Body. Mind. Spirit.
One way of looking at this is though Yin and Yang (pronounced
“yawn,” the “g” is silent). Not really
opposites, but intertwined and complementary, one cannot exist without the
other. This can be represented by the
classic Taoist taijitu symbol.
Yang, or male, energy is represented as the sun, bright,
active, shining, activating, and toughness.
Yang generates and represents energy.
Yin, or female, energy is represented as the moon, passive,
shaded, reflective, nourishing, and gentle.
Yin produces form, growth, represents matter.
But there is nothing that is only Yin or Yang, they always
exist together, often cycling in a natural flow. Shadow cannot exist without light. The energy of life and creation in the Spring
and Summer ends in the death and destruction of the Fall and Winter. Cycles of life.
We all contain male and female energies, and this balance of
energies may ebb and flow, across an hour, a day, a year, or a lifetime.
Jung labeled our unconscious archetypes of male and female as
the animus and anima, which exist within each of us, and has great relevance to
shadow work. Some describe these archetypes
as unconscious human instincts.
We contain both male and female energies or archetypes, and
they can act as hidden shadows if they are not acknowledged. Men often project their hidden anima, the
perfect female, upon the women they meet.
Then within the natural imperfection of us all, that actual person can
never live up to that projected ideal.
Ken Wilber wrote about the male energy as “f—k it or kill
it.” The female energy as “relate to
it.” I can not remember who wrote about
these comparative examples of 2 guy strangers running into each other by
accident on a busy street and then glaring at each other and stomping away, whereas,
2 woman strangers run into each other, become very apologetic, one makes a
admiring remark about the other’s shoes, and then they go shopping
together.
Remember the three emotions?
I wrote about them as “stances” toward life and objects. Like a martial arts stance, this is how you
interact with life at each moment.
1-Positive emotions are an attraction toward.
2-Negative emotions are a pushing away from.
3-The third emotion is ignorance.
If you experience very strong emotions, this is usually
related to your ignorance of your hidden unconscious, the shadow.
Physically we can be male or female, but occasionally there
exists intersex embodiments.
Our minds are less clearly male or female. Elements of each exist in each of us. And some feel they are one sexual identity
trapped within the opposite embodiment. Often
we are confused as to how exactly should we act. Are we acting with too much machismo? Are we being too much of a girly girl, too
much of a tomboy? Are we not being tough
enough? Are we not being soft enough?
Whatever society we live within puts pressure on us to act
in certain modes of being. If we wish to
act differently from what is expected, we may need to separate from certain sections
of societies, our families, or current friends.
I don’t want to get into any arguments of what does it mean
to be male or female, in body, mind, or spirit.
However, I will argue this is a very important contemplation for self-study.
Explore who you are.
Who do you want to be? What does
it mean to be you? How do you want this
comfortable ego cloak to look and act?
If you need references I would recommend Martin Ucik’s book
“Integral Relationships,” as a source for further reading, particularly on
being male in relationship with female energy.
Also, see my blogs on conscious relationships
1-5.
If anyone knows of similar books directed toward integral heterosexual
women and homosexual relationships, please leave comments. A review of Ucik’s book may point toward books
that may help to inform us, but I have not read them.
On a lower level of spirit we can consider how our male and
female aspects affect meaning in life.
On the higher level of Spirit, the male energy is represented as freedom
and separateness, the meditating monk on the mountain. The higher female energy of Spirit is
represented as the coming together, the walking in the world, practicing
compassion with each other.
Ultimately, there is only Source. Female and male energies are simply the cycle
of life within Source.
We are the living breathing, embodiments of Source, Spirit,
All-That-Is and All-That-Is-Not. Enjoy
this Be-ing and Do-ing, however you create yourself.
