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Masculine? Feminine? Why not both? Low Entropy Volunteer Writer Emma Norton explains.

 

Life is designed based on energetic polarities, and our purpose is to strive for balance.

 

• Positive and Negative
• Dark and Light
• Masculine and Feminine

 

The list goes on. The Law of Polarity explains these dualities as ubiquitous. Perhaps our biggest misconception of these dualities is manifest in our creation of masculine and feminine stereotypes, particularly as applied to assigned gender. Furthermore, we have been living within an arguably toxic patriarchal system that perpetuates unhealthy behaviors in both energies. Based on the sexual organs you are born with, you are assigned a gender. This creates a boxing-in of antiquated behaviors that are more detrimental than they are good. They do, in theory, simplify things. But the societal shaming of interests not deemed stereotypical of our assigned gender impedes our ability to be multifaceted people.

 

Understanding our duality, particularly within our Masculine and Feminine energies, can have a massive impact on our self-awareness.

 

We can evolve our interactions with the world and engage in our interests without hesitation by embracing this duality and discarding the notion that we must be more of one energy than the other.

Based on the chart above, you can start to gather a sense of these aspects being polarities to one another. One would not exist without the other. When we can see these aspects within ourselves and others, we can better discern our choices. To segregate things based on gender is ludicrous, because our bodies are not always representative of our inner world, and that’s okay. Removing these limitations from ourselves enables us to heal and become more well-rounded individuals. We can realize that we don’t need external validation from others to thrive.

 

When considering terms like gender-bending and androgynous, we must accept the premise that we all hold both masculine and feminine energies by nature. Shaming a male for being overly emotional or a female for being too tough are examples of outdated stereotypes that can lead to insecurity. When we feel awkward in our truth, we hide it. Cultivating a deeper awareness of our internal dualities would lessen these issues greatly.

 

In our efforts to be balanced, we can as well come to identify when we are out of alignment. Using myself as an example, I feel balanced when I am creative, receptive and nurturing. I also value my logic and planning abilities, so I try to project them through my professional development or even my exercise activity. With writing as an example, it’s highly creative for me, and my voice is authentically feminine in its compassion, but I am also planning out the structure, editing the content and coordinating with clients, which is my masculine portrayal of energy. When I am too focused on the former, I am happy, but paralyzed by the next steps because I don’t feel rooted security. When I focus on the latter, I become anxious because I am exerting too much energy into planning and not doing. Marrying the value of the two energies I embody together allows me to take intuitive action. 

 

It is difficult, in our society, to remove the pressure to stereotype that results from unhealthy masculine energy. Our desire to assimilate is our downfall. All we have seen is out of alignment, and therefore out of integrity. We will save the lesson on generational trauma for another day, but I see it as a survival instinct and desire for safety that stems from wounded masculine energy. I have seen clear examples of this, how the effects of the patriarchal societal system alter the choices for all gender identities. It’s simply out of whack. 

 

I am more aware of my empathic abilities now. I have always seen through to the underlying pain of others. This often kept me in a balanced, neutral state before any conditioning seeped into my brain from the external world. With all I have learned and understand about my duality, I can look back and apply my understanding of unbalanced energies to old wounds for further healing. It’s fascinating to look back and understand the defense mechanisms of bruised egos (including my own) which I, of course, could not fully grasp at the time. 

 

People and society can and will share their perspectives on whether you are more masculine or feminine, aside from your assumed identification. Many stereotypes tend to cloud our discernment of self-identity.

The simple message is that we embody both as energies. We have the opportunity to find our wholeness when we take ownership of our duality and work toward a balance. 

 

Hey! Using italics at the end of an article is my thing! You’re taking my thing! It’s all I’ve ever known! Sigh. While I reflect on what this means for my identity, dear reader, consider joining a Conscious Connections session, where you can discuss the impact of gender stereotyping and internal energies with a group of awesome Low Entropy community members.