Wiccan Warrior: Walking a Spiritual Path in a Sometimes Hostile World [Paperback]

Kerr Cuhulain (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1567182526 | ISBN-13: 978-1567182521 | Publication Date: March 2000

We all have archetypes we model ourselves upon. In the Wiccan community these include Maiden, Healer, Mother, Bard, and others. In Wiccan Warrior by Kerr Cuhulain, you will learn of eight new yet traditional archetypes that Wiccans can model their lives and goals upon. You'll also find that they are completely appropriate for any person following a spiritual system.

These eight are:

The Balanced Warrior, for whom all comes from the Divine and must be treated as such.

The Creative Warrior, who masters myths and can use them to share wisdom.

The Rational Warrior, who avoids all types of fundamentalism.

The Energized Warrior, who can raise and direct energy. You'll learn to do this with toning, mantras, dance and drumming.

The Dreaming Warrior, who knows how to alter consciousness. Here you will learn meditation, concentration and breathwork.

The Magickal Warrior, who knows and can do magick.

The Ritual Warrior, who helps revitalize rituals with knowledge, understanding, energy and love.

The Initiated Warrior, who knows and shares the value of true initiation.

 

There are five cornerstones to the magick of being a Wiccan Warrior. These are the well-known To Dare, To Will, To Know and To Keep Silent. To these Cuhulain adds To Imagine. For "to imagine is to be able to clearly visualize your objective, to develop and use a creative imagination." The book is filled with ideas and insights that will guide you on your way to becoming a true Wiccan Warrior, a person freed from limitations.

This book is a must for Wiccan and Witches of all stripes. If one of the Warrior archetypes doesn't fit your needs, another (or several others) will. People who are not Wiccans will find much to admire and make use of, too.

Winner of the 2001 Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Award for best Biographical/Personal Book

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Much as the martial arts incorporate Buddhism and Confucianism, Cuhulain strives to incorporate various Wiccan philosophies into the "Warrior tradition." Cuhulain, a police officer, former Air Force officer and influential Wiccan practitioner, explores everything from the historical warrior tradition discussed by Sun Tzu to the philosophical musings of Carlos Castaneda's Don Juan Matus. Although the book is written for the practicing Pagan, much of it is bound to make more traditional Wiccan readers uncomfortable. Cuhulain makes it quite clear that "Wiccan Warriors think for themselves. They eliminate useless habits and routines. They are not fettered by dogma." Dogma includes following practices based on Judeo-Christian roots or following "traditional" rituals from popular Wiccan books. Cuhulain painstakingly documents the origins and histories of several oft-used rituals in an effort to encourage creativity and imagination among Covens. He encourages the use of chi (the energy force of tai chi), meditation, and music. Non-Pagan readers will find the Warrior qualities Cuhulain discusses throughout the book fairly interesting, but the real story for them will be the glimpse into the struggles and differing philosophies of a very private community. (Mar.)

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

We all have archetypes we attempt to live by. Perhaps you consciously, or unconsciously, model yourself after a parent or teacher. Maybe you have in your mind the way a mother or girlfriend, husband or father is supposed to be. You will try to live up to those archetypes in your life. If you succeed, you feel happy and successful. If you don't, you may feel distraught and like a failure.

One of the first things you might consider doing is coming to understand that archetypes, by their nature, are perfect. As humans, we can only strive to approach the archetype. If you expect perfection in yourself you are going to fail. If you expect a friend or lover to live up to your personal archetype of friend or lover, that relationship may fail, too. The key is to accept the archetype as the indicator of the path, not a tool to judge your success or failure.

The more archetypes we can draw on, the more potentials we have in our lives. Most people discover archetypes during their personal lives (such as parents or teachers). As you evolve, you will find archetypes in your community. For example, in the Wiccan community there are archetypes of priest and priestess, healer and bard, crone and magician, and several more. But perhaps some new ones are needed.

I have always said that change is necessary, but that we should only change things when it is necessary to do so. That is one of the reasons I think Wiccan Warrior by Kerr Cuhulain is such an important book. In it he presents eight archetypes associated with the notion of a Warrior. According to Kerr, being a Warrior is about becoming effective and creative in all you do. These new archetypes focus on balance, creativity, rationality, energy work, altered consciousness, magick, ritual and initiation.

