In Search of Sovereignty - Awakening the Warrior Woman & Activating the Solar Centre

I often sit with this concept, this archetype of the Warrior Woman, and how to activate the alchemy she holds within myself and help guide my clients to awaken it within themselves to heal our Solar Centre (Solar plexus chakra). It is fundamentally an activation of sovereignty, of self-actualisation, but therein lies the rub: to establish this internal locus of self-actualisation or access our axis of self-sovereignty we must first know ourselves, self-gnosis, gnothi seauton - know thyself, a deep inner reclamation must be sought out and activated, and through that journey of self-remembering, we can access the internal portal that leads to the Queendom of our sovereign selves.

The first hurdle is creating an internal understanding of sovereignty within your personal sphere of existence. As with most things, there's no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. However, there are some basic principles we can seek to access when attempting to embody and activate a sense of sovereignty within. I call these "the radicals": radical responsibility, radical self-worth, radical compassion and radical trust.

I use these radicals like a checklist:

Radical responsibility: I seek to take full responsibility for every aspect of my life. This means that I commit to not wallow too deeply in states of victimhood. When I do spiral into victimhood I course correct by applying the next two principles. (It is, however, important when working in this realm of radical responsibility to not fall into traps of bypassing, toxic positivity and subverting trauma. Many of us will or have experienced severe trauma in our lives, and that trauma needs to be effectively addressed and released through a variety of modalities and support structures in order for us to come close to a true embodiment of radical responsibility. We cannot begin to access any of these deeper more fulfilled states of being if our nervous system is in full-blown survival mode. It is a spiral journey, one that you will walk many times over if you truly choose to heal, and as you do, you will learn how to better regulate your nervous system and to release and forgive the trauma you experienced, as this happens we are able to bit by bit reactivate deeper states of sovereignty within, this is a reclamation of our power. Personally, the act of radical responsibility and unconditional forgiveness has been the greatest medicine in the journey to reclaim and release myself from many years of living with PTSD. )

Radical self-worth: I access this by bringing my awareness out of states of comparison and competition and into a deepening spiral of sacred awareness, meaning I unravel the illusion that I am separate from the divine or anyone or anything for that matter. I anchor into the interconnectedness of all life; this interconnectedness brings me the spacious awareness that I am, by my very being, an aspect, reflection and manifestation of the Goddess. I am divinity made manifest; I am the creatrix of all that seeks expression through me. Therefore, nothing can be done to me; it can only be born through me. This awareness brings me to...

Radical Compassion: This level of compassion is pervasive; it permeates and penetrates all life, and nothing and no one is excluded from its reach; it is unconditional. I allow it to anchor into every cell of my body and every molecule of my being, and then from me, I spiral this compassion outwards into the world, which shifts my perspective/perception from living in an adversarial reality to living in a heart-centred interconnected state of being. In accessing this all-encompassing compassion, I can then proceed to...

Radical-Trust: This radical trust is anchored into the belief that nothing that is real can be threatened and nothing that is unreal exists, when my I AM is truly activated I am able to access this state of fearless awareness which leads to a radical level of trust in myself and my environment. It is a state of clarity that brings us right back to the entrance point of this labyrinth of sovereignty - radical responsibility, and so we circle round and round, one aspect feeding into and supporting the next until they create a ring of fire around your being that burns away all illusion whilst creating an impenetrable organic energetic boundary.

These concepts or states of being can be categorised as radical due to our current social structure and the states of victimhood, competition and comparison we are entrained to embody. These states are foundationally damaging and distorting the function of the solar centre, resulting in this centre being either underactive or overactive. This state of solar centre dysfunction is unfortunately beneficial to the current wounded patriarchal structures as it keeps us enslaved to a system reliant on our constant dissatisfaction and "not enoughness" to which the only answer seems either to collapse into victim states externalising our locus of control or into states of constant competition, survival of the fittest, consumerist, insatiable black holes of sympathetic nervous system overdrive.

Solar Centre Expression - Under or Overactive / Victim vs Victor

Slipping into either victim or victor mode - underactive/overactive solar centre dysfunction increasingly limits our ability to experience the expansive complexities and nuance of life, it also drives us deeper and deeper into states of isolation and anchors beliefs of separation which inevitably leads to us experiencing the world around us as adversarial. All of our current religious and socio-political structures are based on this adversarial separatist narrative, and the simple reason for that is because that narrative supports an androcratic system.

We heal this, not by attempting to rile against the system, because I promise you, what you resist will persist - but instead by standing for ourselves, our sovereign selves, by softening into deep states of radical responsibility, self-worth, compassion and trust. We change the world from the inside out because we are the world. We are not separate from the systems we see implemented around us; these, often described as broken systems, are not broken at all; they function exactly as intended because they are a mirror reflection of each of us and of humanity as a collective. We are in deep states of collective and individual unhealed and unprocessed trauma, and that deep suffering, victim-anchored vibration, is mirrored to us through our social and cultural constructs. The more we understand how we got to where we find ourselves as a species today, the more we can, if you'll excuse the cliche, "become the change we wish to see in the world."

This journey with the Warrior Woman is one of remembering our individual power and that of the collective feminine, which grants us access to an internal power source that, when activated, can truly take us on a journey of inner alchemy and transformation. Our Solar centre can become a home to that power, an internal GPS which, when balanced, helps us to navigate and read our environment effectively as well as guide and attract what we seek to embody.

