Warrior Woman - Put Down your Armor
In honor of all the Venusian/Taurus/Plutonian energy affecting us right now, the following are musings on life, shadow work and connecting it to lessons to be learned and integrated. Enjoy!
Many of us warrior women, go through life with armor on, due to how we were raised and what we experienced. This armor has served us well - protecting us when we felt vulnerable and unsafe. With that being said, at some point in every woman’s life, we look at the reflection of the woman looking back at us and, despite all we have accomplished, we only see a complete stranger looking back at us. Who are we? What do we stand for? How did we get so far away from who we started out wanting to be?
It is never too late to start again. How many of us cling to old paradigms and programming of who we think we are in an effort to hold onto what we think gives us security and comfort. The fear of change and of letting go of all we think we know in an effort to reclaim who we truly are is downright scary. For the sake of our inner child, we can’t allow fear to take us over. Many of us have been frozen by fear for decades, ignoring that tiny voice inside, begging us to make a change - any change.
Like other mythological warrior women before us, specifically Inanna/Ishtar, we have to find strength to do what seems impossible. Inanna/Ishtar hears her lamenting sister and wants to be by her side (see the Sumerian/Babylonian story). There are different versions of the story but the consistent part is that, to go to her sister, Ereshkigal (goddess of Death), Inanna must travel to the Underworld and accept that she has no clue what will happen on her way there or if she will return. As she travels through the different gates to the Underworld, she is required to leave a different part of herself until she arrives naked to greet her sister. Ereshkigal proceeds to kill Inanna (for reasons we won’t go into here) and after three days, Inanna, is rescued, revived and returns to the world of the living. (Side note: this story is connected to the actual path of Venus as she moves around our solar system as well as to the chakra system.)
Ishtar/Inanna standing on a Lion via World History
The process of getting back to who we are requires unpacking, stripping, cutting, cleansing and destructing of who we think we are. Like Inanna, we must be willing to travel into the unconscious unknown/the void — to discover what resides there and let go of all the things that do not truly add value to our lives. People, things and habits have to be released and only those things and people who are really for our highest good will remain when we emerge. After being “dead” for three days*, being reborn and given another lease on life, these things no longer even hold the same weight or value. It is us that is valuable. The opportunity to be something different and new is more attractive than all the accoutrements that we have collected when we were disconnected to who and what really made us feel alive. We have been given the blessing of new life, the ability to rise as Christ from the dead - with new perspective on life and the experiences we have been through. Ready to move forward and the only thing we are taking with us (the only things with true value) are the lessons we have learned from this period of stasis (life/death/rebirth cycle). *For Inanna, the void was three days, for us as individuals it can be days, months or even years.
We all have to be willing to die the proverbial death- sometimes over and over again, in order to get back to our true essence and to allow our true selves to be seen in the light of day. This is what it means to come forth from night into day and to emerge from the dark night of the soul.
What does this mean for you and where can you start? Be willing to explore how the inner critic was formed. Who’s voice are you really hearing? Is it someone else’s criticism that you have taken to heart or is it your own? What armor are you carrying and why? What would gain/lose from putting it down?
This is the true essence of shadow work. To be fearless and willing to accept that you have a part(or parts) of you that you may not like. The realization that you need to know and love all parts of you to be able to be fully who you are. This shadow side of self - represented by Ereshkigal - is a powerful aspect of each of us. It has developed out of need to protect you, defend you and make sure that you are safe. Don’t lose her because she is very necessary. The issue is when that side of you begins to block you from all that you truly desire.
For more insight, I totally suggest reading the full story of Inanna’s Descent into the Underworld. ✨