The other day, I was reading in the living room when my 3-year-old son River paraded through the doorway wearing a dress with glittering sequins on it. “Daddy, look at my superhero outfit!!!”
I hadn’t seen that piece of clothing since my wife was in her twenties. How and where he dug it up was beyond me.
“Awesome suit, Riv!”
Staring into his bright blue eyes, I know I am learning from the greatest teacher the universe could have sent my way. I’m curious about all aspects of his beautifully inquisitive life. He sees the world with limitless vision, poking and prodding at anything that interests him, uninhibited by the expectations of others.
Looking at his pureness of spirit, I try to remember how old I was when I first began hearing things like, “Boys should only play with trucks, not dolls” or “Girls always like pink the best”. These subtle cultural expectations seemed so normal thirty years ago, but they have no place in the life I envision for myself and my family now.
When did our views become so rigid?
In the shamanic healing traditions of the Amazon, there is a strong emphasis put on the need for harmonious balance between the masculine and feminine forces that exist within us. In ceremony and other healing rites, physical and mental illnesses are often traced back to compromises we’ve made with one of these two divine archetypes.
“The true feminine brings a deep wisdom rooted in trusting one’s intuition and heart. It is a passionate, creative, and life-giving force. The true feminine supports deep heartfelt nurturing of all creation and the passing along of traditions from one generation to the next.”
“The true masculine is characterized by confidence without arrogance; rational thinking without a need to control; honor without a desire for war. It provides stability, strength, and courage in an ever-shifting world.”
– Arkan Lushwala, Indigenous Leader & Ceremonialist
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This cosmic dance of the binary soul is not just found in the tropics of South America, it’s embraced by many ancient wisdom traditions around the world, from Hinduism to Traditional Chinese Medicine to the Mossi and Ba-Huana tribes of Africa, to name a few.
The Western Jungian belief is that each of us carries gender traits that are the opposite of the physical body we are born to inhabit. Carl Jung said that if we are truly in balance with both the internal masculine and feminine (animus and anima) then we’ll be balanced in all areas of our lives.
Much of the healing I’ve done in ceremony has been focused on reuniting these two forces and learning how to hold them both while I walk through this life. One thing is for sure, untangling this type of imbalance is much tougher as we get older.
So for now, I treasure watching my son play freely. His superhero thrives in a magical pink dress today, and it will be fun to see what tomorrow brings. No matter what, I’ll always do my best to help him understand the dualistic forces that are part of his birthright.
A question for you – how do you relate to these two complimentary forces? Do you sense there is only one in you, or do you feel a balanced presence of both?
Stay Curious,
Nick Polizzi
Director, The Sacred Science
I find it highly amusing that the more “awake” I become, the more aware I am of the posts that come my way are sent to help me with my current questions.
There are a few messages I received from your post, but there is only one issue I am dealing with that is breaking my heart that I would like to talk about.
To be an effective channel of Source energy, I have experienced a lot of things that made the first half of my life a bit of a struggle. My first instance of depression was around the age of 13 and continued on into my 20s and 30s. Now in my 40s, I made a huge leap into a different life.
I completely agree with you that balance is key. Embracing both sides of Source, masculine and feminine are important. I know I am strong because of what I have been through.
But, currently, my brother is once again heading down the road of depression. He is very much like our mother. I am more like our father. In most things, we are opposites. He procrastinates, he sees life completely different than we all see it. He takes on the problems of others while completely ignoring his own. His life is a mess.
On our mother’s side, there is mental illness. I have been through this with my mother to the point that I had to let her live her life her way or end up hating her. I cannot seem to do the same for my brother.
This morning as I meditated, I channeled Source energy to my brother. But I keep getting emotional. At one point, all I could see was the time that I fell so hard I wanted to end it all. Then, it was all I could see about him.
After that, I sent him a text to make sure he was ok. He answered right away. Probably because he knows that I will go over there, break down the door or call the police like last time, if he doesn’t respond. He said that he had an appointment to get help. I will believe it when I see it.
I can’t seem to let go enough to let him live his life. I am ok with what happens to me. I am even ok when i work on others. I don’t know how to reflect on this energy that I feel. Do you have any suggestions?
I am sorry if this comment isn’t what you intended. You can delete it if you wish. I just don’t know what to do. My emotions are getting the better of me on this one.
I’m not who you are looking for, but I came upon this comment by complete “accident.” As someone who also suffers with a mental illness, I can understand where your brother is coming from. Don’t give up on him. As long as he answers the phone, he’s connecting to you. He sounds like an empathy who also suffers a chemical imbalance, like myself. I’m not quite sure which causes what. I’m also an intuitive and I believe you should trust your Intuition. It’s guiding you accurately. If you feel confused, ask Divine Intelligence for the answers. He is a good person or he wouldn’t be trying to help others so intensely. He needs your love.
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