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
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.
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.”
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.
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