Barbara E. Sanderson: An Invitation to Dance

An Invitation to Dance:
The Path of the Warrior

Many indigenous peoples believe that wherever in our lives we stopped dancing, singing, being enchanted with stories, or began experiencing difficulty with silence is where we began to experience soul loss or loss of spirit. Angeles Arrien

In the face of mounting problems and failed solutions in education, many of us have become dispirited. In our attempts to cope, we withdraw, act rebelliously, feel like we're being victimized, become martyrs, try to be perfect, focus on what's not working, blame others, seethe in silence, hold onto our perspectives for dear life, move into control, and become inflexible and fearful. Interestingly, these coping behaviors are the shadow sides of four cross-cultural archetypes identified by the research of anthropologist Angeles Arrien.

In her book, The Four-Fold Way™, Arrien states that most of the indigenous traditions of the world "draw on the power of four archetypes in order to live in harmony and balance with our environment and with our own inner nature: the Warrior, the Healer, the Visionary, and the Teacher. Because each archetype draws on the deepest mythic roots of humanity, we too can tap into their wisdom. When we learn to live these archetypes within ourselves, we will begin to heal ourselves and our fragmented world." Perhaps we can find a way to revive our own spirits and that of the educational process by practicing the positive side of each of the archetypes.

The fundamental task of the Warrior is to show up and be present. The path of the Healer is to pay attention to what has heart and meaning. The way of the Visionary is to say what is true without blame or judgment. And the work of the Teacher is to let go of the outcome.

We invite you to begin a conversation with us on the paths of the Warrior, the Healer, the Visionary, and the Teacher. In this first article, we'll begin with the way of the Warrior. Each of the other archetypes will be covered in subsequent articles.

THE WARRIOR

The path of the Warrior involves assuming personal leadership. First, and foremost, the Warrior must show up and be present — physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Being present to oneself and to others necessitates compassion. At the same time, the Warrior sets and keeps clear and appropriate boundaries. A leader needs to be able to say "no" when necessary and to respect that response in others.

The Warrior is respectful of others and is willing to look again. This involves accepting all of the parts of oneself, even those that come from one's shadow side, and being equally welcoming of diversity in others. The leader is a straight talker, who can be counted on to have matching words and behavior. Additionally, the warrior makes skillful use of all aspects of communication — content, word choice, context, tone, body language, and timing. Others always know where the Warrior stands.

When these characteristics of the warrior are applied with self-discipline and responsibility, the leader shows up with powerful personal presence and integrity. When the shadow side of the Warrior is in play, we see rebelliousness, difficulties with authority, or attempts at invisibility. Any time these shadow aspects appear, it is a signal that the person has a gift of leadership waiting to be claimed. The leader manages his or her own shadow side and reaches for the best in others, rather than allying with their unproductive behavior patterns. Leadership means taking responsibility for one's impact, which requires courage and bravery.

Dancing is one of the healing practices of the Warrior/Leader. This is not movement for performance; it is a method of self-empowerment. It requires no skill or experience, only a desire to reconnect with oneself.

Example: Ted became principal of a large, inner-city high school, which consisted of several schools that had been merged into one by busing in students from other areas. The core population of students who lived in the neighborhood of the school had the highest dropout rate in the city and was 70% young people of color. Of those who were bussed in, 70% were white.

Ted soon realized that the school was not doing right by the people who lived in the area and set about creating a school where they could succeed, too. He convened a council of 85 students and 15 faculty members to design a new approach for the building. Each of the students had an opportunity to play a leadership role during the process.

Ted also insisted that all teachers create relationships with all types of students, which prevented some teachers from isolating themselves in programs that excluded part of the school population. He reports that the process necessitated asking the right questions and tolerating ambiguity and complexity while keeping the goal in sight. He considered it his job to create opportunities for teachers who were working whole-heartedly on this effort to maintain their sanity.

By the end of the first year, the dropout rate in the school was cut in half. Having their comfortable niches disrupted disgruntled some teachers, but when Ted left this building for another job, the faculty gave him an award for being a leader who had high integrity and who could be counted on by both students and faculty.

Warrior Practices to Try

For one week, track when your actions do and do not match your words. Bring curiosity to this project, rather than self-blame or judgment. After you have collected the information, look for trends: Do you say what you mean? Do you do what you say? Do others know where I stand on important subjects? In what ways am I reliable with others and where might I want to make a new commitment to become more trustworthy?
Variation: Make an agreement with your colleagues that you will all track your own words and actions for a week. Then, have a discussion based on the questions, above. End by having each person make a specific commitment that will create more reliability and trust within the group.

In your interactions with specific adults and young people, notice what you are reaching for in them. Do you connect with their gifts and talents, with their character qualities? Do you bond with the unproductive behavior of their shadow sides? What are the results of these two different ways of showing up in others' lives? Are you satisfied with the results or are their relationships in which you want to become more of a positive influence?

Move, bop, prance, glide, boogie, DANCE! Shut the door and interpret your day in movement, crank up your favorite tunes and get down, or dress up and head for your favorite club or dance floor. Make it mean something to you. Feel alive and connected to yourself (and maybe even to others).

Suggested reading
The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer and Visionary
by Angeles Arrien, Ph.D., HarperSanFrancisco, 1993

Authors of This Article
Barbara E. Sanderson — former junior high and high school teacher, currently coaching psychologist and organizational consultant
Skip Olsen — former middle school teacher and Business Manager for MFT, currently teacher at St. Mary's and Hamline Universities and consultant
Bill Sommers — former high school teacher, currently Principal of Eden Prairie High School and teacher at the University of Minnesota
B. J. Anderson — former high school teacher, currently health educator at Minnesota Children, Families, and Learning

YOUR STORIES ARE REQUESTED
We would love to hear about your own warrior work, as individuals or as groups. How have you been a warrior in your work, now or in the past? How has applying the principles of warriorship affected you, your work, your students, your colleagues?

This article was written for the Minnesota Staff Development Newsletter.

An Invitation to Dance:The Path of the Warrior

An Invitation to Dance:
The Path of the Warrior