The Power of the Feminine

In a not-so-distant past, the male held the power of the purse. If a couple purchased a home, his name was on the title. He had the say through the vote. He was the communication vehicle between the home and outside the home. He had the authority to "spank" his wife. Women were not held in respect ... even within their homes. Women were mocked for attempting to be anything other than their cultural defined roles, often by other women. When I was growing up the worst thing you could call a boy was a girl, while girls reveled in the designation "tom boy".

Devalued, women desire the power perceived in being born male. The esteemed male roles first sought are the procuring resources and the right to have a voice in the community. Instead of increasing the value of the feminine, women fight for the right to share in the perceived power of the male. Instead of increasing the value of raising a child and creating a loving, nurturing environment, women chose to step outside the home in its devalued position and take on traditional male roles of providing and protecting. This may have been the best route available to women, and we are ever so thankful for the courageous women who did this. We have a much different world today.

With women earning a wage, the male does not need to provide for the female. She can provide for herself, and often for her children as well. What need, then, is there for a male except for his seed? And only if a woman wants children. The role of the male is devalued, while both the female and the male seek to earn and to accumulate resources. What is of most value is earning and acquiring resources. Thus, our market-driven society is one where nothing is of value unless a dollar value can be assigned.

Photo byJulia CaesaronUnsplash

To live as One with the All, we need to devalue resources, whose only real importance is to sustain life. Anything accumulated beyond is in excess and not necessary. If this excess were to be of no value, then it would not be sought. We need to cherish the nurturing of our young and the importance of a home/nest environment, whether we live in family units or clans or larger communities. Then the role of providing can assume its proper place.

Look to nature, for example, the snowy owl. The mother sits on the nest and provides warmth and nurturing for the young. The father hunts and brings back sustenance for both the mother and his children. Both roles are equally as important. The future would be slim for the hatchlings without one or the other. The one who hunts does not attempt to control or devalue the one who sits on the nest.

If a child is birthed into this world, it is the responsibility of both parents to ensure the child is provided for, cared for, protected, and guided. It is the responsibility of both to create a healthy environment where the child can be nurtured and educated towards adulthood. If a baby is lucky, he or she has both a mother and a father to share the tasks of providing and caring. The mother and father communicate and divide up the tasks in whichever way they choose, but once a soul has been brought in to this world, the raising of that soul is the most important task for either the mother or the father to pursue. Most parents already excel at this, but quite a number do not, resulting in a big reason the word dysfunctional family is tossed around so often in therapy sessions.

Women can be a powerful force through the feminine no matter which world it is applied, the marketplace, the home, or the House of Representatives.