As promised, here is the blog post on the energies of the Masculine and Feminine. First of all, it’s not a one “versus” the other type of thing, rather, like a marriage between the two.

Feminine and Masculine. They are the words that Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology, used to describe the “anima” (the feminine aspect that lives in men) and “animus” (the masculine principle that lives in women). We could also call them yin and yang. We could also call them passive and active, but I don’t like that one. Let’s scratch that one. I’ve heard other ways, for example, in terms of anatomy we could say the lingam and yoni from Indian culture (the penis/phallus and vagina, also symbolizing the masculine & feminine principles, respectively). In nature, we can see there are these different principles, and Jung broke down so many of these into so many parts of ourselves that there are: the masculine and the negative, the shadow and the persona, the ego and the unconscious. I am starting to break these down for us here so that we can utilize them.

Basically, without writing a whole book on it, masculine is about the will, the power of control, discipline, it’s really about structures, force as power. Like we might really need masculine power to clean our garden: we might have to tear that shit up, cut the grass, pull the weeds; it won’t really serve us to tiptoe around the grass and ask how it is feeling. We may just have to get in there and DO it! So, it’s about that doing and putting into action, into motion, implementation, inserting, imposing, really stating explicitly, expressing. The masculine is death, also. I gave the example, without really thinking about it, about chopping up the grass. In Indian culture, the masculine principle is described as “lingam” or the phallus. Masculine is often portrayed as the “Patriarch” in the Tarot, the one that upholds structure, rules, legal system, order, schedules, and more. It signifies linear, measurable goal-setting.

The feminine principle—the yoni, the receptive—listening, meditating, quiet, silence, reflective, in contrast, is: Caring. Nurturing. Fostering connection, relationship. Birthing. Giver of life. Sisterhood. The feminine principle is the way of nurturing, compassion, empathy, listening, receptivity, soothing, holding, giving birth, and PROTECTING life fiercely. Social Justice. The Home. Creativity and the Arts. Fertility. It is often depicted by the Goddesses, ranging from the Indian Saraswati (the arts & culture), Kali (fierce & protective, destroys what is no longer needed), Dhurga (mother), and Lakshmi (abundance & prosperity) to the Virgin Mary.

What I want to be really clear on is that this does NOT mean that men are masculine and active and women are feminine, receptive, and passive. EEEHHAHAH! NO! Buzz ringer, wrong! We all have access to both principles and all ways of being within us. It’s just a way of categorizing something so that we can become aware.

I am going to share something my previous therapist used to say to me. Dr. Harold Brown, if you’re reading this, awesome, hi! He used to talk about accessing the hot and the cold water. I love this analogy! You want to be able to use both. If you didn’t know how to use the cold, you might burn yourself. And, if you didn’t know how to use the hot, then, you might never enjoy a nice, warm bath. So, you need both.

So, this applies to the masculine and the feminine. You really need to listen sometimes. Not just in some spiritual, meditative way, but if you are standing in court before a judge and he is going off at you and you start going off at him—or a police offer—you might be in trouble. You might not agree with him or her, but you might need to listen up! Now, we could take this into all of our relationships: with our children, our partners, with the Earth, with Spirit’s guidance. Listening is important. There’s a time for that. And, as I talk about in another blog article here (if you want to be on my list & find out about when new blogs comes out, sign up here), we have lived in a paradigm where being feminine—whether you are a man or a woman—being receptive and listening has been regarded as weak. Tuning in and feeling things out, the emotional realm, has been regarded as weak. We have plundered the Earth in search for greater and greater wealth, in a ruthless consumption that has some incredibly rich and wealthy, and others incredibly poor. People bomb others because they do not share the same belief systems. There is a lack of balance between the feminine & masculine principles currently, of listening & compassion, and it is through the feminine principles of receptivity and understanding that we can shift things.

We can see this imbalance also reflected in how professions are paid, for example, in a world where lawyers, the president, etc. are paid a lot more in our society—they earn a lot more, than historically have professions where one is taking care of kids or other people (think everywhere from mother to teacher, daycare provider, hospice, nurse). You don’t earn as much does as a CEO, a basketball provider (all about shooting hoops) or a film star, which is a lot about masculine achievements, over the feminine receptive.

We could look at a feminine leader that’s male, like the Dalai Lama or Thich Naht Hahn. These are males in that receptive space where they are actually spiritual leaders, because they are really cultivating compassion, connection, open-heartedness, life, and really honoring all cycles of life, even pain. Whereas that masculine energy would avoid talking about or thinking about pain, “let’s just get this done!”, achieve, and endure.

So, that’s a good little discussion about feminine and masculine, as an introduction. Good to check ourselves and see where we are coming from, and making sure we are balanced and taking times for both listening and taking action.

If you want to find out just how empowered are you, you are going to like this Quiz I made for you! It’s free. Check it out here.
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If you’re interested in reading more blog articles on Feminine & Masculine energies, please check out:
The Distinction between Feminine & Masculine Power
Action from the Feminine
The Importance of the Masculine Principle
The Inner Marriage