In us, in our purest essence as women, are also the so called female qualities; the receptivity, the nurturing, the dancing energies, the embracing, the creative chaotic flow, the life cycles, the softness, the emotions, the surrender, the devotion, the connecting, the intuition, the life bringer, the nature and Mother Earth. Which are also in men, of course, but nevertheless surpressed since some thousands of years. Not so valid, not so important (I made a mistake in my typing and wrote impotent..) and put aside for the more masculine qualities to come forth: Logic, action, goal orientation, hunting, calculating, competing (which are not bad in themselves but they are totally out of balance, and that's the bad thing). Most women believe they have to develope these masculine qualities, even if it doesn't align with their desire and instinct, to to be able to cope in this world. But it doesn't have to be like that. Actually the world is screaming for the feminine to rise.
To not only cope but to live a life in dignity and grace I have to be me, and I have to never stop exploring what that means. I have to stand well rooted in my womanhood to resist the winds of masculinity that constantly sweeps over our society in all kinds of open or hidden forms. Strong in my vulnerability, steady in my softness, radical in my honesty.
But then comes the big question: How to do that? And what IS the womanhood in me REALLY? Nobody told me that! To become more feminine was the same as putting a tight dress and some make up on. The purpose was to be sexy and attractive to men. The role models, the rules and the models are all created by men and financial interest. These two are very intertwined by the way, because only masculine qualities, at their extreme, can choose financial profit before the good of all. How a woman's body should look like, how women's sexuality should look like and how female behaviour should be were all set up since thousands of years by society (ruled by men), religion (ruled by men) and the market (ruled by men).
So I started to explore. By myself, with my -oh so patient!- beloved and with other women. What were my conditionings, my hang-ups, fears, beliefs and wounds around being a woman? I read, I wrote, I cried, I discussed, I listened more carefully to my body, I started to say yes and no in alignment with my needs, I connected with sisters for deeper practice and support.
To stand strong in our womanhood does not mean starting a war against men, it simply means diving deep inside and explore, strengthen and celebrate the feminine. To give her a voice, to give her space, time, nourishment, love and healing in whatever form we can imagine. It means to give the female qualities equal rights and value in our world and we do that by honoring them in ourselves. The masculine has ruled long enough and we can all see the results of that: War, violence, poverty, injustice, ecosystems out of balance. It is time for the feminine to rise.
