Balance of Energies

"As two hands cup water to the mouth, we need both male and female energies to drink fully of this life." Mark Nepo

As I strive to get energy back into my own life, I remembered from Nepo's writing the belief that some in mental health have that we each are composed of both male and female characteristics or energies.  Male energy is depicted as rational, stoic, unemotional; whereas, female is depicted as creative, in touch with one's emotions, relationship-oriented.  If our energy goes too far to the masculine, it is believed that we are too focused on achievement, out of touch with our intuition.  If our energy is too much feminine, we can be needy, weepy and not use logic to solve our problems.  Women who stifle their emotions, can become explosive when their emotions do come out.  Men can become hardened (some even think organically -- as in hardening of the arteries) when they stifle their feminine side.  Virginia Satir depicts these tendencies so well in her well-known book, Peoplemaking -- one of my all-time favorites.  The optimal way to live is to have balance, and to do that it takes befriending the side we have neglected.  These neglected aspects of ourselves may very well try to get our attention through our dreams or by physical symptoms.  So, how do we befriend our neglected aspects?  I think it begins with simply a willingness to see that we have within us all the aspects ever within any human.