The expressions of masculine and feminine energies are what we must look to when we lose ourselves or encounter troubled parts of our being. When the Anima and Animus or soul is disconnected, we devalue ourselves and become subject to all sorts of self-limiting beliefs and painful emotions. Unfortunately, the systemic root within our modern culture is to look outside of ourselves for the answers to our inner dilemmas. This attitude often takes us into the realm of relationships where we expend vital energy for achieving wholeness within ourselves to outwardly seek for the perfect companion. Although, relationships are one of the most fulfilling aspects of life because they mirror what we must learn about ourselves through another, they also promote co-dependence when we look to them for our wholeness. Using a relationship as a crutch or distraction from self always stifles growth. Instead, we might guide each other to connect with the authentic self, the wise inner being that nourishes and frees us from attachments.
Regardless of gender or sexual orientation, we each have a feminine and a masculine part of our being. True femininity, is connected to the masculine and true masculinity is connected to the feminine. Bridging and maintaining balance between these two compelling forces of energy or the archetypal aspects of our selves, the aggressive masculine quality and the receptive feminine quality, is a fundamental part of our personal development. Too often, we refrain from fully animating the masculine side of our nature because we believe it will harm or violate others, especially if our experience has proven it so. In reality, power is neutral and depending on our intent, power can be used either to harm or to help. We equally equate the feminine counterpart of our nature erroneously with weakness and accommodation. However, we are most powerful, effective and free when we can animate both our masculine and feminine energies from a place of love and openness as opposed to fear and defensiveness. The result of inner fusion produces a shift in consciousness as a state of sovereignty within us. Sovereignty allows the soul that is whom we are to achieve with ease its true purpose, which frees us of co-dependency so we can relate to others in an authentic way that is not sabotaged by neediness of the bifurcated personality.
The feminine and masculine archetype represents through the right and left halves of the brain and the corresponding sides of the body. It is always interesting to note the side of our body where our will, injury and pain originate. Are they limited fairly to one side of the body or are they evenly dispersed in different areas? Taking note of this pattern and where we hold our tensions or dis-eases, our strengths or weaknesses in body and character, is just as important as to which side of the body the imbalance is dominated. Essentially, the left side of the body is the receptive side of the body with a negative ion (-) and therefore, feminine, which relates to emotions and intuition. The feminine half provides the nurturing, inner awareness and vision we use to guide us through life. The right side of the body with a positive ion (+) is action oriented and therefore, masculine, which relates to logic and focused mental pursuits. The masculine half provides the action and the will we need to take us where we want to go. If the introspective feminine is underactive and the active masculine is overactive we may lack a clear, soulful sense of where we are going. Conversely, if we envision an appropriate direction of where we want to go in the feminine, but the masculine is underactive, there is no will and we thus find it difficult to ignite ourselves into action and accomplish our goals.
Overactive masculine energy is characterized by tough love, being very mental and achievement oriented. In this overactive state, we expend a lot of energy in a circuitous mental pattern that keeps us unfulfilled after months or years of effort only to feel burdened with a backlog of unfinished projects and unfulfilled desires. This often relates to people married to their job or see value in life only in terms of materialism. In turn, underactive feminine energy often becomes an “inability to do” that relies on relationships as a substitute for self-development. Internally, masculine and feminine energies need to be working in tandem to protect mutual sovereignty. This means that when the relationship between the masculine and feminine self is non-communicative our energies are not working together in harmony and we are vulnerable to internal and external invasion. While the feminine is most vulnerable to the controlling masculine and saviorship patterns, the masculine is equally responsible for the pattern of invasion of its feminine counterpart and others. If the male cannot trust and surrender to his inner feminine he will find it difficult to trust and surrender in his relationships or use his fear and mistrust to seek power over others. If the female cannot trust and use her masculine edge or inner phallic to defend both she and her children and support herself wisely, she will use this energy negatively to her detriment. She will either mistrust or hurt others with it unable to trust or surrender in her relationships or she will give her energy away on a silver platter and render herself victim to masculine power. She is unable to stand in her presence and fortify boundaries to feel safe, which is masculine energy.
The healing process begins when we develop a relational dialogue between the masculine and feminine energies, one at a time. This means we must get to know these energetic expressions that exist within and how they play out in our lives. To grasp that men and women are equal in value, but different in function. This way we can develop both sides equally, rather than only one side. For example, the feminine vision may be clear, but the masculine heads off in another direction for lack of inner dialogue that prevents us from understanding and/or achieving our true purpose. In such states of imbalance, the expression of the inner feminine is thwarted and we fear rather than trust our wisdom and intuitive guidance. When knowingness and common sense of the masculine is confirmed by the feminine intuition, balance is found. We need to be both strong and sensitive, to dance without being polarized.
Awareness produces an ever-increasing dictum of how life exists in polarity or dual nature. When the masculine and feminine self becomes an integrated composite of highly creative energies or sovereign, spiritual forces flow throughout the body and we experience our lives more fully and move forward on our path. When these energies are out of balance, progress is generally difficult, if not impossible.
Cultivating spiritual ethics, a set of values mediated not by thinking, but by feeling truth is a path of action that takes us from awareness to presence to bring us in touch to become loving, that does not harm but protects.
By Alisa Battaglia, BD, EFT, CHT, TH
Alisa Battaglia©2008-2019