Grace Hui and Cecile Tanmaya for Incentre
In recent years, there has been a lot of debate and division around the topic of gender. Amid all this discussion, there has been some confusion as to what the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine are and the crucial purposes in which they have for life.
There is no denying that male and female exist across all areas of life. Whether, we like it or not, this is an immutable fact that transcends feelings and emotions. One of the 7 Hermetic Principles states that: "Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine and feminine principles; gender manifests on all planes."
While it is easy to get caught up with mind looping arguments about what constitutes gender, let’s leave the distraction behind and demystify the Divine Masculine, the Divine Feminine and the essential but different energies that each of these wield in order for there to be flow and balance in the world.
Not to be confused with male versus female, divine feminine and masculine energies can be accessed by all of us, and part of the spiritual path is getting them into a state of balance, both within ourselves and externally.
Both of these energies, while not equal (as in, they are not the same), are equally important for the world to be in balance and flourish in peace. Both these energies are meant to be work together in partnership and when they do, beauty, peace, joy and creation will blossom and flow.
The study of Hermetics provides great wisdom on both these energies and how to bring these energies into balance so that they can work together in divine partnership to manifest peace on earth, or Shambala.
What is the Divine Masculine?
The Divine Masculine is the force that takes action. It is the energy that asserts, assumes leadership and takes charge , It can be symbolised by the warrior. Masculine archetypes are seen throughout many spiritual traditions ranging from Hinduism to Greek mythology to Christianity (think Shiva, Zeus, and even the idea of a masculine God or "Father" in Christianity).
These figures represent divine masculine through the qualities they embody.
Divine masculine energy relishes in doing things out in the physical world, like having adventures, making change, saying what is on the mind, and taking risks. It is also an energy that is often associated with things like logic and critical thinking. The masculine is also good at setting boundaries.
What is Divine Feminine?
The Divine Feminine is all about creation, the powerful force that allows a pathway for things to manifest in the physical, Without the Divine Feminine acting as a container for all creation, nothing could ever come into the physical. All things are first conceived in the womb of the Divine Feminine before it can become physical. The Divine Feminine is the vessel that gives life to thoughts and ideas. In the womb of the Divine Feminine, plans are conceived for the Divine Masculine to act upon to bring it into being. In other words, the Divine Feminine is the creative force while the Divine Masculine is the energy that anchors creation into the physical.
It is with the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine working in harmony that all things come to be.
The Divine Feminine is nurturing, intuitive and loving. It is softer and non-intrusive. This is not to be confused with weakness. In fact, the Divine Feminine is a very protective force which is also associated with abundance. Think of all the Goddesses across the Greek, Hindu and Roman pantheons who were all powerful warriors in their own right.
In fact it is known by martial artists all over the world that to be a strong warrior, one has to be relaxed and patient. The relaxed and patient energies are feminine and are essential for the empowered warrior to wield alongside the masculine energy of taking action .
Why do we need both?
It is important to recognise that both masculine and feminine energies exist in all of us, no matter what our biological gender is. Depending on the situation, each of us are able to call on these energies.
For example, a woman may tap into the masculine energy of assertiveness to negotiate a deal in the office. In the same way, a man can gain access to the feminine energies of caregiving when looking after his child or pet. In both of these examples, it is clear that this isn’t about biological gender, but rather, something deeper and more profound.
The key however, is about balance.
When these energies are off balance, chaos is created. Selfishness, violence, manipulation, just to name a few, are created because of an imbalance in the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine energies.
It is important to note that both of these energies are different and serve different but equally important purposes for life to be in balance. When both are in flow, there is harmony and when there is an imbalance, there is chaos. Looking at some of the problems that the world currently faces, it is clear that these energies are not working in harmony.
The good news however is that we can bring it into balance within ourselves so that what we feed into the world is balance! As the Hermetics say : “As within so without and as above, so below”! Our inner world reflects our outer world.
To bring it down to the granular and for the purposes of illustration, let us employ a very simple analogy: women don’t have to behave like men in order to be successful and empowered while men do not have to become women in order to express their creative or compassion.
It all comes down to discernment. When does a woman need to access male energy and when does a man need to access female energy without distortion?
To be clear, the Divine Feminine and Divine Feminine energies have nothing to do with sexual orientation. It is woven into all aspects of ancient wisdom ranging from the Kabbalah, the Tarot, and mythology.
Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine in the Kabbalah
The Universal Hermetic Kabbalah predates religion or creed. It is a system for human life to thrive. Within the Tree of Life are ten worlds, or Sephiroths – Malkuth, Yesod, Hod, Netzach, Tiphareth, Geburah, Chesed, Binah, Chokmah and Kether.
