Masculine and Feminine Energy

“All life is pulsation, continually moving in waves between opposite poles: rising and falling, intensifying and releasing, coming into form and dissolving into space. The sun’s life-giving energy is born of the interplay of centrifugal and centripetal forces. Similarly, our heart keeps us alive through a cyclical flow of drawing blood in and pumping it out again. In every aspect of creation, the pulse of life alternately contracts and expands, gathering in and radiating out.” – John Welwood

Archetypal “sacred marriage” is the essence and quite often the very foundation of belief, in many distinct and ancient practices and cultures. Shiva and Shakti(Hinduism), Osiris and Isis(Egypt), Odin and Frigg (Old Norse), Yin and Yang (Taoist), Tara and Avalokitesvara (Buddhism), are the palpable examples of this sacred union. Sacred marriage is the union of polar opposites. The joining of God and Goddess is synergistic in nature and necessary to function at our highest available capacity. Present in this sacred union are The Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine.

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The Divine Feminine- The Receptor

The Feminine is described as “the water of life, the in-breath, the egg in the womb, the source of nourishment, the vastness of open space as the Cosmic Mother.” The Divine Feminine is the intake of intuition and emotion we find in stillness. The surrender to creativity, tranquility, pleasure and softness. To surrender is to yield, to yield is to produce or give birth through natural or organic process. The Feminine is the in-gathering of cosmic intuition and ancient knowledge. The nourishment of creation from conception to the hour of labor pangs. The Feminine is the ability to hear, to understand, and empathize.

The representational color of the feminine is black. The representational elements of the feminine are Earth and Water. In the power of Earth we find stillness and in the power of Water we find movement. As roots burrow into the stillest, deepest parts of the earth, opening themselves to the darkness of the unknown they find grounding and nourishment. As the tides of the ocean rise and fall we find movement in the primordial fluid of the sacred mother. The Feminine is creation and destruction. Birth and death. In nature the female praying mantis and the black widow eat their male counterparts after mating, to nourish themselves before laying their eggs. Plants tear through sidewalks and foundations looking for growth and expansion. The massive power of water will smash into every crevice, breaking down barriers and eroding the most impenetrable surfaces over time. To deconstruct is to “reduce to its constituent parts in order to reinterpret it.” To reduce or break down (death), in order to reinterpret, or rebuild (birth). The “Death” card in tarot represents transformation or change. Death and rebirth is transmutation. 

Qualities and Traits of The Feminine

·        Receptive- in gathering of ancient knowledge and information

·        Contraction- the ability to shrink, become smaller, or release

·        Cooling

·        Emotional

·        Inward

·        Dark

·        Intuition

·        Creativity

·        Birth

·        Destruction

·        Empathetic

·        Nurturing

·        Soft

·        Moon

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The Divine Masculine- The Radiator

The fiery energy of The Divine Masculine is the outward action of the knowledge and intuition of The Divine Feminine. Just as The Divine Feminine receives and pulls in, The Divine Masculine radiates and thrusts out. The sun emanates outward warming and calling forth the seeds from the dark womb of the earth, to grow and prosper. The Divine Masculine radiates into the world, pushing, penetrating, thrusting into reality. This energy propels us past our instinctual comfort and into new thought and new abilities.

The Divine Masculine is described as “The air of consciousness”. Energy moving without consciousness is destructive in nature. Like a hurricane spiraling out of control. The Masculine brings calculated, precise direction, the way a fire chases the wind. The Masculine is strength and protection, treasuring and protecting the vibrational energy of The Feminine. The Masculine is the light. In the light we find knowledge, truth, reflection, and clarity. The way the sun takes the dark vastness of open water, and mirrors the image of ourselves back to us. The representational color of The Divine Masculine is white. The representational elements are Air and Fire. In the power of Air we find thought and clarity. In the power of  Fire  we find strength and will.

