The Self and "Sacred Androgyny"
The Self is existence, invisible consciousness, a spiritual reality without space realised (not experienced). Before this invisible consciousness takes form into a human body, it is sexless and Androgynous. To understand this, one must be willing to see gender stereotypes in a new light. Gender stereotypes have been subjected to speculation for quite a while, however it was Carl Jung’s work with the unconscious when he coined the “anima-animus” that we began to comprehend the concept that we each have Masculine and Feminine energies within us.
The Female energy is Yin, represented as resting, intuition, creativity, surrender, receptivity and contracting. The Masculine energy is Yang, represented as active, decisiveness, drive, power, responsibility and expanding. Yin energy is soft; Yang energy is hard. This is shown through the Yin and Yang symbol to the right.
The questions to be asked to invoke reflection on this topic are – who am I? Male or Female? How do both of these energies run within me and how may they merge into Divine Union?
To explore this further, one can look at the Eastern Scriptures which confirm that the Self is a beautiful subtle union of Masculine and Feminine qualities. This is explained in detail through the Hindu concept of Anima- Animus which is called Ardhanarishvara in Sanskrit. Ardhanarishvara is the cosmic representation of the Divine Parents, with Lord Shiva as the father and Goddess Parvati as the mother. Lord Shiva occupying the right signifies the male principle, the passive force (Purusha) and Goddess Parvati on the left signifies the female principle, the active force (Prakruthi), both are inseparable, interdependent and attracted to each other. If God is residing in us, then one has to adhere to both the gender roles in one's lifetime. Natures way of reminding us is the presence of both the male and female hormones (testosterone and estrogen) in all of us.
Ardhanarishvara - Anima-Animus – Shiva/Shakti
The biblical text is clear: “And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). To unify the Male and Female within requires a man to become conscious of his inner Female, his Anima, and a woman to become conscious of her inner Male, her Animus. Such integration takes determination, patience, and the willingness to transform. The outcome of this union within the individual is the Sacred Androgyny, which is the ivine, incarnate soul, awake as an Androgynous Self within the Androgynous universe. This comes about through the inner chymical wedding, which represents one of the final stages of alchemy of this union.
By balancing, healing, honoring and integrating our Divine Feminine and Masculine energies we awaken to our fullest potential. Within this synergy and union, we can heal and create anything, and it is this force that catalyzes the forces of creation into manifestation, and is representative of the unconditional sacred heart of Divine Source. This is the next evolutionary leap for our species, allowing us to write a new map for ourselves, humanity and our planet.