Solar Centre - Physical expression

Physically, this centre can affect the entire digestive system as well as liver and gallbladder function. Discord in this energy may also result in eating disorders, digestive disorders, ulcers, diabetes or hypoglycemia, muscular disorders, chronic fatigue, hypertension, and stress-induced burnout.

When this Solar centre is deficient or underactive, our energy is low, and we may be easily manipulated or influenced, lacking self-discipline, follow-through and self-esteem. This deficiency may lead to victim mentality or reliance on over-identification with our own or others’ suffering. We may also become cold emotionally as well as physically. This deficiency often leads to an attraction to stimulants, whether they be drugs or activities that make us feel stimulated but may not be healthy.

An overactive solar centre may manifest as arrogance, aggression, and a need to dominate. The need to be right, have the last word, or exert one's will over another—this power-hungry aspect often leads to deceitful and manipulative behaviour, temper tantrums and violent outbursts. The overly ambitious A-type personality is an excellent example of this energy in excess. This excess can often lead to a need or penchant for sedatives to help alleviate the stress of simply being.

However, when this centre is balanced, we access our right to act as and be an individual - our sovereign self can be expressed, and we can align with and embody the Warrior Woman Archetype. We become responsible, reliable and emotionally balanced. Our willpower is sufficient, and we have good self-esteem, boundaries and healthy ego strength. We have warmth and confidence and can move through life with spontaneity, playfulness and a sense of humour. Here, we can stand in and access our power.

The purpose of the energy we encounter here is Transformation/Alchemy - through the power of our Fires, we transmute and transform.

Solar Shadow

The main shadow we face when working through discord in the Solar space is shame. Abuses like being shamed as a child or at any point in our lives cause discord in this space. Overly authoritarian environments where we feel dominated and robbed of our individual will further damage this centre. The solar centre may also be harmed by having responsibilities placed on us as children that weren't age-appropriate, as these often lead to internalised narratives of failure and shame. Inherited cultural and ancestral shame further disrupts this centre.

Seeking Solar Harmony through the Warrior Woman

When we feel called to bring harmony to the solar centre, we are asked to understand that our separateness is a necessary illusion to experience the physical, human and egoic journey and establish our sovereign autonomy in a healthy and functioning manner that honours our soul.

This energy may be activated through working with the archetype of the Warrior Woman, who is easily misunderstood as aggressive or overpowering because the word warrior is generally associated with the wounded masculine aspect and narrative. In those terms, the word warrior brings up associations such as attacker or soldier, neither of which is the energy we want to embody, whether we are calling on the warrior woman.

From the feminine perspective, the word warrior becomes something different; it refers to someone whose strengths are not necessarily aggressive or defensive but rather a quiet, immovable force. She is not overt but moves like a controlled burn. She goes exactly where and how she wants and leaves behind only that which has been transmuted and transformed by her flames. The presence of her power devours all else.

There are many Warrior Women archetypes throughout our collective cultures - I encourage you to connect with the ones that resonate most deeply with you.

Seek them out, connect with the women in your life who embody this aspect and learn from them. Find the archetypes that you feel a connection to and sit with them. Ask your ancestors and guides to help you embody this aspect within yourself in the most authentic way. Commit yourself to seeking harmony, sitting with your shadows of shame, and embracing them until they become your allies and help you strengthen this power centre within.

One of the practices I like to use when I'm working on my Solar centre is called the Shame Game:

For this Practice, you will explore your inner landscape of shame. We all have one, and this landscape is generally expressed through the things we judge in others. For example, if you felt shame or were shamed or saw others being shamed for being promiscuous, you will judge others and your own sexuality. These narratives of shame run very deep in our psyche and were often imprinted in early childhood. We also pick up narratives of shame by watching those around us and taking on their shame as children. We carry the shame of those who raised us, of our ancestors and cultures.

Take time to explore what you feel shame about and what you find yourself shaming in others. Use a journal and write these out. Look for a pattern; you'll be able to see a theme running through your shame. Pick up on the theme and give it a name.

Once you've named your shame, see if you can go deeper. I often find a child or past self who is connected to this pattern of shame will appear to me. When she does, I ask her questions about where it came from, how it became embedded and how it's being reinforced. The more info I can get, the better. It brings me to a deeper understanding of the contracts that were made to keep me in this shame spiral.

Next, I feel into my body and try to discern if there are any places where the shame shows up. Usually, I'll get a sensation somewhere physical, and I can then go into that space and work to energetically release the density connected to the contract of shame.

Once released I write all the information I have and want to transmute onto some paper and burn it with the intention that I am released from the shame and the contracts that were made to instil it and I then write a new narrative for myself, like a little mantra. For example, if the shame is connected to a fear of being seen, I would write something like "It is safe and necessary for me to be seen" I then use that mantra every time I feel that particular flavour of shame being activated in me.

This little shame game has helped me a lot over the years to better understand this shadow aspect of my Solar centre, and I use it in my practice with clients to great success. So give it a try, and once you have, cycle back and see if you can access those radicals more clearly—radical responsibility, radical self-worth, radical compassion and radical trust.

Through these practices, we call harmony and beauty in our lives. We activate our sovereign selves and remember the interconnectedness of all life. This is how we continue to activate and embody the Beauty Way. By walking this Rose path more consciously, we re-awaken the Sacred Feminine and anchor Her back into the world for ourselves, our children, and all those who are yet to come.

If you would like to explore the medicine of The Alchemy Sacred Feminine Activation journey more deeply, click HERE.