I get so excited by energy. It’s all there is, the foundation of all existence, from our thoughts to our physical surroundings. Everything is formed energetically before it materialises into reality. The quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our thoughts. What thoughts dominate your day? Do they drain or uplift you?

 

Many ancient traditions espouse the principles of balance between masculine and feminine energy. My firstborn is obsessed with Chinese culture, so I’ll use the concept of Yin and Yang to illustrate. Yin (black) is traditionally associated with qualities like passivity, receptivity, intuition, and nurturing. It represents the feminine, cool, dark, and earth-bound aspects of existence. Yang (white), on the other hand, is linked to qualities like action, assertiveness, logic, and strength, the masculine, bright, and heaven-bound aspects of existence.

 

A side note, on firstborn’s instigation, my kids bought matching Yin and Yang pendants at a school fun day a few years ago. I thought it was quite sweet and interesting that they each picked up the side that represents their dominant energy at this stage of their journeys.

 

Neither good nor bad


The key idea in Yin and Yang is balance where neither energy is inherently good or bad. These energies are present in all human beings; most important, they’re not gender related. Just as Yin and Yang emphasise the need for balance between opposing forces, our societal view of masculinity and femininity often leads to imbalances, causing chaos when one energy is suppressed or overemphasised.

 

The other element to note is that masculine and feminine energies are complementary, and life thrives when there’s harmony between the two. Yin and Yang are not fixed but constantly in motion, adjusting and shifting to maintain balance. They can transform into each other: too much of one can create an imbalance that may result in the rise of the opposite energy.

 

This starts to make sense as we sadly often hear terms like ‘toxic masculinity’. It means that someone has suppressed their feminine energy to the point where their softness, compassion, and nurturing spirit are stifled. When a little boy gets told “boys don’t cry, toughen up”, he lives in that shadow and learns to supress his emotions.

 

Toxic femininity


And while we often focus on toxic masculinity, ‘toxic femininity’ is rarely discussed, but it’s just as real. This happens when women feel pressured to embody every expectation of femininity. We’ve got the children. We’ve got the career or business. We’ve got the household and the beautiful home. We’ve got the partner or husband. We’ve got the body. We’ve got the beauty. We’re here to serve. Everyone. All the time. How exhausting!

 

Dear heart, you can only hold that all up until your hormones start to show you what’s really at stake. When the estrogen levels start to drop, your give-a-damns disappear. They go on pension and live happily ever after. Seriously, you start to realise it’s all about balance. It’s always been about balance.

 

Let’s create a world that enables all humans to express their masculine and feminine energies in perfect harmony. True harmony.