Jefferson, the Number 13, and the Return of the Feminine

Keeping in mind that everyone, man or woman, has both a right brain (feminine) and a left brain (masculine), duality pairs meriting consideration include:

Feminine—Masculine
Yin—Yang
Venus, Goddess of Love—Mars, God of War
Heart/Emotions—Head/Thoughts
Circle—Square
Creation—Destruction
Arts—Sciences
Grace—Law
Myth—Fact
Inclusivity—Hierarchy
Union—Separation
Nature—Technology
Oral tradition/herstory—Written tradition/history
Horizontal path of power—Vertical path of power
Appreciation—Analysis
Nurture—Critique
Process Oriented—Goal Oriented
Compromise—Competition
Win/win paradigm—Win/lose paradigm

Yin-Yang image courtesy wikipedia.

None of the individual components in each pair is “right” or “wrong.” However, the dynamic dance between the two is required for fruitful balance. A pendulum cannot swing in only one direction, and, as Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) has often said, the American eagle needs both wings in order to fly.

In viewing the competitive, hierarchical, technological and war-focused direction of America, the imbalances caused by the zealous glorification of masculine attributes are apparent. The tragic loss of the feminine in our culture is underscored by the denigration of the number thirteen. The number of the feminine is supposed to be unlucky, and customarily is skipped in the numbering of floors in skyscrapers, hotel rooms, and airport gates.  Even the Santa Anita receiving barn numbers its consecutive stalls: 12, 12A, and 14.

Santa Anita receiving barn. Photo Credit: Ellen Levy Finch

In the imbalance of out-of-control patriarchy, both the dance and the dancers suffer, and the feminine and the masculine equally ache for wholeness.

The architects of America crafted a foundation of government with the built-in potential to reclaim the masculine/feminine balance. The Declaration of Independence, authored by Jefferson, is a stunning break from patriarchal rule and the model of vertical power. It includes such right brain/feminine concepts as “liberty for all,” “equality” and the inalienable rights of all persons to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” It rejects the hierarchical claim to power subscribed to by England’s George lll, who declared that his power to rule came directly from God through the “divine right of kings.”

Matriotic postcard, 1908.

The Declaration of Independence embodies the seeds of the feminine attributes of inclusiveness, compassion and union. In a radical assertion for the times, the Declaration states that the American government receives its power not from God, but from the people. It also decrees that a government that does not live up to the purposes for which it was created can, and should, be changed or abolished by its citizens.

Jefferson’s sentiment that “a little rebellion now and then is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government” is echoed by Thomas Paine, who penned some of the most stirring words of the American Revolution by the fading light of a campfire, beside his compatriot, George Washington. Upon reading Paine’s essay, Washington commanded that it be read to all of the troops. Paine’s words still stir American hearts today: “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”

Paine’s words, referring to the American Revolution, are just as meaningful in describing the current revolution by the Americans who are in the “service of their country,” passionately reclaiming a government “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Pres. James Madison, 1812.

The Constitution[4], penned primarily by James Madison, also abandons the patriarchal view of “power over,” in order to empower its citizens.

One example of the feminine qualities of compromise, and creating a win-win outcome, occurred when systems of representation were debated in the Continental Congress. The larger states wanted Virginia’s proposal, which would allow representation based on population. The smaller states naturally preferred New Jersey’s plan of equal representation by state. The “Great Compromise” was a paradigm shifting, win-win solution, which birthed the concept of two houses in Congress: the Senate and the House of Representatives.

In another example of a conscious shift toward more inclusivity, the preamble to our Constitution was edited. It originally read, “We the States…” but was changed to “We the people of the United States…” Our founders wanted to punctuate the fact that the government was instituted in order to be in service to the citizens, not the other way around.

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