The masculine and feminine archetypal energies at play within our lives and in our relationships are fascinating to me. The archetypes can be expressed through both men or women although most people are majoring in either masculinity or femininity and minoring in the other. David Deida says that the masculine nature is always seeking freedom. This is the onward urge that has led to airplanes, wall street, sports and endless new technologies, to name a few. The masculine thrives off of breaking through barriers, removing constraints and overcoming adversary. Deida writes, the essential “Masculine plea” is, “I want out of here!” That doesn’t mean a man (or a more masculine woman) always wants to run away, but rather that his masculine nature is going to have him constantly seeking ways to escape the constraints he experiences in the world around and within him. On the other hand, femininity carries our longing for the embodied experience of love, unity and beauty. The feminine is saying in endless ways “show me the love!”

Which one do you identify most with? Perhaps it has shifted throughout the different stages in your life or differs depending on which relationship it is concerned with. For me, the longing for freedom is something that I have become quite familiar with.
My ammo more often than not is:
I can do what ever the fuck I want
Nothing and no one can keep me small
How can I be as unrestrained as possible

I’ve done a lot of shadow work with this archetype of mine: Become aware of it, denied it, hated it, realized its limiting affects, accepted it, understood it, cuddled up and become friends with it, journaled about it, from it and around it and then finally, become(ing) free from it despite its presence or absence.

Khalil Gibran reminds me best:

Take out your journal and ask your Self:
-What decisions have I made from this belief?
– Is this need rooted in fear? What am I afraid of?
– Can I see how this need for freedom is limiting me? How it has been chosen rather than imposed upon me?
– What would my life look and feel like if I stepped into the freedom that lies within me always, no matter what my circumstances are?

“Why do you stay in prison when the door is so wide open?” -Rumi

Naked and unbound,
Ash