The Masculine and Feminine: Synchronicities in Practical Life
Life is laced with formulaic patterns. The very concept of discourse stems from the objective fact that we live on a spectrum, and what makes that discourse so exciting is occasionally we get the privilege of witnessing equilibrium. A break in the conflict when both parties can meet eye-to-eye. A balance of the light and the dark; a perfect harmony of sun and moon; of yes and of no; of this and of that. Life appears rather more beautiful when we are presented with balanced proportions of perceptions.
Applied to the real world, us girls might take an unwitting breath of relief when another lady walks into a sausage-fest of a meeting room. Or, a guy might feel a touch less ‘in-the-deep-end’ if they’re NOT the only bloke in a Latin dance class. (I’ve actually witnessed this first-hand in my own classes. I always do a mini celebration when I see the men have a bit of solidarity in a femme-heavy session.)
Why is that? Why might we find comfort in an evenly mixed bag?
I think that this far transcends the theoretical gender of a person, and extends beyond into the unfathomable cosmos of energy. In the cultural sphere of East Asia, ‘chi’ or more commonly written as ‘Qi’ refers to a vital ‘life-force’ energy that is in the makeup of every entity and form that exists. Qi must remain balanced and proportionate to the life force it is contained within, lest the natural patterns of its existence changes and has negative effect on its wellbeing.
A pendulum is a good example of balance. It must have opposing forces for it to swing in various directions… but when the opposing forces are of the same strength, the pendulum has nowhere to swing, thus rendering it in equilibrium. This translates into what we observe in ANY life force, or circumstance we find ourselves in. Too much of one thing, and it all goes a bit wrong. Too little of another, and we are back out of balance again! Ugh! Why must this be the endless battle we face?
But since everything has a perfect point of equilibrium, we can most certainly transpose what we observe in every other circumstance to the swirling battle of masculine and feminine. In every culture and religion I have read about (which arguably is quite a small pool, but I’m a generalist so here we are) there is evidence of masculinity having a thematic flow, and femininity having its own separate characteristic requirements. These non-gendered, natural life-force energies cannot be changed into something they are not, but they do very often complement each other from opposition rather beautifully. Art, culture, history, sex, language, and dance all show examples of objective equilibrium, and subjective equilibrium (eye of the beholder etc.) But the point is, patterns are everywhere. Archetypes lurk in philosophy books; their foundation built from the organic occurrences in universal life itself.
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When you start to notice the patterns on the outside, should you look inward, you’ll find a very similar configuration of ‘Qi’ within yourself. There is always a point of balance. Not just between masculine and feminine, but between all forces inside you. And usually, a good rule of thumb is (although not to be followed to the letter), equal parts this, and equal parts that, will total a pretty well-rounded creature.
Start exercising your expressive right to be both. When you next dance or move your body, embody what you perceive as your ‘masculine’ AND your ‘feminine’. How do the moves differ? Why do you think that is?
When you next plan or journal, observe if you feel more of one energy than the other. The patterns will start to make themselves clear to you. Beyond this point of identification is a whole playground of discovery to channel or tap into one more than the other, or to connect deeper with that ever present ‘Qi’.
Enjoy your exploration! For more thought-provoking articles and journal prompts, continue scrolling on my blog. OR to start putting what you’re learning into practice… try a free meditation, breathwork or dance session on my site! Remember, I’m always here for further coaching into the unknown.
With joy,
Charis 😊
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