I was prepared to be offended by this one, but the author did an excellent job explaining the differences between the societal, political, and ecomonic equality of the masculine/feminine vs. how the two operate in an intimate partnership. It stood the test off time and is still relevant 25 years after publishing.
This book could have used a heavy edit... the language was repetitive and the book realistically could have been 2/3 the length it was published at. Still, absolutely worth the read - ideally with your s/o.
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This little girl, whose native sexual essence happens to actually lie toward the more Feminine end of the spectrum, is being tacitly "shaped" by her parents' perceptions and expectations. Over time, she will likely accept the "fact" that she is a smart person, but not a particularly radiant one, for example. A girl like this will probably develop other, more Masculine aspects of her personality, her abstract analytical and organizational skills, perhaps, or her competitive edge. Of course, it's very healthy to develop the entire spectrum of qualities, Masculine and Feminine. It's just that a girl like this may overemphasize developing her Masculine energy and thereby deny, for example, her native radiance and attractiveness, as well as all the other natural qualities of her Feminine sexual essence, which remain lingering in her heart.
If you are a woman who has denied the native radiance or sensuality, or creative chaos, or wild powerof your Feminine sexual essence, you will probably find yourself in a relationship with a man who is afraid to take a strong stand in your lives together. The first step in attracting a partner with a strong Masculine sexual essence, or in evoking more Masculine energy from your present partner, is to cultivate your ability to trust your own Feminine core. By relaxing into your Feminine essence's native and inherent attractiveness, radiance, wildness, spontaneity and intuitive connection with life, you will empower your core, and you will shine. Then you will also automatically attract, or evoke in men, a strong Masculine sexual essence.
Because our political decisions have been so one-sidedly Masculine, we have championed the quest for freedom at the expense of love's wisdom. We have consistently disregarded human well-being and individual need for the sake of so-called political, ideological and economic freedom. There are times when a decision has to be made that, in the short term, will result in loss of life, but in the "big picture" will yield long-term gifts for all. Decisions of this kind may be involved in policy concerning euthanasia and war, for instance. The Masculine is more at home amidst death than is the Feminine, and thus should be trusted more in the necessary moments of crisis that do occur in our lives. However, the Feminine, in both women and men, is far more attuned to appropriate action when it comes to the propagation and support of life, human and otherwise.
In certain moments we become blinded by our emotions, and we cling too tightly to that which must die, be it an intimate relationship, an embryo or a hero. In such moments, we must learn to trust the wisdom of the Masculine, which is able to act clearly in spite of emotional feelings. In certain moments we become blinded by our quest for freedom: political, financial and even spiritual. We dissociate our actions from our heart, and end up with a sterile and rigidly life-suppressive political regime or intimate partnership. In such moments, we must learn to trust the wisdom of the Feminine, which is the genius inherent in relationship, bodily intuition and the natural force of life.
Since the core of the Masculine sexual essence is directionality, anything you do to demonstrate trust and support of your Masculine partner's direction will turn Him on, and anything you do that demonstrates criticism or mistrust of your Masculine partner's direction will turn Him off immediately, and rather extremely. The same holds true for the Feminine partner's radiance or attractiveness.
The Feminine is beautiful. The Feminine is radiant. Physical attractiveness could express an aspect of this radiance, but it doesn't last, and even while it does, it's only skin deep. However, the Feminine force in people is always attractive, loving and radiant, if it is rightfully honored and allowed to show itself in its unique fullness. A star need not hide its shine, no matter how "unnoticed" it feels. In general, the more Feminine a person's sexual essence is, the more he or she will desire to be noticed as attractive. This is a natural sign of a more Feminine sexual essence. If you have a Feminine sexual essence, then you are particularly sensitive to this quality of attractiveness, both your own and others.
Virtually every woman agreed that foremost among the qualities they wanted in their
man were:
1. Presence
2. Intelligence
3. Strength
4. Passion
5. Direction
6. Humor
The qualities that men across the country wanted most in their women were:
1. Beauty
2. Sexual openness
3. Trust of their (man's) direction
4. Support for their (man's) vision
5. Intelligence
6. Healthy radiance
As individual men and women in the economic and political world, we should all be given the same opportunities and treated with the same respect and "equal eye." In an effort to achieve this, men and women are learning to treat each other as equals and, to some extent, even treat each other as non-sexual beings. Unfortunately, we have confused the equality of the workplace with sexual neutralization in our intimate relationships. In our intimate relationships, we have inadvertently negotiated the neutering of our sexual essence in order to be treated as equals. We need to make a distinction between what we want in the workplace and what we want in our intimate lives together. Sexual fulfillment in intimacy is not based on neutrality, but on the attractive differences, playful opposition and pleasurable non-equivalence of the Masculine and Feminine gifts, anatomical, emotional and spiritual. This is a key to why the modern ideal of an intimate relationship can be so dissatisfying. In a modern relationship, in which equivalence between men and women is often emphasized, we may never receive the full gifts of Masculine or Feminine loving that we truly desire.
If you find that you are repeatedly disappointed that the men you attract are somewhat weak or lost, unable to completely follow through with what they start, wishy-washy or threatened by your success, then you are probably animating more Masculine energy than is true of your natural sexual essence. Your Feminine sexual essence may be looking for a really good source of Masculine love, but the Masculine energy you are putting out is attracting men who need more Masculine in their lives, and who are therefore attracted to yours. But they don't fulfill the deepest desires of your Feminine sexual essence.
Blocked-Up And Covered-Over Sexual Essences
Suppose you are a woman whose sexual essence is naturally more Feminine. You will lose trust in your partner if you find that he is always ambivalent and undirected, waiting for you to take the lead most of the time. In this case, your partner is waiting to follow your direction, to trust and follow your Masculine sense of "mission."
"What do you want to do tonight?" you ask.
"I don't care, what do you want to do?" he answers.
If your sexual essence is actually more Feminine, you will find yourself wishing that your partner would take you into account and just make a decision. Your Feminine essence wants to feel his Masculine energy, direction, presence and passion. You want to feel him take a stronger lead in your lives together, rather than being ambiguous and unclear.
"What do you want to do tonight?"
"How about if we go out to dinner and then go for a walk in the park?"
If you must spend a lot of time in the company of the opposite sex (in human, geographic or professional form), make sure to rejuvenate yourself by spending equal time in the company of your native sexual force. If you have a Masculine sexual essence, spend substantial time in the company of only men or in some arena of challenge, self-discipline and focused directionality, in the form of a sport, a meditative practice or a goal-oriented giving of your creative gifts. If you have a Feminine sexual essence, spend substantial time in the company of only women or in the powerful flow of natural life-force, dancing to music, moving in nature, allowing your body to spontaneously express your creative gifts and making passionate love. As long as we take care to nourish our core with the force of its native energy, we can spend our workday being as Masculine or Feminine as we like with no ill effects, regardless of our native sexual essence or our gender.
Your Masculine partner may have chosen to lavish attention on a substitute source of Feminine force in the form of surf, car or boat, marijuana, music or many other forms of sensuality, beauty and rejuvenation. If so, He will be less likely to commit to giving you His Masculine love and receiving your Feminine love in an intimate relationship. Your Feminine partner may have chosen a substitute source of Masculine force in the form of a career, schedule, animal, city, mission or in any other way of filling her life with purpose, direction and goals. If so, she will be less likely to commit to giving you her Feminine love and receiving your Masculine love in an intimate relationship.