Flowering of the feminine
Shakti means energy. The energy that makes the atom work is the same energy that makes the cosmos work. And it is identified as feminine. Indian culture has always represented the feminine as the most powerful dimension of life. You will see even calendar art where Goddess Kali is standing on Shiva’s chest. This is to show that the masculine is lifeless unless it is invigorated by the feminine.
Feminine worship is the most ancient form of worship on the planet. India, Europe, Saudi Arabia and large parts of Africa practised goddess worship. But today, because of too much emphasis on the masculine worldwide, the only culture that still has feminine worship is India.
At one time, India was a culture where men and women lived in total equality at all levels. A woman is as capable as a man when it comes to inner nature, and right from Vedic times, there have been many women who reached the very heights of their consciousness. Women also wore the sacred thread, and like a man, a woman could live within marriage for about 20 years, and when she had the urge to become spiritual, could renounce the family. However, women slowly lost their freedom when “barbarian hordes” invaded, because the feminine can flower only in a certain situation of relaxation.
Feminine does mean “female”. The “feminine” and “masculine” are certain qualities. Only when these two qualities co-exist in balance can a human being live a life of fulfilment.
Today women have misunderstood feminine nature. It is not about weakness. Women are trying to be like men. If you compare man and woman physically, definitely man is stronger. Because our perception of life has been limited to the physical, we regard the masculine as strength and the feminine as weakness. That is a foolish way of assessing strength. We have chosen the power of gross conquest over the subtleties of love, compassion and nurture of life. The masculine alone is not complete, lacking as it does these subtle powers and faculties.
Since survival was the big question before humanity for a long time, it has given too much significance to the masculine. The feminine can come into its own only after societies have addressed the issue of survival fully and reached a certain level of stabilised culture and civilisation. Today, because economics has become the main driving force in the world, once again everything is back to the law of the jungle — survival of the fittest. In this state of society the masculine principle dominates, and the feminine principle wilts.
Nurturing and celebrating the feminine in a society is very essential. This needs to be done right from the school level. Children should go in for music, art, philosophy and literature as much as they go in for science and technology. If this does not happen, there will be no room for the feminine in the world. Female you may be, but masculine you will become.
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, a spiritual leader, is a visionary, a humanitarian, author, poet and speaker.
He can be contacted at www.ishafoundation.org
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