Gender
Image: Heather Williams, H.W., M.
GENDER = to identify someone as either male or female; a class or kind of persons or things sharing certain traits
QUESTION: Do you know you are androgynous?
STORY: My Teacher Thane had at least one lesson about androgyny in every class he taught. Androgyny is a combination of both feminine and masculine attributes in each person. Is everyone androgynous? Well, yes - we all have a physical body that has male OR female genitals - however, we all have both masculine and feminine attributes. For example, masculine attributes include being strong, decisive & assertive - while feminine attributes include being nurturing, caring & supportive. Well, regardless of our physical gender, we each can activate any of these attributes whenever we need to. My partner and I are both of the female gender and we’ve been together now for 32 years. We are very different and yet it is our differences that really support us in creating a good life. She has talents that I don’t have and I have talents that she doesn’t. We both benefit as we share our talents with each other and with the world around us. I am so deeply grateful to have learned to accept my masculine and my feminine qualities. How about you?
QUOTES
"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life, but define yourself." ~ Harvey Fierstein
“People cling to these firm ideas [about gender] because it makes people feel safe. But if we could just celebrate all the wonderful complexities of people, the world would be such a better place.” Elliot Page
"We're not supposed to conform. We're not supposed to be like somebody else. We're not supposed to act like somebody else. And as long as you stay true to exactly who you are, you will be rewarded in ways that you can't imagine." ~ Ellen DeGeneres
“Love is the ultimate creative force in the universe!“ ~ Dr. Eben Alexander, neurosurgeon
EXERCISE
STOP.
Sit quietly.
Assume an erect posture. Sense the breath.
Sit calmly and feel the ways that your masculine and feminine attributes express in your life.
Get your pen and paper and write words or draw lines expressing first your masculine attributes - and then express your feminine attributes.
And move forward with a new understanding of your androgynous self - regardless of your gender.