature man”. Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette
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