"Life's not about learning to find your power,
it's about learning to use it."
The Universe
Marianne Williamson addressed the issue of women being afraid of their own power. Most of us had never really thought about our own power as we were still in search of it. Many of us were spoon fed fairy tales about the beautiful woman being found by the handsome prince.
The women, often sleeping, were helpless without being rescued by some male image.
Women were also led astray, by thinking of power in a masculine way. Examples given in success were all male role models. Unfortunately, for awhile, business women amped up their masculine power becoming just as aggressive as men.
There is a definite difference between male and feminine energy, and it is important to remember no matter which gender a person is, he or she has both masculine and feminine power. Masculine qualities are described as: assertiveness, muscular, provider, ambitious, competitive, authority, risk, dominate. Feminine qualities are described as: gentle, nurturing, family oriented, intuitive, compassionate, creative, cooperative, responsive. The ideal would be for either male or female to use these qualities in a mixture which best serves each situation.
In the last few decades, women have learned to break through the roles they had been cast in: look pretty, don't speak out, always be happy, let the male lead, etc... Men have been breaking through their stereotypes as well: show no emotion, never cry, don't be afraid to fight; be the one wearing the pants.
In our culture today, we find several men staying at home providing the nurturing care of their children while the women are in careers providing the income. With technology, many partners can work from their home sharing responsibilities. The picture of the male and female role has individually changed as well as the image of the ideal couple. Couples now often share household chores, grocery shopping, and meal preparation.
Earlier life has taught us consequences for being our selves and those scars remain in our subconscious. So whenever we attempt to fully blend our masculine and feminine, fear is laced within the energy we create. Self doubt and the inner critical voice has the ability to sabotage our best plans.
A wonderful exercise is to form two columns on a piece of paper. One column is labeled masculine and the other feminine. List qualities we feel identified with on either side. This gives us a personal reflection of which side we depend upon most. Then when we complete this, turn the page over and compose the ideal balance using both masculine and feminine. By creating a template, we find ourselves better prepared for most any situation. The realization of all the different possibilities is liberating!
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