Masculine Embodiment and the dramas of the masculine and feminine

The ‘Spiritual’ or ‘Self-development’ movement has a growing emphasis on energetic expression, and this is helping men explore and connect to their feminine nature. 

This has been an important step for men to free and open themselves, and is energetically different from what I call Masculine embodiment.

There is a powerful way to communicate feelings and experiences that is based on the masculine principle of awareness and depth.

And while it’s essential to cultivate emotional and energetic expression, and range these abilities alone are not enough.

True wholeness in relating requires these capacities to be anchored in breath and awareness—connecting to something greater than our personal emotional pain or habitual patterns of the body, mind.

What Is Embodiment?

Embodiment is the act of expressing energies, emotions, or archetypes through our being.

We all do this in some form of fashion.

The issue arises when we embody unconsciously from the habitual body/mind — Something I think it's safe to say we all do at times.

What Does Masculine Embodiment Mean?

To understand, let’s start with what it doesn’t mean.

Imagine someone lost in thought in the same thought cycle, or someone agitated, bouncing their leg, unable to conduct their energy. 

These are unconscious embodiments, tied to the ego seeking validation: “Am I really here?”

Masculine and Feminine Energies

In the jargon from my teachers David Deida and John Wineland, the feminine represents light/energy, while the masculine represents awareness, consciousness.

Light naturally wants to be seen, which is why the feminine expresses itself through jewelry, colors, and sparkly items (and talking). 

Feminine energy thrives on being noticed and celebrated, whether through beauty, emotions, talking or connection. Even thoughts, which also want to be seen, are our feminine.

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The masculine however is stillness, awareness, and consciousness. 

It thrives in focus, simplicity, and the emptiness beneath life’s noise. 

Masculine beings often seek solitude, resolution, and freedom.

These energies exist in everyone, though men often embody more the masculine and women the feminine, although that might be changing.

And as you can imagine, there is a healthy way and an unhealthy way of these expressions

The Drama

The feminine’s longing for love and the masculine’s quest for freedom create much of life’s tension

The feminine drama: “Do you see me? Do you love me?” 

The masculine drama: How can I be free or solve this’  “Am I free?”

The feminine loves life’s flow, even arguments, which is an expression of love, and seeks love and connection

The masculine, however, seeks completion—to “solve” the argument and move on to stillness. He fights for freedom (financial, physical, mental, emotional)

Last week, I was with my wife in bed. She was sitting naked on top of me, hugging me, and out of the corner of my eye, 

I noticed a screw in a cabinet I had just made. 

It was sticking out just a bit. 

Instantly, I started planning on how to fix it and what tools I’d need to do this, (how can I be free of this)

The Practice of EmbodimentTrue masculine practice means identifying with the still awareness behind all thoughts and emotions—observing without attachment.

This creates space for love, peace, and freedom within the present moment.

Only when the pain of the ongoing dramas of freedom or love is too much, can the real practice of opening into love moment by moment in the realisation that this is empty, this moment is love 

Ultimately, nothing needs to change. Everything is as it should be.

The unpracticed masculine seeks peace by avoiding emotions or zoning out. 

The practiced masculine, however, embraces awareness, observing thoughts and feelings without being controlled by them.

As with anything, change only ever comes when the pain is too big to stay where we are

Ultimately, the masculine practice is to identify with consciousness, where everything arises and falls away. 

From this space, we recognize that everything is already exactly as it should be, and nothing ever changes 

We don’t need to do anything, and every moment is free

But the masculine gift is to open this moment, this person to consciousness, to love

unattached, spacious 

in service