Woman Warrior: Joan of Arc - A Hero's Tribute

Monday, May 30th is celebrated as the Feast of Joan of Arc.  In truth, this is the day in 1431 that she was burned at the stake for witchcraft.  At the age of 17, she believed that she heard the voice of God call upon her to act.  And act she did.  She raised an army and overcame the British invasion of France in 15 months time.  Instead of celebrating her as a hero, the French bishops labelled her a "heretic, apostate, idolater" and they burned her.  But, Pope Benedict XV canonized her a saint nearly 500 years later on May 16, 1920 so it's all good.  No harm done, right?

Joan of Arc Chain Maille Millais Art Necklace by Mermaiden Creations

Joan of Arc is a shield maiden in it's truest form, a warrior woman, a battle maiden, and perhaps one of the strongest women in history.  She put on her armor and picked up her sword not for glory, but in defense and for love of her country, her people, and her God.  She was a 17 year old girl in 1431.  If you ask common society, she should have been wearing a dress, sewing, cooking, making babies, or any other "women's work" that they deemed fit.  Joan had plans of her own.  She listened to her intuition, was brave, and never wavered from what she knew she had to do to save her country.  She was questioned and tortured and yet remained fearless in her belief.

May 30th, the day Joan was burned at the stake, was the day that she was condemned for being a strong, fearless woman.  Take today to honor her as a hero, not just to her country but to womankind.  Decide today to be fearless, to be courageous, to stand up for what you believe in.  Listen to the voice (for Joan, it was God; for you it might be intuition) inside you to do what you you know is right, what you believe in, what your passion tells you to do.  Believe in yourself and your convictions.  Be a Hero.

Woman Warrior: Joan of Arc

May 30 was the feast day of Saint Joan. Julie, of Mermaiden Creations on Etsy wrote a magnificent blog post in her honor. I highly recommend checking it out and learning more about this determined, courageous, and confident woman.

An insane work schedule and visit from mom took over my life for the last couple of weeks, but things are finally slowing down. I desperately need a day off to regroup, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen until Friday. In other news, my little betta fish that had the tumor like lump on his head has gone to the fishy afterlife.