The Wisdom of Joan of Arc
Courage as a Tailwind
Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you had a restful weekend to begin the year.
Today is the birthday of Joan of Arc, and now is a time when we need especially to look towards her for courage.
Here is the post I wrote about her last year on this day:
As I enter my second year on Substack, I notice I am already drawn to highlight the same important dates - anniversaries, birthdays, death dates, rituals, and celebrations. As a person who cares very much about honoring these annual moments on the calendar, I believe it’s necessary to continue to give presence to them, finding new ways to do so, as their meaning continues to shift and change with time. Time will continue to pass and we will perpetually evolve, though January 6 will always be a day for Joan of Arc, and we will always need her shining example to help propel us in times of darkness.
From my post last year: ‘….her birthday, when she entered the world and we celebrate the first breaths of her existence, is January 6, at the very start of the year, at a time when we could use an example of courage and bravery to help push and guide us forward, to help us locate and give voice to that same courage which resides inside us all - sometimes alive and thriving like a wildfire, sometimes dormant and sleeping, sometimes yearning to be awoken.’
Joan of Arc is said to have been a ‘beacon of hope during a time of unrest and conflict,’ and this is the sort of energy we are in need of today.
Jehanne la Pucelle (‘Joan the Maid,’ as she referred to herself) was born in 1412, in Domrémy, France. As a child in the village, she helped her father on their farm and did sewing with her mother. She spun wool and looked after their animals on the field.
By 1415, the Hundred Years War between England and France entered an intense period - King Henry V invaded France with several victories against the army of King Charles VI. By the time King Henry died in 1422, England and their allies (French-Burgundians) had control over most of Northern France, including Paris. One month after Henry, King Charles died too, and his son, also named Charles, prepared to take his place. However, Reims, the city where the French coronations were held, was occupied, and Charles, the Dauphin (heir apparent to the throne) remained uncrowned.
In 1425, Domrémy was attacked and Joan’s family cattle were stolen. The war was veering closer and becoming increasingly personal.
When she was 12 years old, after this attack on her village, Joan started to hear voices and have visions. Her first vision was from St. Michael the Archangel, who insisted she would lead France in battle, capture Reims, and take Charles there to be crowned. These visions continued for years, from St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret, often when church bells were rung, and at the age of 16, she chose to listen, and to act.
In May 1428, she traveled with her uncle to Vaucouleurs, a protected fortress of the Dauphin, and spoke with Robert de Baudricourt, the captain of the troops there, telling him about her visions and her mission, her desire to meet with Charles. He sent her away, not believing a young peasant girl would have had such miraculous visions or possess any abilities whatsoever to lead an army of soldiers into battle. She obeyed and went back home, and in July, her village was attacked again, fire set to the town, all the crops destroyed, everyone forced to evacuate. In January 1429, she returned to Vaucouleurs to see Baudricourt, though it was after a 3rd return visit that the garrison commander, impressed by her will and determination, finally allowed her through to see the Dauphin.
By February, she made it to the Dauphin’s castle, dressed in men’s clothing and accompanied by 6 soldiers, where she was granted an audience to share her plan. Charles was there, hiding behind others to remain anonymous, though Joan was able to pick him out of the crowd. She told him of her visions and of her mission. For many weeks following, Charles had Joan questioned endlessly by theologians who eventually decided he should take a chance with her.
Joan trained herself for battle. She learned how to ride a horse and fight. She was prepared. Charles fashioned her with a small army of soldiers, and on April 27th, 1429, she set out for Orleans. On April 29, distracting the English troops, Joan and her army entered the gate to Orleans, bringing reinforcements, supplies, and most importantly, a renewed sense of hope and optimism. All throughout France, people spoke of Joan’s visions. She led several victorious battles. On May 7 she was struck by an arrow. She cleaned and dressed her wound and went back to fighting. On May 8, the French retreated from Orleans, another victorious day.
For 5 more weeks, Joan led her royal army into several more victorious battles. On July 16, they reached Reims, and her troops and the Dauphin were welcomed. The following day, Charles was crowned King with Joan standing nearby him. She knelt before him after the ceremony, and referred to him as King for the very first time.
On September 8, Joan and King Charles led an attack in Paris. She called on the people to surrender the city to the King of France. She was wounded badly, and though she wanted to continue fighting, King Charles ordered an end to the siege, deeming it unsuccessful.
In December, the King ennobled Joan and her entire family.
