The Defender Archetype

The Defender is a part of my Warrior Archetype Cluster. She is strong, fierce and has unquestionable will, endurance and loyalty. She will serve her mission, no matter what. She doesn’t fear death, she is ready to die at any moment, if that is what it takes to accomplish her mission. She is so powerful, there is no outside force that can stop her. In unconsciousness, she lacks heart and therefore discernment. All she knows is battle. Either someone or something is her ally, or she takes it down. At her most unconscious, she has no mercy, blinded by confusion around her mission, she attacks whatever is in her way. She is okay, she’s excellent at doing what she does. Her job is to defend something important, something delicate that might have been in need of protection. Something that might have been under attack for a very long time. She did such a great job and has been so engaged with her mission, she didn’t notice that things have transformed. Maybe she has been excluded from the process and told that she’s not needed anymore or that whatever she’s doing is wrong and that she should do it differently, that we need to get past her. So she reminds us that nothing gets past her. Maybe that is her way of telling us to be with her. When we turn towards her we can love her and honor her as she is. That’s how she gets to rest and she gets to take care of her wounds. Maybe she likes to nurse her battle wounds herself, all she needs is our presence. Maybe that’s what loyalty means to her - she keeps going until she can feel us being there with her, checking in that everything is okay, so she has space to rest and recover. Through our love she evolves and her mission evolves. In consciousness she is a heart warrior. She takes right action in the name of heartedness, her mission is to make sure we’re coming from a place of heart. She uses her will, her endurance, her strength and her fierceness in a loving way. She has felt the pain and grief of causing harm and she can use her gifts to say ‘Stop, this might cause more harm and more trauma.’ She will defend our intent with heart.

I learned about Archetypal Cluster & their expansion in consciousness from my coach and teacher Melissa Meader