Feminine Wisdom

I see it everywhere. I feel it everywhere. A shift from the masculine paradigm back into the feminine. Women raising. Women owning their femininity and the ancient wisdom lingering inside their souls. Women owning their beauty, owning their power and finally being brave enough to speak their truth. I've been reading a lot about feminine wisdom lately and as I step into my own feminine power I encounter and recognize the same journey in others. I'm more aware and in tune than ever, starting to recognize my worth, my value, my sensual energy, my light and the wisdom my body holds, embracing the art of sensuality which has always fascinated me. Inequality is going to be the movement of our time, and we need to lead by example.

In ancient times, feminine wisdom and power was something admirable, something divine, something sacred, yet the light and force of the feminine has been, by current and historical systems and practices, suppressed into silence, pain and darkness, resulting in a profound disconnection affecting all of us. In the history of humankind, we have arrived at the place where the disharmony and violence of humanity has taken over. Our patriarchal society suffer from an imbalance in the feminine and the masculine, and patriarchy, the male dominated society, rules, while the suppression of the feminine takes place. As we observe the history we observe the harmful and too often brutal treatment of women, and everyday sexism in cultures all over the world, which treat femininity as somehow shameful. We observe global regimes of commerce, politics, religion, society and culture that embody patriarchy, and we see the consequences unfolding in a world that has forgotten about compassion, kindness and empathy. The patriarchy is a man-made system based on fear, dominance, power and control, seeking to diminish and suppress the feminine yin and only worship the masculine yang.

It’s written that this planet began harmoniously balanced like the yin and the yang, the masculine and the feminine. Since then, our world continues to be in an unbalanced state. You can say that yin and yang means peace, because peace exists within balance. Male and female, black and white, day and night. We wouldn’t exist without one another, so why is there so much rejection amongst us when we were made to coexist in harmony?

And the world is stuck in this imbalance, just look at pay inequity, shrinking feminine leadership and so many more troubling trends. Change must come, and it must come from women raising their voices. One of the things that has to get better is a woman’s ability to deal with, and say, the truth to a world that is not holding her in relevant esteem. Because truth is freedom, and the urgency is like never before. So, we must look within to find the source of our feminine identity, essence and self. Look within to heal and find the truth of our voice and heart. Look within to find the courage to embrace our inherent value, healthy and sacred sexuality and wholly embrace the forgotten state of womanhood. Look within to find our abandoned souls and embody a state of wholeness, radiance, wisdom and awareness. Re-align with the masculine, look for balance. It’s about being masculine and feminine at the same time, because the absence of the feminine is the absence of pleasure. It’s the absence of listening to our desires, our dreams, our feelings, our connection to love and qualities of wisdom. The feminine is the feeling part of a human, our deepest intuition, our creativity, our longing for sustainability, our sense of community and connection, understanding and compassion. The distinctions of masculine and feminine are not exclusively about men and women, they are energies possessed by all of us. Regardless of gender, you possess both feminine and masculine energy, the problem is when one of them becomes dominant, and that’s what has happened in both men and women of today. We have been taught and learned masculine qualities, forgetting about the aspects and characteristics of the feminine. We have learned to value the masculine. To man up. Win at all costs. Hide our feelings. Never cry. Be logical and practical. Accomplish. Go at it alone. The lack of the feminine qualities shows up in everything that is wrong with the world - powerful men that is so distanced from their feelings, empathy and compassion, ruling the world into chaos.

This feminine power is not about suppressing nor hating men, rather the opposite. Feminine power will benefit both men and women, it will make relationships more balanced and so the connection and communication better. Women are starving for delicious, loving attention from men, and vice versa. We are all malnourished for intimacy, closeness, a feeling of being seen, known, loved, adored, worshipped and honored. Pleasure is a value that everyone longs for, but our culture does not really acknowledge the importance of. And what is pleasure? A feminine quality. Masculine energy without any female energy isn't complete as it doesn't feel nurtured, appreciated or valued. Same goes for female. Female energy without masculine isn't whole either. It doesn't feel complete, focused, stable, or grounded. It is scattered. There is no sense of success. When the two together are in balance, transcendence occurs. The code is complete, unlocking you to other dimensional realities.

For centuries, women have been encouraged not to be transparent. Not to show emotions, not to speak about or honor their bodies, their issues, their desires and longings. They have been encouraged, instead, to follow the rules and guidelines of others, to hold back their truth, and to stuff down their vast emotional range and power. Thousands of years of patriarchy has affected the way we view our feminine bodies and as a result; also our menstrual cycle. We have created shame around our monthly bleeding, and often times we see it as a curse. A cycle people is disgusted by, a cycle we’re told not to talk about and to hide even though it’s something so deeply rooted in our nature. This being the truth makes, and almost forces women to dislike their cycle, causing them to inherently dislike a part of themselves. 

So, when I first came across the concept of red tents, I was in awe. Women honoring the female bleeding time? Throughout the ages women have bled each month as we do today. We are connected to our female ancestors through this sacred time. Without the bleeding time, there would be no humanity, no creation of the people of this world. A woman’s body holds the capacity to create, to store, to nurture, to birth. It’s the source of all life.

The Red Tents has been traced back to biblical times and Christianity. Red is the color of blood and in many cultures red is a symbol of power, as well as honoring one’s self. Red tents were set up for a place for a woman to retreat to during her bleeding time and childbirth. It was a place where she could take time to let her body naturally cleanse and as a sisterhood, they created sacred ceremonies and came together and supported each other through this transition and honored what was being experienced through this moon time. It is said that at one time in humanity’s history, all women within the community would bleed at the same time, often in time with the moon phases. Ovulation would be the full moon, and menstruation would be the new moon, the dark time, although many women do the opposite, including myself.

