Ah! what is my "Way of the Warrior"? Great question!
I'm a mother of two little girls, both in need of protection from and knowledge of the world around them. THey need my strength and wisdom to guide them and guard them, and know when to do both.
I run a household of five for which I cook, clean, comfort and adore all within. It takes much strength of will and body to do it all, but I do it all with a smile for it is the best job I have ever had. It's hard, but worth every minute. I also enjoy martial arts, swordfighting, collecting knives and am deeply spiritual concerning most if not all aspects of my life.
I am protector, I am lover, I am warrior...
and I love every minute of it

For beginners, my catholic mother gave me a wonderful jewish name: Deborah. One of the few women in the bible. She was a warrior, priestess, profitess and lead her people out of oppression. Not untill my perimenopausal years have I consciously reflected on my name and how much it is the Warrior Women in me.
I see myself ALWAYS standing up for children including those who have adult bodies and abilities that are below their developmental level. I stand up for women especially those who have been raised in a patriarchal culture and have not found their true spirit (the one they were born with. Even though I am 50! yea! I have the energy and strength of those half my age. And the sexual energy of a 20 year old along with a Wise Woman balance.
Thanks for having this tribe!
devora/Deborah Wolf

First of all, I big hello to everyone! Just recently stumbled upon your group and very pleased to do so! Always great to hook up with women of like-minds.

To respond to your question-- the most important quality of a true female warrior is one that transcends gender-- one who first and foremost takes on oneself, who has the courage to honestly look at herself and turn the sword inward to battle those qualities or patterns that are not always effective. She challenges herself to be bigger than she thought she ever could be.

To the outside world, my warriorship is mainly expressed as advocacy, giving a voice to those who may not have one or who may be just learning to connect with their own inner fighter. Specifically, I work with those experiencing domestic violence issues. So, for all you ladies looking for another way to express your inner Xenia, I can not recommend this avenue strongly enough! What a great way to lend your strength and passion to our community!

As a female warrior specifically, a warrior who uses her power to defend and nurture her sisters. Women can be so catty and quick to tear eachother apart that my personal quest is to keep that nonsense in check and call others on it when I see it happening. At a women's leadership conference years ago, a speaker made a statement that has never left me: "Hear me on this one ladies. Men are not the enemy, we are our own worst enemy.... to ourselves and other women around us." Nuff said. Also, the female warrior strives to be a warrior AND female instead of trying to just become a man with labia. She also realizes that being the loudest and pushiest in the room does not a female warrior make!

Warriorship has a definate spiritual application for me as well. My "tribe" and I direct good thoughts/positive "energy"/ prayer toward those experiencing oppression and for criminal cases. Our intention? Protect victims of crime, support their loved ones and bring criminals to justice. Seen some interesting results! My intuitive warrior sometimes comes out to play by picking up on those who are up to trouble and either diverting their attention or doing damage control on their actions.

As far as physical fighting, several years ago I had the opportunity to physically defend a loved one from an assault. Huge wake-up call for a budding warrior! While I'd never say physical engagement defines a warrior, there's a certain insight gleaned from only that type of experience, at least in my case. Dabbled in martial arts years ago and just now shopping around for a dojo to study more seriously. Torn between a women-led kajukenbo studio and a mixed MA studio specializing in Kali (they throw you into weapons training right off the bat--- oooo ahhh). Fascinated with swords for sometime but I've yet to actually learn what to do with one other than drool all over it! HAHA

Thanks again for the group and the great postings! Looking forward to hear more from you all in the future.

Lyn from Seattle

Hi everyone,
I'm new here. So first I guess everyone has given a bit of their background. I have had both physical and other battles since being a wee tot. I am not a mother, and am protective but not in a matronly sort of way.

I have trained in Judo, Shorin Ryu, and now Aikido. I am a nikkyu [kinda brown belt-ish].

My idea of the woman warrior is that she sees a need and gets the job done. She's not there for the glory. The person that tops my list, odd as it sounds is Harriet Tubman. She kicked ass without literally kicking ass. Then of course it would be the biblical Judith [v.Holofernes], Joan DeArc, and Boudycea. I will probably think of more, but this is probably enough for now.

What a great conversation--in fact it inspired me to join this tribe. Like many warriors in this conversation, I too am a martial artist (To-Shin do ninjutsu). I just opened my own school in CO. To me, being a warrior is facing each day, each moment, with fresh eyes. To look within and without to find the ultimate truth--to look past our own interpretaitons and experiences.

