The Emergent Feminine
In the beginning of 1990 I was being guided to explore the nature of feminine and masculine, feeling the shift in the re-emergence of feminine energy. As a storyteller, I am called to "seed" the story, myth, legend through the mediums of words, sound and movement, whereby individuals can choose to become stimulated and awakened.
The historical role of women is often visible only through the records kept by men, which often minimizes or distorts the role of women in the shaping of culture and society. Much of the material that has been passed down to us reflects a male bias that does not feel whole. Building ourselves up by putting others down keeps us stuck; I choose to acknowledge and move forward from the positive past.
Indigenous and wisdom traditions speak of the feminine and masculine in a variety of ways. Both states are present within our natures. Western scholars, influenced by Jungian psychology and feminist goddess theology, speak of polar opposites in binary principals known as darkness and light, negative and positive, feminine and masculine, expansion and contraction, etc.
Many traditions attribute masculine and feminine to the sun and moon and differ in their associations. In the west, the sun represents masculine, the unlimited energy in us determined to be expressed. We hear of the life fire of the sun - generators, motivators, and stimulators. The moon represents feminine energy, the magnetic force, ruler of tides, power of receptive nature. We open, expand, and express our full selves like the moon. In the western world, feelings have been equated with the feminine and actions with the male.
The feminine - the magnetic part of self that desires to be nurtured in all areas of your life. Is committed to trusting experiences that reveal self-knowledge. Seeks clarity, truth and authenticity beyond roles, masks and defenses. Feminine in male and female is both firm and yielding, requiring a need to go inward and trust the essential parts of who you are. Inherent intuition is feminine in nature.
The masculine -- the desire to express itself in unlimited creative and intuitive ways. Determined to build solid and abundant structures. Dynamic energy expressing itself with determination, focus and will. Inner assertive
nature, determined to apply an inspired vision without holding back in any way.
Institutions everywhere struggle to meet the challenges of this new century with models and structures that were developed in the past. Many hope that technology will solve the challenges of rapid change, globalization and changes in the labor force. The truth is that we must generate new ways of working and learning in order to find a viable solution. Many are coming to a knowing of a new paradigm in bringing ourselves to the world - authentically.
Leading between the lines is about supplying leadership with tools that go beyond the classics of strategic planning and teambuilding and reach into the realm of harnessing the chaotic power of these changing times. If leadership's role is to create conditions for success within the organization, leaders must address not only the tangible and the linear, eg, 'the lines', but also the intangible and non-linear, 'between the lines'. Most of us didn't learn how to manage the non-linear in our education, but we face the effects of not knowing how to manage it every day. When we learn how to effectively work with the non-linear AND the linear we promote sustainability and betterment of our organizations and businesses, our communities, our lives.
Leading between the lines is about supplying leadership with tools that go beyond the classics of strategic planning and teambuilding and reach into the realm of harnessing the chaotic power of these changing times. If leadership's role is create conditions for success within the organization, leaders must address not only the tangible and the linear, e.g., 'the lines', but also the intangible and non-linear, between the lines. Most of us didn't learn how to manage the non-linear in our education, but we face the effects of not knowing how to manage it every day. When we learn how to effectively work with the non-linear AND the linear we promote sustainability and betterment of our organizations and businesses, our communities, our lives.
About the Author
Since the early 1980s, Judith Richardson, M.A., has been pioneering in the fields of sustainable leadership, essential partnership, international teamwork, educational renewal, creating customer service culture and workplace diversity.
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