Joan continued on, leading soldiers to defend the city of Compeigne, and on May 23, 1430, she was captured sold to the English. In March 1431, she went on trial before a pro-English court in Rouen where she was found guilty of heresy. They announced that her most serious crime was ‘rejection of church authority in favor of direct inspiration from God.’ She refused to yield and on May 24th she was sentenced to be executed. Terrified and not wanting to die, she agreed to submit to the church, and her sentence was changed from execution to life in prison.
She was ordered to wear women’s clothes in her cell, which she agreed to, though a few days later she changed back into men’s clothing. When asked why she had disobeyed, she told them that ‘St. Catherine and St. Margaret had reproached her for giving in to the church against their will.’ She was once again found guilty of heresy, and reassigned her original sentence.
Joan was burned at the stake on May 30th, 1431 when she was 19 years old.
In 1450, King Charles had her guilty verdict overturned.
In 1920, she was canonized as a saint. Her feast day is May 30th.
Domrémy, the village of her birth and childhood, was renamed ‘Domrémy-la-Pucelle’ in her honor, as her nickname was ‘la Pucelle d'Orléans',’ - ‘the maid of Orleans.’
**This of course is an abridged/basic telling based on my own research. There is much more to the story, many more details that can be read and studied more thoroughly if you like.**
While I am definitely not one to celebrate war, I am one to commend acts of justice and courage, defense of the people, doing what needs to be done, especially when faced with having to do something you otherwise wouldn’t ever have wanted to do. Imagine the great courage she had to muster. Against all odds, Joan listened to herself and selflessly followed through with the impossible. She was a simple country girl who desired to save France. She left the quiet safety of her home and served as a soldier and visionary. This is deeply admirable and even is hard to fathom. She gave her energy selflessly, and then was betrayed and burned at the stake, only to be fully acknowledged and celebrated after she was already gone from the Earth. She died almost 600 years ago, and here we are remembering her across the globe, sharing her name and her story, continuing to draw inspiration from her fleeting and valorous life.
Here again are her quotes:
"I am not afraid. I was born to do this."
"Get up tomorrow early in the morning, and earlier than you did today, and do the best that you can."
"One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. "
"Go forward bravely. Fear nothing"
“Courage! Do not fall back; in a little the place will be yours. Watch! When the wind blows my banner against the bulwark, you shall take it.”
A Prayer To Saint Joan of Arc
St. Joan of Arc, give me strength:
In this, my time of need, I beg thee to come to my aid.
(Share your request…)
Hear this petition and my heartfelt plea.
Grant me by your divine and powerful intercession, the courage and strength I need to endure this constant fight. Help me to be victorious in the tasks presented to me. Amen.
Saint Joan of Arc - Pray for us.
In my New Year’s Eve post, I shared my one wish:
‘My greatest wish today, is that we can access our boldness and our confidence in ourselves, to arm ourselves with the tools we each need to walk strongly into this new year. I wish us all unwavering confidence in ourselves and belief in our abilities, to become who we are truly meant to be and do the things we are meant to do.’
Joan of Arc offers us a story of an individual who embodied this wish to its fullest. Think of figures in history, in your life, those you admire who have done the same. Does anyone come to mind right away?
As you read and think about Joan’s story today, what is the take away for you? For me, I am reminded of one of my favorite thoughts - ‘to be afraid and do the thing anyway.’ Being courageous doesn’t mean having a lack of fear. It’s about feeling scared, feeling afraid, and still moving forward. Fear as a tailwind, instead of a headwind.
Definition of courage: the ability to do something that frightens one.
Be afraid, and do it anyway. <3
It can be something seemingly small, or hugely complex. Something quick, or something with many steps. Let’s all think of something a little scary that we need to accomplish. Let’s take a breath, believe in ourselves, and take the first step towards making it happen. <3
Please share any thoughts, reflections, ideas, stories, questions, etc. in the comments.
As always, I will be so happy and excited to read them all.
Sending courageous wishes and bold energy to you all.
Happy Birthday, Joan. Thank you for the beacon of hope you continue to light for the world.
Thank you Jess. It was heartening to read this as I'm struggling with my work. I especially love the quote which I hadn't known and now will be as a banner.
Fear as a tailwind instead of a headwind - that's wonderful! There's so much in this piece that I didn't know and I'm so glad to have read it today and have this new perspective on Joan's life. I was particularly thrilled with the quote about battles being won or lost firstly in the mind - this is something I am still learning even in my 70's - there isn't an age or a time, in my humble opinion, when anyone is beyond learning, or leaning into the wisdom of others. We need a collective courage to face the coming years, but I find that it's sometimes harder to call on the quiet personal courage needed to face the everyday things - age and loss and change - and your writing has inspired me. Thank you.