Whether we self-identify as male, female, or non-binary, we all possess a delicate balance of masculine and feminine energies. These energies are inherent to our humanity and serve as our direct connection to the forces of the divine. Where our Divine Masculine energy embodies the strength of our inner Warrior, our Divine Feminine energy represents the intuitive energy of our inner Goddess.
The energies of the Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine are ever-present and constantly flowing within all of existence. While most of us are already familiar with the qualities of the Divine Masculine – qualities like drive, reason, and strength – the softer, more subtle qualities of Divine Feminine energy are much more elusive in today’s world.
This disparity makes sense. The demands of our fast-paced, competition-driven culture have shifted both how we use and value these energies in our lives.
We are conditioned to believe that all of this doing and achieving is somehow a measure of our strength. The more things we are able to muscle through, the stronger we become and the more value we possess. Taking time to rest or reset doesn’t just feel counterproductive, it feels downright wrong. It feels like slowing down, even for a brief moment, is the equivalent of taking a step backward.
Reclaiming Our Inner Goddess
However, this intense focus on our outward masculine qualities has unintentionally clouded the value of our inner experience. In the constant need to embody our inner Warrior, the needs and desires of our inner Goddess get even further suppressed. Rather than allowing ourselves to stop and feel, we become so focused on what we think we should do that we miss the intuitive callings from our hearts.
The spirit of the Divine Feminine, the container of our soul’s wisdom, is our ticket to finding freedom and abundance in our hearts and minds. Honoring her sweet, nurturing energy is the key to finding and maintaining a sense of inner harmony and stability. Reclaiming our inner Goddess and the feminine energy inside of us, is how we create a more compassionate and understanding world.
To do so, we must learn to embrace her power. We must work to reconnect with our innate femininity and the unbounded potential of the divine. Which now raises the question: how do we go about accessing this Divine Feminine energy?
The Vedic Perspective: A Lens of Duality
According to Vedic philosophy, these two energies represent the basic duality present among all existence. Every aspect of life is born from the interaction of these opposing forces. However, the goal of the Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine isn’t to overpower or cancel each other out, but rather to find harmony and union.
In this way, the Divine Masculine and Feminine are true complements. The dichotomy between these two archetypes is a common theme throughout much of ancient eastern philosophy; Yin and Yang, the Sun and the Moon, Shiva and Shakti, Ida and Pingala. These are all fundamental dualities of nature. Where one represents the intensity and fire of life, the other represents its softer, cooler side.
Even parts of contemporary western society recognize some of these distinctions, namely through our differentiation between the left and right hemispheres of the brains. The left side of our brain being tied to logic and reasoning and the right side linked to creativity and connection.
Through practices such as asana and pranayama, we are able to utilize various techniques that allow us to connect these two energetic sides of ourselves. To soften where we have become rigid and to bring life and fluidity to the parts of us that have become stagnant. In this Yoga Flow class taught by Ohana founder Alyssa Manny, students are expertly guided through alternate-nostril breathing and a series of postures specifically crafted to help you connect with and balance your divine feminine energy.
Divine Masculine vs. Divine Feminine Energy
Most of us are more familiar with the qualities of the Divine Masculine: the qualities we are repeatedly told hold the key to our success in the material world. The Divine Masculine is courageous, driven, and rooted in logic and reason. He is action-oriented, going out and getting what he wants with conviction and purpose.
The divine masculine operates from a place of structure and stability, showing his consistent ability to stay focused and disciplined. He is intellectual and therefore ruled by the mind. The Divine Masculine is always searching for solutions and makes well-reasoned and rational decisions. He is solution-minded and has a natural orientation toward the physical world around him.
He is a seeker of adventure – powerful, yet grounded reminding us to lead confident and purpose-driven lives.
The qualities of Divine Feminine energy on the other hand are much more ethereal. The Divine Feminine embodies the vibration of the Goddess, the ultimate life-giving, motherly force. Sacred, sensual, and a true nurturer, she is the personification of loving-kindness. Representing the power of the moon, she is a beacon of lunar power and creativity.
Rather than feeling the pressure to always do, she is the master of receptivity and presence. Choosing to live life from a place of flow and ease, the Divine Feminine is a force for healing. She exhibits compassion, elegance, and empathy in all that she does. In touch with her feelings and the desires of her heart, she is both spiritually aware and divinely guided by her intuition.
She is uninhibited yet wise, reminding us to live freely and love unconditionally.
Learning to “Just Be”
It’s no secret that our productivity-obsessed culture has placed far too much emphasis on the qualities of our Divine Masculine. We are told that showing emotion and honoring our feelings is a sign of weakness. Instead, the message is: take action, find solutions, keep moving forward. But at what cost? Constantly showing up in our masculine energy is incredibly draining and we seem to be reaching a new level of collective exhaustion.
We are fed the story that showing up in our masculine is the sure path to getting what we want. But the sweetness of life doesn’t exist in perpetual action but rather in stillness and reflection. The quality of our life experience isn’t defined by our accomplishments or accolades, but by our level of contentment and satisfaction. When we lean into our feminine, we begin to feel the natural pull to go inward. We start feeling the desire to slow down and finally take a pause.
Pausing is a highly effective palate cleanser. In fact, pausing is not only at the core of exploring our feminine energy, but it is the first step in awakening it. When we stop the constant squirming, our intuition is finally accessible to us again. Our Divine Feminine is our space of inner knowing, the seed of our intuition. For that seed to grow, we must first take the time to be still and listen to it.
When we give ourselves permission to slow down and receive, we also give permission to everyone around us to take a moment to breathe and simply be as well. Allowing ourselves to “just be” is how we find a connection to the divine feminine energy present all around us. As we become better at knowing when we need to pause, we can identify the voice of our own intuition.
Integrating Your Divine Feminine Energy
These two parts of us – the Divine Masculine + Feminine, Ida + Pingala, left + right side of the brain – represent the eternal dance of the human experience. If we are always in our masculine, we will quickly realize we lack the introspection necessary to pause and actually receive. Alternatively, if we never step out of our feminine we might lack the structure we need to stay focused on our goals. To grow, we must learn the art of integration.
In this dance between intuition and logic, left and right, emotion and reason where life really begins. It is how we discover our own version of balance. An inner balance that will always remain protected and untouched by the chaos. A space we have intentionally created within ourselves to be our source of peace.
The more we learn to exist in this open space, the more open and malleable we become as individuals. It is in this empty space where we have the ability to create anything we want. It is in this space we are able to rest, nurture, and restore ourselves. In this space, unburdened by our preferences and conditioning, we can finally “just be”.
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