The Vision of the Future and Masculine-Feminine Balance

Generally, western consciousness strives toward goodness and perfection, not toward wholeness or completion. For thousands of years, the majority of the world cultures have lived in masculine-dominated societies. As a system, our human consciousness reacts to the darker, feminine elements as a threat. The reality of this movement towards wholeness is foreseen as a formidable task because it is paradoxical. Wholeness includes darkness and combines the dark elements with the light elements to encompass totality. The Tao Te Ching makes it very clear:

Using the male, being female,
Being the entrance of the world,
You embrace harmonyr
And become as a newborn.

Using strength, being weak,
Being the root of the worldr
You complete harmonyr
And become as unshaped wood.

Using the light, being dark,
Being the world,
You perfect harmonyr
And return to the Way. ~Lao Tzu (www.zenguide.com, 2011)

When the feminine, dark elements of our perception are seen as negative they will exist that way in our consciousness. In the Bible, many of the stories that relate to the Divine feminine have characteristics based on evil perceptions. Much of the darkness of the Middle Ages was feminine. The witch hunting massacres were because the dark, feminine element was seen as evil. Only recently has femininity been recognized as an element worthy of reigning forever with God (Johnson, 1974).
But we have to see if this apparently dangerous element can be included in our modern psyche. For certain, it cannot be done naively because inclusion of the rejected side is a dangerous operation. Robert Johnson, a well-know
Jungian analyst, wrote in his book He that “if we have antagonized the wolf, we don’t just suddenly open the door and say, ‘now come on in’ (Johnson, 1974)” There is hope if we can follow the guidance laid out before us. This has to do with the new dream or the new story.
The new dream of humankind will encompass acceptance and surrender. This new story will no longer resist the inevitable tension that exists in all things. This will happen because the world will be informed, and the leaders who carry this torch will be leaders of great strength and wisdom. They will be leaders who understand the world of paradox. These leaders will embrace the masculine and feminine aspects and give recognition toward the feminine energy’s vitality towards future growth in civilizations. Moreover, this will harmonize the masculine and feminine elements bringing a healthy balance to both parts. This will enable a conscious force to develop an integrated, stable society.
We are all here for a sacred purpose and it is important to recognize this fact. We are all sacred leaders holding the illusory container and creating the vision for a future world. These passive elements are equally important but not often implemented. For example, the United States did not need to do anything in recourse of the fateful 911 tragedy. We are still fighting this war against the Middle East even though we accomplished our mission. One decade later, as I write this article, the United States soldiers have pulled out of Iraq. A more powerful plan would’ve been to hold still, to save our resources, and to mou
for one year. Perhaps America could’ve represented the peace and freedom it proclaims to possess rather than acting out in vengeance subject to our masculine sword-wielding tendency.
The world today appears to be misaligned. Human consciousness does not reflect balance and harmony—it reflects disruption. How do we regroup and allow the scattered, dispersed energy to reform and create a new vision? There is a very important modern day ritual called Holotropic Breathwork which is defined as moving towards wholeness (Grof, 2011). This ritual allows people to go within and connect with their inherent wholeness in order to reform an outward perspective and understand we are all connected.

The Holotropic Modelr
Holotropic Breathwork can be very powerful and it often manifests as ecstatic behavior. A trained facilitator holds the space and is required to tune into the breathers inner guidance. This concept is similar to a shamanic journey combined with deep, yogic breathing. A facilitator, similar to the function of a shaman, recognizes the action of inaction and is familiar with the quintessential elements of holding space.
A well-trained Holotropic Breathwork facilitator has the capacity to hold space for people undergoing any range of experiences from thrashing, spastic behavior to a quiet, profound connection with the Divine. A deep trust by both breather and facilitator is developed forming a belief that each person is experiencing exactly what they need in the moment—that their inner guidance is contained within them like a seed. The ability to hold sacred space, to stay present and focused, to stand in the fire when all mayhem breaks loose is an important quality and this is a feminine-based quality.
Holotropic Breathwork is necessary in our modern culture to help people re-align with their inner purpose in order to harmonize with the outer world. Vaughan-Lee, a modern day Sufi mystic, understands that the natural harmony exists when the inner energy and outer energy work together. He says in his book, Catching the Thread, “When the inner processes are complete, the outer situation will often change of its own accord (1998).” Unfortunately our modern day culture holds little value to inner work. This has created an overall negative conditioning and a trajectory that makes us doubt the importance of what we are doing (Vaughan-Lee, 1998).
The only way we are going to shift and transform human consciousness into a new civilization is to look at the lessons we have learned and awaken to a new story. This way, when we move forward, we are creating a new story and a healthy collective conscious for humanity’s future. This transformation will invite a new order—a new civilization to birth that will be unlike any other in the past. This will require a balanced masculine-feminine perspective that is accepted and acknowledged by the majority. However, we cannot just assume this concept in our head. First, we must consciously clear the old story in order to make way for a new story; one that we all are responsible for creating. How does your new story fit in with the collective consciousness of humanity today? What is your vision for the future of humankind?