Conception and birth of an idea

The Ancient Warriors are part of a carefully unplanned process. They came to me with the help of several people and during several years.

Seeing the first Ancient Warriors

They first came see ancient warriors was when someone (out of the blue) told me: “Do you know, that you are surrounded by several warriors?”
The moment he said it, I felt their presence. An Indian bowman, a Persian swordsman, a Mongol horseman, a Zulu hunter, a medieval European knight. I could sense about 20 warriors at that time. I could also see, that these warriors had been with me for many years. One simple sentence opened a curtain, that had always been closed. And behind that curtain was a world that had been part me of all my life. That was 2006. Since that time the number of warriors kept growing and growing. I stopped counting.

Spreading the Ancient Warriors

Spreading the Ancient Warriors came to me through a question by yet another person.
“Can I have one?” The question came as a surprise.
“Would you like to have one?”
“I think I could use one.” She had a vague smile on her face.
“I suppose you could have one.”

Spreading the ancient warriors to people in need. So simple, so obvious. With just one remaining question: how? Although I believe that the Ancient Warriors are there for anyone who needs them, few seem to be able to connect to them. The idea was conceived, it had to grow and grow, develop. It took about nine months more to find an easy way to 'give' them, an easy way for people to feel that a warrior is there to protect and support them.

Birth of the cards

The idea of a card came during an NVC festival in a Buddhist retreat in Emst (The Netherlands). Someone offered me a massage in the room that was also used as temple. I fell asleep. When I woke up I knew that I would make cards. On the front side I would put an image of a warrior. On the back side I would add a text, that would clarify in which fields the warriors could support. When I stepped of the massage table I took a piece of paper and wrote down the text that is still on each card today.

Depicting an Ancient Warrior

The main picture on the cards shows a warrior that can be found on all continents and through all different periods in time starting from the beginning of mankind until now. It's meant to depict a human being, that makes you feel safe and protected. It's based on an image I once created to describe 'protection', showing two big strong arms around a child, that leans on a grown-ups chest. Many think of warriors as men. Still with the main image I tried to portray both women and men, since in my eyes both have been warriors.

Each warrior is equiped with a shield and a weapon. The shield is meant to enhance the feeling of safety and protection. The weapons can support the other qualities I connect with the warriors like focus, courage, action and making decisions. Although all weapons can be used and have been used to attack and harm others, I like to see them in this case as tools to 'support life'. Ancient Warriors will only support you to act in ways that include the respect for the needs of others too.

Paintings

Around 2013 I started to make the first painting of an Ancient Warrior. For some reason these paintings were conceived as even more powerful. I don't think they represent stronger warriors. I do notice that to many it's easier to feel their presence and thereby their power of their warrior.