Becoming a Love Warrior
Nine Jungian Lessons in Love and Power
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Americans are weary—of pandemic woes, economic uncertainties, global unrest, political bickering. Yet Jungian analyst Bud Harris exhorts us to reject the poet T.S. Eliott’s prediction that the world will end “not with a bang but a whimper.” Now is the time to put on the armor and fighting spirit of the love warrior. Let’s not forget, Harris says, that “in our country’s history, even in the face of darkness, we have been able to find better angels and create a future that has often inspired humanity.”
In this introspective manual he shares nine important lessons to help fortify this love-warrior spirit, lifted directly from his years of experience as a trained Jungian analyst. To be a warrior is to use your power to develop skills, focus, strength, purpose and the determination to serve a higher value. And to do this from a place of love requires internal strength as well as far-reaching vision for what positive heights the chaos, sadness, and fatigue of today’s world can eventually lead us.
Each chapter in Becoming a Love Warrior is re-captured with a following workbook page. Here a list of “points to ponder” challenges the reader to re-examine personal reactions, fears, or hidden and debilitating experiences that may have surfaced. These are the internal hold-backs that keep us from fully exercising our power and love. To be a love warrior, one must recognize these in order to overcome.
The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table—a story told long ago—does in fact offer a basic foundation for the love warrior today. “Might for right” became the motto of these warriors of yore. To save king and country from being a wasteland, they undertook the quest for the Holy Grail in order to bring the symbols of power and spiritual passion together to renew the life of the kingdom. In our quest to become love warriors we can learn a lot from this venerable legend, says Harris. The round table became a symbol of unity.
Surprisingly, this historic legend becomes inspirational and instructive in the hands of Harris as he intertwines the philosophical foundation of the tale with the needs we have in today’s world. He describes through nine lessons the ways that we can indeed put on that armor and fierceness to fight for right and, hopefully, bring more peace and harmony to society and, most of all, to ourselves.
Reviews
“‘We are born to love and be loved.’ This is a profound and central truth for living from meaning, often difficult to practice in the face of struggle, conflict, and fear. Becoming a Love Warrior provides a Medicine for our society that has sadly lost its moral and behavioral compass over the past many decades. As instinctive as love is, it is difficult to access for most, often morphed and camouflaged by its opposite—power, sadly normalized and misinterpreted by the collective.
“Dr. Bud Harris has unpacked and disseminated profound wisdom and instruction in this most recent literary jewel, easily accessed on any page, providing guidance and clarity about what behaved authentic love actually is. His words, as always, inspire and provoke transformation. They land deeply and alchemically inside, evoking courage and urgency for us to be the bearers of fierce love during these troubled times. This book is a must read for any and all people dedicated to ‘being the change they want to see in the world.-”
—Kalpana (Rose) Kumar M.D., Founder and Medical Director of The Ommani Center for Integrative Medicine and Author of Becoming Real: Reclaiming Our Health in Midlife
“Have you been affected by the toxic stress, anger, and alienation that permeate society? Is your sense of well-being threatened by dehumanizing forces beyond your control? Bud Harris is a voice crying in the wilderness. His message is clear: We are born to love and be loved. With serious changes of heart, mind, and action we can unite love with power. As love warriors we can fight for the true needs of our souls and heal the world in the process.”
—Dr. Jean Raffa, recipient of the Nautilus Silver Medal Award for her new book, The Soul’s Twins: Emancipate Your Feminine and Masculine Archetypes
Table of Contents
Foreword
Introduction: Renewing the Promise of Life
JUNGIAN IDEAS ON LOVE AND POWER
Lesson One: Facing the Truth of Our Reality
Lesson Two: Love’s Foundation
Lesson Three: Power Supporting Love
Lesson Four: Love Chooses Life
Lesson Five: Cultivating Courage
Lesson Six: The Healing Power of Self-Love
Lesson Seven: Love Must Be Strong
Lesson Eight: Healing Alienation is Crucial
Lesson Nine: Cultivating Compassion
ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGES OF THE HEART
Appendix: Helpful Practices for the Journey
Journaling Suggestions:
Dreams as Friends
Paying Attention
Listening
Questioning
Reflecting