In anser to your question about submissiveness et al... in my martial art we use an elemental model--Earth, Water, Fir, Wind, and Void. Each of the elements represents a different way of manifesting in the world. So there may be a time when submission is my most lofty goal. There may be a time where a steely heart is needed or tricky excapes, etc. I think what matters most is that I am being true to myself and to the search for ultimate truth.


II

A true woman warrior is one who faces her fears and takes on what no one else will. Sometimes that means responsibility for a family or a community -- like my mother. Sometimes it's just telling the truth when you know telling it won't make you popular (and in some cases puts you at risk). I think women who push past what is acceptable at the time -- to take action on behalf of others are warriors in the best sense of the word -- without such women the world would no longer be blue and life-filled. Because with women warriors, it's not is not about war and death, it's about doing what you have to do so life can flourish.

My grandmother is my role model..I never forget..when I was 5 some spooky man tried to touch my privates..I ran to my grandma and told her what happen. She took her machett...and took me by the hand and basically told him, you ever go near a child I shall make a woman out of you" took me years to understand that...but I knew I would always be safe with my grandmother. She raised 11 kids along..first husband died when she had her first 9 kids...second husband she divorced during a time women were too afraid to venture out alone.
She sold numbers and loan money. Got herself several houses as a result...all by herself.

I don't believe I need to do things alone...but I am not afraid to live life on life's terms. I'm a therapist for 22 years..dealt with hard core addicts, criminals, rapist..etc only twice in my career has anyone raised their voices at me...the first time I was alone in a tiny cubicle style office...the man yelled cause I wanted to talk to him about his crack habit (1985). I had his methadone dose put in hold so he can see me...so he came upstairs were I was alone waiting. He began to yell in my face telling me he was a criminal and how dare I hold his meds. I stood up inches away from his face and told him jsut as loud..don't you ever yell at me..cause I don't care if he';s satan himself, I am not afraid of his ass..and if he wants treatment he better clean his act together and learn to respect me. I was only 25 and he was 45. A month later he came back apologize and sober. Second incident, some truly nasty woman was in my women's group, who thought she could intimate all the females cause she looked and acted like a man. She started to yell at some patient...and before she knew it I was in her face..calmly told her to get the fuck out. Didn't think twice, so she got nervous that someone so small compared to her would stand up to her.

Anyway..I draw my inner warrior from the women in my life. Yes, I've taken some martial arts classes in my life and my partner is a 9th degree black belt. But frankly, the mind is the best weapon any female can have.

A-ha! Here you all are! I've been "getting" a lot lately, about women warriors... what it means for me to be one, what it means to walk as a woman in the midst of warring, what it means to "war" as a woman... And here is this tribe. Hello, everyone! Happy to be here.

For me, being a warrior means being able to "hold your stuff" in the midst of chaos and crisis, and lead the way to a better path -- or at least a different one. It means, to me, being unphased by all the overt hostility and aggression... to remain calm and collected in the face of assaulting energies, people, conditions... whatever throws itself at you for the day.

I do not practice a martial art, per se, aside from my life ;) I practice a modified version of everyday za-zen, wherein -- in the face of assault and chaos and confusion -- I simply strive to maintain a "null state" devoid of judgment or reaction. I seek to choose my own actions and my own perspectives, rather than being influenced or swayed by the conditions around me.

To me, a woman warrior is a woman who chooses what she will think, feel, do, say... no matter what others have to say about it. She is one with courage who walks her own path, be it armed or unarmed, be it offensive or defensive, and does not apologize for simply being who and what she is.

~K~

I'm male, so of course my perspective is going to be somewhat different from most of the postings here, but that can be good, too. The 'what is a warrior to you' question gets asked on the more male-dominated tribes, too. Honestly, I think 'warrior' is a gender-neutral term, even if on the surface it may typically conjure up masculine images. I mean no offense, as we are all entiltled to our opinions, but I must say that I'm not a fan of the more new-age definitions of The Warrior. Peaceful warriors and all that. Warriors fight. Women who fight are warriors. Whether it's my younger sister getting in bar fights, my friends in the SCA and in other martial arts, my rugby-playing lover, boxers, soldiers, they're all channeling their warrior spirit. Women warriors are just more bad-ass because they have to work harder to get respect amongst their peers as well as fight the internal battle against cultural conditioning. Warriors are brave, and none are braver than women warriors.
As far as being sexually dominant of submissive, I don't really think that plays a big part in terms of Warrior-hood.