Father’s Day can bring up a lot of emotions for many people. Some are happy, fulfilling and sentimental. For others, they may be filled with despair, fueled with anger and charged by pain.
The celebration of Father’s Day may bring up moments of tenderness for those we’ve lost, those who weren’t able to fulfil a role we may have needed, feelings for ourselves and all we’ve accomplished & sacrificed, or not been able to.
The essence of masculinity lies within our ability to be resourceful, practical and strong-willed. So may this time of year and whatever feelings arise out of it – be embraced with perseverance and acceptance.
What is the role of the Divine Masculine?
From early Chinese writings describing Yin and Yang more than 3,000 years ago, to Carl Jung’s revelations on the Anima and Animus theory, to the exploration of the right and left side of the brain or even as far as the whole left side of the body as feminine and the right as masculine, we have spent much time and energy understanding the deeper roles of sexuality and how no being is solely one or the other. For there is no feminine without a masculine counterpart and vise versa.
It is important to understand the role of both the masculine & feminine and how we can work to not only understand but embrace each attribute and learn to accept the paradigm of the masculine and feminine within all of us.
Rather than thinking of masculinity & femininity as opposites, think of them more as partners who both balance and complete each other. According to Jung – male energies were associated with action, power and the abstract while female energies encompassed creativity, passivity and receptivity. The masculine attribute of action would have no purpose without the female attribute of creativity. We house both of these energies within ourselves so that we may complete the circle ourselves.
Throughout history these roles became more & more defined until eventually the stereotype for each gender got pigeonholed into being one or the other, a separation of identity. This then paved the way for the horrible inequality between men & women over recent centuries with men being labelled the ‘provider’ and women being the ‘homemaker’. This did not feel natural for either gender and fortunately women were able to tap into their masculine to regain the power they so rightfully deserve. While men have begun to tap into their feminine and reconnect with their feelings and express their emotions in a way that is embraced by all. This is an ongoing battle and is far from over but we are on the right path.
The masculine / feminine paradigm
The qualities associated with the Divine Masculine include practicality, strength, rational thinking, courage and loyalty while the Divine Feminine possess qualities of flexibility, patience, compassion, tenderness, creativity and wisdom. The nature of both roles balances each other out. It is vital that we all embrace both our masculine & feminine in order to be a well rounded and complete conscious being.
If you feel you identify strongly with only one part of your being, it may be time to step outside of your comfort zone and learn new skills to allow you to reconnect with your counterpart. To embrace your masculine you could experiment with more physical activity that is strength building, learn practical skills like how to fix things around the house, exercise rational and level-headed thinking in times of excess heat. For more feminine practices, try forming a creative outlet such as painting or writing, practice empathy when relating to others or volunteer your time with a community group.
We all have a deeply rooted Divine Masculine & Feminine. We cannot be a complete, whole, well-rounded individual if we keep these two sides of ourselves in battle. Take the time to reflect on the areas of life that you may be neglecting and ask yourself which side is driving your resistance?