The Last Thing a Coward Needs is Another Bully
Yesterday I researched the Coward archetype for a new archetypal consulting client.
This is a client who has a deep calling but is terrified to truly claim it, let alone step fully into it.
I know this archetype well, because I also have it.
Everything I read about the Coward archetype was, in so many words, about pushing through fear and doing the scary thing anyway, as if that is somehow the path to creating resilience and spiritual awakening.
How disappointing. It really irritated me. I got grouchy and had to go for a walk.
People who experience the Coward archetype fear personal destruction and annihilation, so telling someone to just push through fear is invalidating and only creates more trauma.
Goodness knows, society does this enough to people. Why would anyone expect a frightened person to bully themselves in this way? (Some archetypal resources see the Bully/Coward as the same archetype, which is valid, and I can write more about this another time.)
But what if someone expressing the Coward archetype doesn’t have to get tougher? What if, through no fault of their own (and most likely from experiencing intense bullying in their past), they simply lack the capacity to manage the collapse that happens when they are faced with challenging situations?
What if the true strength of the Coward isn’t pushing through or defying fear, it’s increasing the nervous system’s capacity to tolerate stress without collapsing?
She can give herself the space to honor her sensitivity, ask for help, take her time, and step into her power as slowly and incrementally as is right for her body.
It’s through this deep self-honoring that the Coward can begin to step into her light.
The beautiful gift of the Coward archetype is that every time she experiences fear, it’s an invitation to heal a little more, support herself further, and know her worthiness at a deeper level.
In the highest light, the Coward will say yes to the opportunity to walk her unique sacred path of personal healing and spiritual mastery.
And she can stand, amazed, at what she is capable of becoming.
Not only that, her example and courage will inspire others to do the same, and then the Coward becomes her own Heroine, a leader in self-care, self-honoring, courage, commitment and change.
