There are many similarities between a Warrior and Spiritual 
Warrior, but there is one huge, overall difference between the two. A Warrior is focused on mastering an art form, a technique or a set of skills (e.g. Olympic Athlete, musician) while a Spiritual Warrior embraces courage, compassion, discipline, and training to master one’s own ego and alter ego.
A Spiritual Warrior may still want to be the best in a sport, trade, or in their own personal disciplines, but they are working on being their best while remaining humble.
In my opinion Hollywood has successfully destroyed and ruined the Noble Characteristics of the Warrior Archetype, portraying the warrior as hot-headed, arrogant, self-serving, ruthless; the warrior is presented as someone with characteristics you don’t want. One is tempted to believe that all the jerks in the world have warrior traits and if we didn’t have warriors we wouldn’t have wars.
Being a Spiritual Warrior however, means making a lifetime commitment to embrace discipline, study, and long intense training (sometimes at the sacrifice of comfort and convenience) to live a purposeful, meaningful life of service.
I have seen the term Spiritual Warrior used in a variety of contexts and adopted by a variety of individuals who may not share a common understanding of the term. In general, a Spiritual Warrior is someone who:
- Embraces the nobler personal attributes and strengths associated with warriors, such as compassion, self-awareness, humbleness
- Masters his/her self, and overcomes personal desire, moral issues, and weaknesses of character
- Embarks upon a journey of self-discovery in order to benefit others as well as enlighten his/her self.
If these points resonate with you, then stepping into this Spiritual Warrior’s Way will be a path that excites you!
