Androgyny: The Opposites Within

by June K. Singer

Full of psychological and spiritual insights that speak to today's sexual confusion. Singer shows how a person can at once embrace complementary and contradictory attitudes toward sex and gender. Finally, she proposes a range of choices by which people can identify themselves, secure that the masculine/feminine interaction within each individual is not only normal, but the dynamic factor in their wholeness.

Genres: Psychology, Gender, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Feminism, Sociology, LGBT

273 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1976

Reviews

[Lex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible, and never dying. This book is just as relevant today as it was initially. There is no great deed to mankind than to accept and integrate our opposites within. To know the androgyne is to one the self.

[Sonnydee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book changed my life and I hated pretty much every moment of it.

[M H K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiedy skończyłam czytać tą książkę poszłam na mszę, zazwyczaj nie chodzę do kościoła i nie za bardzo lubię więc dosyć szybko odleciałam myślami. Podczas któregoś czytania zaczęłam wyliczać i segregować moje cechy charakteru na te stereotypowo żeńskie i męskie jako ćwiczenie żeby lepiej zrozumieć książkę i dopasować ją do własnych doświadczeń. Powietrze ostro pachniało kadzidłami i kręciło mi się w głowie od oparów bo to homilia swiatla i wody i ludzie mieli liczne świece parafinowe (nie eko i nie zdrowe :((( ). I jakoś tak w środku moich rozważań spojrzałam wizerunek Jezusa na krzyżu widniejący nad ołtarzem, na jego długie włosy i delikatne rysy i wtedy miałam olśnienie, Jezus był meeega androgeniczny. Jego rola w życiu apostołów tak samo przypominała rolę matki jak i ojca. plus wyglada jak twink. Dokładnie w tym momencie proboszcz powiedział:"Jezus był nowym adamem" i moje myśli krzyczaly, że był też nową Ewą. To doświadczenie było tak dziwne i psychodeliczne, czułam się jakbym coś podjarała przed. Zastanawiałam się nawet czy ja czegoś nie zjarałam przed plus zapach kościoła sprawiał że wszystko było dziwne i ezoteryczne. A jak chór zaczął śpiewać, boszzzzzzz. Mega polecam 100000/10 lepsze niż zioło. Czułam się bardzo sobą i bardzo komfortowo czytając tą książkę.

[Austin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in a small, quaint book store in Yellow Springs OH. I had heard of the concept of androgyny before but I never knew truly what the concept meant. This book will make you realize that the concepts in this book are innate, but it is your job as the reader to manifest these qualities on an interpersonal and intrapersonal level. From this work, you will actually understand the contrast between the chaotic Dionysian hermaphrodite, versus the ideal androgyne that we should strive for.

During the first half of this book, you may find that the historical examples of Androgyny are delineated in overtly-profound ways, which for me as the reader, took me astray and made me read at a more languorous pace, but once you get accustomed to the writing style, you gradually become more engaged (if only this section of the book would be less tedious to read). This is the only reason I knocked the book down a star, but on the contrary, this section is also crucial if you want to ACTUALLY conceptualize the principles stated later in the book. The further I delved into the antiquity myths, the more profound of a read it came to me.

The latter half of the book is called 'Today and Tomorrow' in which I found had the most influence on me and made me understand not only things about androgyny but also about the metaphysical universe itself. This book really has a way of describing these concepts that makes sense and is followable for somewhat who is susceptible to the concept. I also found the section where she displays individual cases plus their experience in manifesting Androgyny (in an extensive range of circumstances) as very interesting and applicable. You have to be a certain kind of reader to truly and completely read this book, but it has proved as one of the most rewarding books I've ever read.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read about 3/4 of it and lent it to a friend. what i have read was amazing and ill be reading it again soon.