You can learn about them, and tap into one or several. You'll also learn meditation, cord magick, breathwork, trance, ritual, and much more.

No matter what magical tradition you follow, you'll find something here to direct you on your path.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567182526
• ISBN-13: 978-1567182521
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #749,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A viewpoint long needed, May 30, 2000

By 

Sunfell "Sunfell" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wiccan Warrior: Walking a Spiritual Path in a Sometimes Hostile World (Paperback)

I am a military veteran and Wiccan. So, I was surprised and pleased when I saw this book, and even more so when I read it. Here is a fresh viewpoint on Wicca- from a spiritual warrior's point of view. The Wiccan mainstream has tended to marginalize the Warrior aspect of the Craft- and those who practice it. We who are veterans and police have a valid path, too, and understand the true role of the Peaceful Warrior.

This book rang all the right bells for me- bringing in aspects of Eastern disciplines, myth-busting, and plain old common sense. I think every Wiccan and Pagan student should read this. Even if you don't agree with all he says, his extensive notes and contemporary bibliography are well worth your time. No 'fluffy-bunnies' here- just down-to-earth common sense.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The world needs more Warrior books., May 8, 2002

By 

Stormy (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wiccan Warrior: Walking a Spiritual Path in a Sometimes Hostile World (Paperback)

This is not a beginner's guide to Wicca. Anyone reading this book should have prior knowledge of the basics of the faith, otherwise it's not going to make a lot of sense.

That being said, this is one of my very favourite books. While there are lots of beginners' books that describe what Wicca is, how to practice it, and the history behind it, this is a book that takes a good deep look at philosophy and reasoning behind it.

My husband, a pacifist, just shook his head when his military wife (me) brought this home. In fact, this book is not about violence or conflict much at all. It's about the warrior's principles, the soldier's ethics, the martial artist's philosophy, and how it can be used by anyone to live a better and yes, more peaceful life.

I don't find Cuhulain to be hateful towards organized Wiccan traditions. Stating that it's okay to do your own thing (whether that thing be traditional or otherwise) is not hateful. I think the world needs more independant thinkers and less people who do what they're told because "everyone else does it." Question everything. Then, if you do what everyone else does, you do it for your own reasons, not because you don't know any better.

This book, more so than any of my other Wiccan material, really made me think. I wish there were more books like this, for those who, having finished the basics of Witchcraft, were looking for "second degree" material. Very philosophical, very insightful, very honest, very brave.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth the Read, December 23, 2001

By 

Boudica (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wiccan Warrior: Walking a Spiritual Path in a Sometimes Hostile World (Paperback)

The author of "The Law Enforcement Guide to Wicca" presents us here with what I feel is probably going to be a most controversial book, and I love a good controversial book.

Kerr Cuhulain examines the path of the Warrior Wiccan. Though many books have been written on the basics of Wicca and magic, the three aspects of the God and Goddess, healing and such, none have really done a good job examining the path of the Warrior. Kerr Cuhulain covers here how to be an everyday Warrior while living the Wiccan Rede.

If you have read Kerr Cuhulain, you would know he is a former Air Force Officer and a police officer as well as being a Wiccan. He is a Wiccan of thirty years and his education and understanding of both worlds is evident in this book.

He examines the evolution of Wicca, how it has grown, changed and continues to grow and evolve. For many, we can read his words and see how these changes have indeed come about in all the Earth Religions. Others will read this and disagree completely, holding that Mysteries never change. Whatever your view, you will be challenged as you read this book.

Kerr Cuhulain approaches being a Wiccan Warrior in a wonderful didactic style. He covers balance, creativity, energy, dreaming, magic, ritual and rationality all as pertaining to being a Warrior. His training in the martial arts shows in his approach to discipline and wisdom.

I am impressed greatly with this book, and find myself picking it up often to refer back to some of his material, contemplating it as it applies to myself, and how can it be applied to everyday life.

Maybe, in a way, those of us who stand up in our world as different, following the less traveled path are really warriors at heart. I find myself in this position often. This book will probably sit on my desk for a while as I ponder this further.

This book is filled with more than just basic material and is not fluff by any means. Kerr Cuhulain offers meat and potato information, discusses intelligently the foundations he lays for his material and offers a well researched, well put together book on a path less traveled, being a "Wiccan Warrior".