Not Your Typical Gender Roles (They're Actually Empowering)
“A woman’s highest calling is to lead a man to his soul, so as to unite him with Source. Her lowest calling is to seduce, separating man from his soul and leaving him aimlessly wandering. A man’s highest calling is to protect woman, so she is free to walk the earth unharmed. Man’s lowest calling is to ambush and force his way into the life of a woman.” - Cherokee Proverb
Masculine And Feminine Energies Go Beyond Traditional Gender Roles
When we hear the words “masculine energy” or “feminine energy”, it’s so easy for us to immediately think of them in the context of our society’s gender roles. Yet, masculinity and femininity go far beyond these limiting parts we’re expected to play. And if we want things to change for the better, it’s important that we understand this.
In our society, we often reduce these essences into mere transactions between men and women. When the masculine and feminine are functioning in this way, a complete inversion of energies takes place. The woman then becomes the giver and the man the receiver. This physical inversion leads to an inversion on a physiological and spiritual level as well.
What Masculine And Feminine Energy Is Not
Being “in your feminine” doesn’t mean you have to wear a pretty linen dress while cooking and taking care of a mischievous toddler (or two). And being in your masculine doesn’t mean you get to arrive home from work to a nourishing meal on the table and expect to relax for the rest of the night. While these things aren’t necessarily bad (depending on the context), when they’re done in the wrong energy they’re a debasement of both the feminine and masculine’s true potential.
With this inversion we get men who are in their feminine energy—entitled, weak, and whiny. They almost behave as if they’re children wanting someone to wait on them hand and foot. On the flip side, we get women in their masculine who are sick, bitter, resentful, and full of rage. They’re burned out and struggling with hormonal and autoimmune issues.They’ve suppressed their own needs. Both the masculine and feminine are miserable in these states because this is not how they’re meant to live.
Energy In Balance
The masculine and the feminine are the very essences built into everything around us. They are the polarity that keeps everything in nature in balance. The collaboration of these two essences are required for anything in the universe to be created. They are the perfect complement to each other. There would be no light if we did not have the dark of night. There would be no hot without cold, no positive without negative, no giving without receiving. They are the foundation of not only our physical world, but also our energetic and spiritual world.
The balance of masculine and feminine, both in ourselves and in our relationships, is necessary for us to live in our full potential. Our bodies are a physiological expression of these essences, and we respond physically when our energy is out of alignment. This means that our energy and our structure are interdependent—they rely on each other and adapt to changes in one another. Energy begets structure and structure begets energy.
Masculine Energy And Physiology
Biologically, men have bodies that are hard and strong. Their hormones, bone structure, and even their center of gravity in their chests are all meant to embody masculine energy. They’re a lot more resilient to stress than women are, because their purpose is stressful. Their biology centers around them providing, protecting, and creating stability. They are called to lay down their bodies at the altar of women and, ultimately, society. They take action, making the greater vision come to fruition. Energy output is what defines them. Simply, they’re able to take something big and channel it into something small. And they feel most aligned in this state, both physically and spiritually.
Yet when this powerful energy is out of balance or softened into its feminine, it can show up as anxious, bored, unenthusiastic for life, impotent, and weak. This “toxic masculinity” is selfish, chaotic, controlling, addicted, and frustrated. This is not true masculinity, but a shadow of the incredible potential that the masculine contains. Real masculinity gives and gives and only requires a soft place to land and rest so it can give some more.
Feminine Energy And Physiology
As a complete opposite, women have bodies that are soft and expansive. Our design allows us to be penetrated, receive the hardest of things, and convert that energy into something even more powerful. Our hormones, bone structure, and our center of gravity in our hips are all meant to embody feminine energy. We are women, the very fullness and lushness of life. Our bodies create, nurture, heal, and guide. We’re meant to be in constant connection to the wisdom of the universe and ultimately, God. We create life, homes, art, and pleasure. We’re sensitive and emotional. Simply, we can take something small and turn it into something big.
But when our feminine energy is out of balance from feeling unsafe, leading us to being ferociously guarded by our masculine, we can become controlling, bitter, resentful, and hard. We can be defensive, dramatic, and treat everything like it’s a threat. This affects our physiology and structure, often leading to high androgens, adrenaline, DHEA, and estrogen issues like PCOS. We are at our healthiest when we can learn to soften and receive all that the masculine has to offer, even the masculine within ourselves.
Living Beyond Gender Roles In Energetic Harmony
I hope it’s now easier for you to see how our modern society’s more traditional gender roles are actually the shadows of our true essences. We weren't meant to live in a backwards world full of bitterness and resentment, and doing so harms both our spirits and our bodies. Yet if we want to forge a new path forward, it’s essential for us to understand both the physical and energetic qualities that make us who we are.
If you're interested in the hormones and rhythms behind masculine and feminine energetics, we'll be taking a deeper dive into that in the future. For now, let’s jump into the archetypal ways our energies can show up, starting with the masculine energy’s King Archetype.
Stay nourished,
Jess