The right side of the Tree represents the principles the masculine traits in their purest forms while the left side of the Tree represents the feminine traits in their purest forms. The middle column embodies the ideal balance of divine mercy and justice, the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine in balance.
While we can each draw on the strengths of each pillar depending on the situation, the goal is always to be in the middle pillar no matter what. This allows us to have inner peace no matter what is happening.
Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine in Sacred Geometry
Sacred Geometry has been described as the building blocks of all life without which nothing could exist on earth. Within Sacred Geometry, the three basic shapes of creation – the triangle, the Square and the Circle.
The triangle is considered by the ancient traditions on earth (from the vedic tradition to kabbalah to hermetic traditions) to represent divinity. It consists of three points – one stands for Source, one stands for the Masculine and one stands for the Feminine. In other words, Sacred Geometry recognises that the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine must work together with Source in order for there to be stability of life on earth. This is yet more proof that in all aspects of life, balance and divine union are essential.
Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine in the Tarot
The Tarot contains many archetypes that ancient wisdom teaches are all essential energies for a successful life on earth. All Mystery School traditions work with Archetypes.
For example, the archetypal figure of the mother is repeated across multiple stories and legends. In the Tarot, that is represented by the Empress and its counterpart, the Emperor embodies the archetypal masculine and all the qualities and vices that come with it.
Both archetypes of strengths and weaknesses. For example. The Empress when upright, is abundant, nurturing and intuitive. In reverse however, she can be overly emotional, wrathful or jealous. The Emperor, when upright is just, methodical and organised but in reverse, can be tyrannical, controlling and cruel.
Once again, it is important to note that these archetypes are not about gender. Rather they are energetic qualities that transcend gender.
When the male and female archetypes are unified and combined, this represents the complete self. This is both for the individual and for the wider world. Cards like The Lovers and The World represent the beauty of divine union of the male and female energies in their highest and purest forms.
DIVINE MASCULINE AND DIVINE FEMININE IN ASTROLOGY
Just like in the Kabbalah and the Tarot, Masculine and Feminine energies are represented in Astrology. For example, Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn and Pisces are feminine while the masculine signs are Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius and Aquarius .
The fire and air signs are considered masculine while the water and earth signs are feminine.
Both of these energies are equally represented and together form a complete system – another ancient system that recognises the importance of the Divine Feminine and Masculine working in concert.
Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine in Mythology
All the ancient patheons are replete with Gods and Goddesses that work with Archetypal energy. For example, Gaia (Greek), Hathor (Egyptian), Mary (Christian), Durga (Hindu) all embody the divine mother across Mythology
Another example would be the Divine Masculine being embodied by Shiva (Hindu), Zeus (Greek) and Thor (Norse) traditions.
The confusion about the Divine Feminine and Masculine Energies and the imbalance currently within it.
It is important to set the record straight. Divine Feminine and Masculine Energies are not to be confused by gender. Endless debates about gender dilute and distort these powerful energies in a way that does not serve humanity.
Both of these energies working in divine partnership are needed for life to flourish. They are not the same but each serves an equally important function.
These energies are present in both genders but even within each individual, they have to be balanced.
How do we find balance?
For there to be true balance, we all have to take ownership of our own healing and progression. To do this and to exercise discernment in what we are supposed to be doing and what steps we need to take, we all need to know ourselves.
To truly know ourselves, we need a path and the Mystery School traditions work on a timeless path of activations and initiations which begins with a Life Activation.
Why a true Mystery School will work with both the feminine and masculine principles
In today’s world, there appear to be many mystery schools and people purporting to be teachers of mystery teachings. How does a student tell the difference between who holds the true power of a lineage from a new age trend? The key to this lies in discernment. Questions that may arise are: Do the higher initiates or the leaders of the school comprise of both genders? The true power of the teachings and the organisation is its ability to work with both the Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine energies. Does the school seem to emphasise one gender more than the other? If so, then this is an indication of imbalance as true healing and progression in the light comes from a balance of both the Masculine and Feminine energies. It should be about divine partnership as opposed to pitting one against the other or only working with predominantly or only with one energy.
About the Leadership of the Modern Mystery School
INCENTRE is associated with the Modern Mystery School and all our practitioners are trained and initiated in the hermetic traditions through the Modern Mystery School. The founders of INCENTRE are Kodo Zhang and Cecile Tanmaya George, who as a couple are set-up this healing centre to share the teachings of the Hermetic Lineage.
The Modern Mystery School is led by the 3rd Order and the Council of 12 Divinas. The 3rd Order are 3 Sovereign Ipsissimus who are each married to an Ipsissima. The 3 couples form part of the leadership of the school along with the other 9 Divinas.
This ensures an intricate and refined balance of the Divine Masculine and Feminine Energies.