[Cynthia Grove · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb book but beware, the conversion to digital format is horrendous. Although it only happens occasionally (still far too many) when you press to go forward a page it may jump back to the beginning of that chapter, not once but every time you attempt to go forward. Try to circumvent this glitch and move to the next chapter and work back; sometimes it works but sometimes not. I am far from a novice reader on kindle and have not experienced this glitch in any other book.
There are also a number of, shall I say typographical, errors such as "off" appearing as "iff".
It won't stop me reading as the book is too good but it greatly frustrates me when it happens. And, BTW, closing the book and re-starting doesn't help, nor does using a different device (I have kindle apps on my phone, laptop, tablet as well as a relatively new Kindle). Amazon, please fix this for future readers.

[Hafren Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This work is a bit dated now, both from a gender-theory perspective and a Jungian perspective. The book's main theory of psychological androgyny seems commonly accepted or self-evident today. The archetypal stuff is all classical Jung or casting back to ancient myth. Some good stuff though.

[Ioana Fotache · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually a profoundly enjoyable read and I would've rated it much higher had I not expected it to be an academic psychology book.

[Bianca Weeko · Rating 3 out of 5]

+4 points for relatable content, -1 for dragging astrology

[Elizabeth]

ILL
I rerequested this book with activation of Nov 1 to give a little more time to the differences between the editions especially with reqard to women.

What I really learned from this book was in the introduction and it had nothing to do with the subject of the book!!!
SSH is a biochemist. He reviews the origins of life on earth reminding us that the first oceans were fresh water and there was no oxygen atmosphere or dissolved in the water. The first one-celled creatures didn't have organelles, not even nuclei, let alone mitochondria.


This edition was revised later, given a new subtitle.Androgyny The Opposites Within But there is no dif in the TOC starting with Part 1.

Preface vii [new ed:]
Preface to First Edition xii [new ed:]
Acknowledgements xiv [new ed:]
Introduction by Sheldon S Hendler

PART 1: Yesterday
Androgyny as Guiding Principle of the New Age
Hermaphrodites, Bisexuals, Androgynes and the Uncarved Block
The Two in the One: Pathology or Mythology?
Becoming Liberated from Sex and Gender: Risks and Challenges
In the Midst of Chaos the Woman Danced
The Golden Age of the Mother and the Rebellion of her Sons
Monotheism in a Patriarchal System: Its Disintegration into Polytheism
Eden Revisited: The Divine ``Us'' Who Created Persons
Zodiacal Man as Macrocosm: The Astrological Model for the Psyche
Plato's Androgyne: Origins of Heterosexuality and Homosexuality
Monad, Jot, and Tittle: The Gnostic Vision of the Fall
The Philosopher's Stone in Alchemy: The Androgyne Imprisoned in Matter
Adam Kadmon in Kabbalah: The Tree of Life as Androgyne
Purusha-Prakriti, Siva-Sakti, Yab-Yum, and Other Manifestations in the East
Dynamic Union in Tao
PART 2: Today and Tomorrow
Androgyny in Motion: T'ai Chi and the Hollow Brush
Dynamics of Androgyny: The Systems View
Energy and the Evolution of Consciousness
Toward a New Theory of Human Sexuality
Androgyny Experienced in Homosexuality, Bisexuality, and Heterosexuality
Androgyny Experienced in Masturbation, Celibacy, and Marriage
Androgyny Experienced in Widowhood, the Creative Life, and Old Age
The Way of the Flowing Stream
Epilogue
Reference
Bibliography
Index
About the Author

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

from the library c1976, 1989, 2000

look at pages 47 and 131 to copy or to write about

she sure is running away from bisexuality and toward sexual dimorphism.

I don't think I would recommend this book for women unless they were women's studies scholars.

[Becca]

So far this is a dreamy Jungian meander through the twisted forest that is the human history of gender and androgyny-- not in sense of physical intersexedness-- but in the psychic integration of the Jungian concept of the subconscious anima or animus, depending on your gender. Sound fun? It IS!!!

[Prastio Satria]

"is androgyny a trend ?"