Flower Soldiers

In his book, Lighteningbolt, pp. 326-342, Hyemeyohsts Storm described Flower Soldiers this way:

“What is a Flower Soldier?  The Professional Flower Soldiers are a Body composed of Devoted Women and Men who are The Army, and who are dedicated to Learning of the Self and Sacred Mother Life…The first and greatest enemy of humanity is Self-ignorance.  The second great enemy is belief.  The third great enemy is pretense.  And the fourth great enemy is laziness.  Flower Soldiers are taught to battle their ignorance, their beliefs, their pretense, and their laziness…The Flower Soldiers teach that people who follow the rules will be defeated when the rules are changed–and the rules change in Life as frequently as we breathe. As an example, the rule is that we must breathe. The rule is not that we breathe always at the same time, in the same way or in the same rhythm…To love and nourish the Self is the most profound and difficult task known to humanity .  The reason for the difficulty is because most human beings refuse to accept Self responsibility.

My interpretation of this concept is that Flower Soldiers are people who, often at great personal risk, practice “radical love,” as Valarie Kaur describes it: love for oneself, love for Mother Earth and love for one’s enemies.  Such love requires immense self-knowledge and self-discipline.  This is not an easy road.  Below is the beginning of a list of people who currently personify Flower Soldiers in my eyes.  It’s in no way comprehensive and I’d love to hear your suggestions!