There are a handful of times in my life when I have witnessed the rage of a warrior in myself and all but a couple of those times, it was to protect someone else. It scared me the first time. It scared me to know that I could be so violent, that rage could be so instant and swift and precise. The protection of someone else is the most basic instinct of a mother, a sister, a friend, a pack member and a kin member. I will not stand by when a woman is being abused, when a friend is in danger, when a child is in danger and I fight with all that I am if you come against me. It is in my bones. It is in my blood.

We have given away freedom to choose, to work, to laugh, to gather and to celebrate. We have defiled the memory of those that fought against cold and snow and power and great armies to give us this land.
We have done the unthinkable......
We have dishonored the names of our ancestors.

As Northern Europeans we have experienced severe spiritual drought, one that was supposed to be watered and fullfilled by Christianity but has left us parched none the less. So in past generations we went searching, longing for the connection to purpose and fulfillment, spirituality and understanding and the ever important sense of belonging. (cont)

Morrigan by Lamorien
"......It is also true that women were the incitors of warriors, the authority in her husbands absence and the one whose council was sought concerning the welcoming or turning away of other tribes. The voice of a woman concerning a man's honor was respected and acted upon. Women were considered the keepers of the family honor....."

Raidho - ​is the cosmic law of right and archetypal order in the multiverse. This is expressed by such natural phenomena as the daily path of the sun and the cycles of nature and humanity. The R-rune is the mystery of divine law, manifest in both the multiverse and in humanity. Today the R-rune is a symbol of the "way back to right," through the conscious efforts of asatruarfolk to recover the essence of the primal order.

Painting by Robert Combs

photo Mary Reynolds 1st place entry in the prestigious 2002 Chelsea Garden Show.

Along dusty paths where trees darken the sky
Beings dart beyond our eye
The land gives voice through spirits song
In flowery fields they dance along

I am a warrior, a shieldmaiden, not because I wield an ax or sword (although I am pretty handy with an ax, hatchet, saw or knife) but because I protect and challenge anything that stands in the way of the health and welfare of my family and kin. Those traits are inherent in any female in nature.