Courage and Resolve

A true warrior embodies a code of conduct rooted in respect, honor, protection, and service. Within the Wabanaki tradition, warriors are not just defenders but also helpers and shields for the community.

We’ve seen this ethos in action during significant events like the Elsipogtog and Standing Rock protests, where individuals put themselves in harm’s way to prevent greater damage to the land, water, and community. These warriors exemplified the balance of strength, respect, and compassion, living by the core values that protect life’s sacredness. From Sacred Instructions, by Sherri Mitchell

We are being called upon to live a life both honoring of and larger than our personal concerns. An example is a youth Water Protector Autumn Peltier.

What are our core values and how do we bring them to life? How can we live in such a way that we are a helper and a shield for vulnerable people in our communities?

In Sacred Instructions, Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change, Sherri speaks of her own childhood surrounded by people who nourished her gifts and values. She developed a solid sense of belonging and kinship through close contact and meaningful engagement with loving adults.

“From my earliest memory, I was taught to love the land around me, to understand the history that it connected me to, and to take responsibility for its care into the future.”

Most of us were not as fortunate in our family and educational systems. This week we explore how we can bring these warrior principles of courage and resolve to life now as adults, in our own healing, and in our communities.

Core Values of the Warrior

A true warrior walks through life grounded in honor, respect, and dignity. Their actions are guided by a set of principles that emphasize:

• Speaking truth with respect: They address threats to the well-being of people and the continuity of life with courage and integrity.

• Protecting the sacredness of life: Warriors use their strength to shield others, ensuring that harm is minimized and balance is restored.

• Living as an example: They inspire others by demonstrating how to walk strong yet gently upon the Earth, showing discipline and commitment to serving the greater good.

Warriors are not born—they are cultivated. They emerge from fertile ground, nurtured in an environment rich in values and love, where they learn how to live with purpose and compassion.

Recreating Sacred Space for Spiritual Warriors

Modern society often fails to provide fertile soil. Education prioritizes conformity and obedience over critical thinking and right action, and rewards allegiance to societal norms rather than fostering a sense of responsibility for life and reciprocity with the Earth.

Part of the polarization we are experiencing is a lack of empathy and compassion for those deemed “enemies”. Many people feel disconnected and experience a kind of war within ourselves through a mean inner critic. Our fight response, whether it is directed inward or outward to others, leads to an objectification, especially of those who don’t agree with us or who we experience as threatening.

Grounded and Centered in Wisdom and Action

Restore balance: Increasing our own nervous system regulation allows us access to our own wisdom and intuition as well as empathy and compassion for ourselves and others. As we have a more regulated nervous system, others can co-regulate with us. When we are grounded and centered, we know who we are, what we stand for, and we develop the courage and resolve to live our core values.

Honoring intuitive wisdom: Connect with our inner selves through introspection and ceremony, cultivating harmony between masculine and feminine energies.

Creating environments of belonging: Foster kinship and connection through meaningful and “safe enough” engagement. Through experiences of belonging, we feel accepted as our authentic selves. We know and value who we are. This builds courage and confidence, and further builds strength and resilience.

Reclaiming balance and responsibility: Modeling core values of compassion, kindness, and generosity in our lives.

Building A World That Fits Us

Rather than forcing ourselves to conform to a world that often lacks compassion, we work together to create a world that fits us—a world where our empathetic and intuitive abilities are nurtured and celebrated. By cultivating an environment that nourishes our gifts and values, we overcome shame and despair, and become whole, balanced human beings.

We take responsibility for the soil in which we grow, personally and communally. This means ensuring our environment is rich with love, belonging, and guidance. It means honoring the sacredness of life and our responsibility to protect it.

By harmonizing action with wisdom, strength with compassion, and individuality with community, we can cultivate conditions that allows us to flourish. Together, we can nurture a generation of protectors, helpers, and shields who will stand for the well-being of all.

Grounding and centering in our nervous system is an essential foundation for truly resting and building strength, resilience and agency. Join us every day at 8AM Eastern for a live guided practice. Join guided practices and courses and Insight Timer Live several times a week.

Join us weekly in our Sunday free community class. This week we’re exploring courage and resolve as we align more closely with our core values in life and community.