Qualities and Traits of The Masculine

·        Radiation- the outward push into action

·        Expansion- the ability to enlarge

·        Heating

·        Intellectual

·        Outward

·        Light

·        Linear

·        Organized

·        Protective

·        Loyal

·        Firm

·        Sun

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“Real power and creativity arise out of the union of masculine and feminine, which are like two streams converging to form a much larger flow of energy. Our primary access to this power comes through our yin openness and receptivity.” “We receive new life only if we radiate or give forth what we have received.” – John Welwood

The air of consciousness without energy sleeps. Energy without containment or direction will expand and scatter over time or may become destructive. In Carl Jung’s archetypal theory of “Animus” (Feminine) and “Anima” (Masculine) we find modern day duality and integration of the masculine and feminine energies. The anima and the animus can be described as the unconscious psychological feminine qualities that a man holds and the unconscious psychological masculine qualities that a woman holds. For centuries we have experienced the suppression and felt the loss of the feminine in our life’s, in our cultures, and in our world. With the loss of the feminine we have also experienced distortion of the truly protective and light nature of the masculine.

In a time of reawakening of the feminine we are catching the first glimpses of intuition, emotional intelligence, pleasure, empathy, stillness, and fierce energy show up in our bodies, in our hearts, and in our minds. When masculine and feminine energies can move through us in synergistic expression, we are priming the path for more innovation, for more creation, more collaboration, and for more growth. The integration and willful access of these energies will help us to find the energy, movement and drive to birth our creations and take the necessary logical steps towards our next intention. Accessing the true masculine and the true feminine energies will allow us to paint with our full spectrum of emotions versus painting with only half the colors in the set. 

The Masculine Life Cycle

The masculine life cycle is celebrated and observed in the death and rebirth of the sun each year in its habitual trip around the earth. The light brings us warmth, abundance, and growth. Progression is marked with the sabbats in the wheel of the year.

Yule or Winter Solstice (December 20-23) (Quarter Festival, Solstice) marks the shortest day of the year and the return of the sun. Imbolc (February 2) (Cross-quarter, Fire Festival) is the festival of fire and light and marks the midpoint between winter and spring. Ostara or Spring Equinox (March 20-23) (Quarter Festival, Equinox) is when dark and light stand as equals. Beltaine (May 1) (Cross-quarter, Fire Festival) is the midpoint between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. It is a celebration of fire and light, fertility, and abundance. Litha or Summer Solstice (June 20-23) (Quarter Festival, Solstice) marks the longest day of the year and the triumph of light over dark. A celebration of the abundance that light brings into our lives. Lammas or Lughnasa (August 1) (Cross-quarter, Fire Festival) is a celebration of the early harvest the light has brought. Mabon or Fall Equinox (September 20-23) (Quarter Festival, Equinox) is time of giving thanks for the second harvest.  The dark and the light have once again become equals and the sun will start to fade. Samhain, All Hallows Eve, or Halloween (October 31) (Cross-quarter, Fire Festival) is the time to sow the final harvest and honor the ancestors that have passed before us. The earth around us begins to die along with year and will soon surrender to darkness, before rebirth.

The Feminine Life Cycle

The feminine life cycle is observed and celebrated in the 28-day death and rebirth of the moon. Just as the moon waxes and wanes so does the uterus and fertility of a woman. The word menstruation comes from the Greek word “menus” meaning “moon power or month”. In ancient cultures the time of bleeding was highly revered and thought to bring deepened spiritual power and psychic insight. The New Moon is the beginning of the lunar cycle. This is the time for new beginnings and for setting intentions. This is the time to lay the psychological and spiritual ground work for the month ahead. The Waxing Crescent is the time when the moon is beginning to grow in size and luminosity. This is the time for new creative projects, new business ventures, new relationships, and growth.  The waxing moon represents the Goddess in her Maiden aspect coming into womanhood and fertility. The Full Moon is when the moon has reached it's peak in power and visibility. It’s a time of enlightenment and heightened awareness. The full moon represents the Goddess in her Mother aspect full with child. Waning Crescent represents the Goddess in her Crone phase. The lunar cycle for the month is almost complete and the light of the moon is beginning to once again dwindle. This is the time when we release what no longer serves us.

We can familiarize ourselves with these energies and begin the process of integration by stopping to salute the seasonal and lunar cycles. We can also connect with these energies through grounding work and meditation. Creative outlets, journaling, and invocation of corresponding deities and or elements.