As Pagans, we acknowledge the three faces of the Lady. This triune we are raised with and we easily embrace each facet as a true face.

She's a bit mischievous but doesn't seem to get into too much trouble. She's the driving force behind us when we sit down on the floor and color with our children, turn washing the car into a water fight and even trying on goofy clothes that we know would embarrass our children. 

She's the child in all of us.

The Mother is kind and nurturing, She can be firm, but She is firm out of love. 

She dries our eyes when we cry. She tends our wounds when we are injured. She stays with us when we are scared, and Her touch magically makes us feel better when we are sick. The Mother is the hearth. She is the domestic security of Hestia. She is the Mother, Danu. She is the lover, Aphrodite. She is the teacher, Athena. 

The Mother is alive in our compassion towards others and our love for our families.

She is the one who whispers in our ear telling us that the quiet we are hearing is not necessarily a good quiet and we should check to see what our young ones are doing. Only to find them washing the cat in the toilet. She holds the sense of justice in her aging hands for the Universe. She is an excellent judge of Karma. The Crone is the "School of Hard Knocks" that forces us to learn from our mistakes but She never says, "I told you so." She is the Grandmother we love so dearly, but know not to push our luck with. 

She's the Keeper of Secrets.  The Knower of Fate.  And the face we return to when our walk is over.

There is a fourth face of the Lady, though. A face no one really thinks about until they come to a specific crossroad in their lives. She is not the young and vibrant Maiden. She is not the kind and compassionate Mother. She is not the firm and matter-of-fact Crone. She is alive in all of us, yet not many can turn around to see Her and embrace Her power. 

She is the Warrior.

The Warrior is fierce protector. She is the sense of Honor. She has been thrust in front of us countless times and we couldn't embrace Her. Media has hyped the Warrior in shows like "Xena" yet we look at Her as entertainment and disassociate ourselves. 

"I could never be like that," we say. 

We admire Her for Her power and sense of self worth, yet we cannot look inside ourselves for that same power. The Warrior isn't one to back down in the face of controversy. She won't sit idly by while the world passes. She will fight tenaciously for Her own and what She believes in. The Warrior teaches us belief, teaches us Honor, teaches us self confidence, teaches us discipline. She is our individuality.  

The Warrior is the one who lights the fire within you to become the individual you were meant to be. By embracing the Warrior, you embrace a part of you.