Embracing our menstrual cycle is an important step on our journey towards feminine embodiment and inner balance. It supports us in appreciating our sacred body temples, connecting us with the seasons of the earth, the wisdom of our wombs and the magic of the moon.

Do you ever notice the light of another woman? When a woman’s light is on, she is approachable. You can connect with her. She is open, beautiful and filled with life. She ignites you and takes you higher. Nothing can live without light. Including a woman. And yet so many do. Too many women live with a steady diet of depression, self-doubt, self-criticism and self-sabotage. The moment doubt creeps into a woman’s head, her light dials down a bit. Add a dose of disapproval, her light is down to a flicker. The interesting thing about light is that it is not dependent on outside circumstances. Light is an inside job. 

This world needs the feminine now more than ever because violence flourishes, when the feminine withdraws. Each of us can, and should, start by being less violent towards ourselves, in our thoughts and behaviors. Our thoughts about who we are, are influenced by the patriarchal culture we live in and so we need to start thinking differently. We need to learn our men and boys how to feel their feelings and emotions, and that their feminine side is a mandatory part of their being too. We need to learn them that by acknowledging and accepting this and owning their feelings they will gain great happiness and contentment. We need to show our men the power of vulnerability and how vulnerability can open the door for real strength. We need to show them how to take off their masks as we give them permission to open up. We need our men to communicate what they need, and to be able to express themselves and taking care of their emotional needs as they raise their emotional capacity. Because when you don’t know how to express your emotional needs, you will take the anger and frustration that is building up inside of you, out on other people. You will take the frustration you sit with, and spread the negativity out in the world, because you don’t know how to deal with your emotions. As a guy, you are conditioned not to talk about these things, and expected to swallow your sadness, your depression and to grin and bear situations which may require emotional support, resulting in a lack of inner peace and true fulfillment. Even though from the outside looking in, you can have achieved a lot of success and made great accomplishments, this is not going to bring you real joy, because it’s not enough. So, we need to show our men and boys to talk about things before it reaches its breaking point. 90 % of the homicides are committed by men, and men are also committing suicide six times more often than women. A big reason behind this is the masks they’ve been taught to put on, the things they’re told to hold inside. Whereas women talk about and share their insecurities, worries and struggles more often, and more naturally, men are isolated and are keeping their pain to themselves having the mindset and expectation to be strong all the time. They boil in this emotion so much, it builds up, and instead of expressing it, it manifests in their actions, words and behaviors, just because they weren’t able to just express it, and to start healing from whatever they were afraid of, or insecure about. We need to show them that being soft, is actually being strong so that a new balanced male can emerge. A strong yet aware and sensitive man, in touch with his emotions, that doesn't try to suppress them, but expresses them, that doesn't bottle them up and swallow them, but feels them. This male is not afraid to be vulnerable. He is not afraid of rejection. He is able to show his true self without fear. 

We need to show women how to reclaim their radiance, and to hold space for all the women who are ready to embody their feminine truth, for everyone that’s ready to get real with themselves. To own the divine feminine-goddess-self-love-playful energies. To share our journey, be vulnerable, be honest, be authentic. Harness our sexual energy without shame or fear of judgement, use our forces to evolve and grow, balance our hormones, learn to love the natural rhythms of the feminine body, align the feminine and the masculine. It’s healing, and the world need more healing.

Women are ready, and the desire is massive. Changes in our culture are necessary. We need to make a place among us where women are honored by honoring our own unique journeys of womanhood. A place for our elders and our young women. A place for us to come alive. A place for us to love ourselves, and release shame over pleasure and success. Sex and money. Dreams and desires. To not need validation from others than ourselves. To let go of jealousy, low self-esteem and confusion. We must decide to learn, absorb, shift, grow, cry, evolve and shed layers of shame. To stop caring if our brightness is too much for certain people, because it will always be. To be in a place of abundance and self-love because when you take care of yourself and let your bright light shine, you can take care of others. When you’re full, you can share. You can give. You can help people with much more ease than if you were empty.

We need to see everyone as a reflection of ourselves, to lift each other up, instead of tearing each other down. To understand that blowing out someone else’s candle, doesn’t make yours shine any brighter. To be able to look at a woman in awe, realizing she is you and you are her and you are simply beautiful reflections of one another.

Regena Thomashauer, the writer of “Pussy, the reclamation” says that the solution to powerlessness among women is reconnecting a woman to her pussy. Yes, you read it. Just as a pussy is the source of all human life, Mama Gena claims that pussy is the source of each woman’s connection to her own life force, her voice, and her sense of internal power. When a woman turns on her pussy, she is actually turning on her life force and connecting to her divinity. And her hope is to reunite a woman with that part of herself that is the key to everything she has ever been looking for but has been taught to ignore, push down, and despise. It’s a reclamation of what has always been your birthright as a woman. Because your voice needs to be heard. Because it’s time for you to live your truth, no matter what. Because your desires and your dreams want to be lived, in this lifetime.

You don’t have to do it how it’s been done before. You can break out of your own chains, make as many waves as you want, not caring about your words and energy being be too much for others to understand and receive. No more settling. No more holding back your light. No more playing safe. Start embodying what you desire. The awakening of the divine feminine has already begun.